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  • Show Me the Money – Vol. 1 No. 4
Cover of "Show Me the Money" with a woman hiking in a forest
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Show Me the Money – Vol. 1 No. 4

  • Monograph
  • Middle School
  • Agriculture
  • Social Science
  • Wilderness
  • Conservation
  • Incentives
  • Likert Scales
  • Private Land
  • Sample Size
  • Survey
  • Sustainability
Cover of "Show Me the Money" with a woman hiking in a forest
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Over the past 40 years, Federal and State governments have provided financial incentives to private forest landowners. In this monograph, scientists wanted to know what kind of impact these programs are having on private forest landowners in the South. Specifically, they wanted to know whether the programs are meeting the goal of keeping southern forests healthy into the future.

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Highlights

  • 4 Scientists
  • Glossary
  • 3 Activities
  • Lesson Plan
  • Over the past 40 years, Federal and State governments have provided financial incentives to private forest landowners. In this article, scientists wanted to know what kind of impact these programs...

    Show Me the Money: Promoting Sustainable Forests in the South

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Agriculture
    • Social Science
    • Wilderness
    • Incentives
    • Likert Scales
    • Private Land
    • Sample Size
    • Survey
    • Sustainability
    Over the past 40 years, Federal and State governments have provided financial incentives to private forest landowners. In this article, scientists wanted to know what kind of impact these programs...
    • Explore Article
    • Download Article (PDF)
    • Explore Article
    • Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Show Me the Money - Vol. 1 No. 4

  • In this FACTivity, you will receive an incentive to practice conservation at home and at school. At the end of the FACTivity, you will discuss your experience. The questions you...

    FACTivity – Show Me the Money

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 5 Classroom Periods
    • Social Science
    • Wilderness
    • Conservation
    • Daily Log
    • Experiment
    • Incentives
    • Social Science
    In this FACTivity, you will receive an incentive to practice conservation at home and at school. At the end of the FACTivity, you will discuss your experience. The questions you...
    • Explore Activity
    • Download FACTivity (PDF)
    • Explore Activity
    • Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Show Me the Money: Promoting Sustainable Forests in the South

  • After reading “Show Me the Money,” explain what each of these illustrations from the article represent.

    eyeChallenge – Show Me the Money

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Social Science
    • Wilderness
    • Image Challenge
    After reading “Show Me the Money,” explain what each of these illustrations from the article represent.
    • Explore Activity
    • Download Activity (PDF)
    • Explore Activity
    • Download Activity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Show Me the Money: Promoting Sustainable Forests in the South

  • After reading “Show Me the Money,” test your knowledge with this activity. Draw a line from one list to the other to create a phrase from the article.

    Create a Phrase – Show Me the Money

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Social Science
    • Wilderness
    • Forest
    • Policy
    • Sustainability
    • Word Challenge
    After reading “Show Me the Money,” test your knowledge with this activity. Draw a line from one list to the other to create a phrase from the article.
    • Explore Activity
    • Download Activity (PDF)
    • Explore Activity
    • Download Activity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Show Me the Money: Promoting Sustainable Forests in the South

Glossary

View All Glossary
  • conservation

    (kän(t) sər vā shən): A careful preservation and protection of something, especially planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect.

  • conservation easement

    (kän(t) sər vā shən ēz mənt): An easement granted by a landowner to a public or private entity (such as a land trust) in which the landowner agrees to restrictions on the use of the land (such as from development) and the holder agrees to enforce the restrictions.

  • convert

    (kən vərt): To change from one form or function to another.

  • economic

    (ek ǝ nä mik): Of, relating to, or based on the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

  • erodible

    (i rō də bəl): Able to be worn away by the action of water, wind, or glacial ice.

  • financial

    (fə nan(t) shəl): Relating to money or other liquid resources of a government, business, group, or individual.

  • incentive

    (in sen tiv): Something that makes a person try or work hard or harder.

  • legacy

    (le gə sē): Something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.

  • policy

    (pä lə sē): A course of action chosen in order to guide people in making decisions.

  • stewardship

    (stü ǝrd ship): The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.

  • survey

    (sǝr vā): A questioning or canvassing of persons selected at random or by quota to obtain information or opinions to be analyzed.

  • wetlands

    (wet landz): Land or areas (such as marshes or swamps) that are covered, often intermittently, with shallow water or have soil saturated with moisture.

Classroom Review Board

Mr. Tim Kinnard’s Sandy Creek Nature Center Teen Day Camp

  • Sandy Creek Nature Center Teen Day Camp
  • Athens, GA

Editorial Review Board Comments

  • “Charts and text layout are easier to read than just normal layout.”

  • “I really like the design elements you used. It made the article real easy to read. I enjoyed reading it!”

  • “Put the Glossary near the Introduction.”

  • “It was great to learn more about scientists.”

  • “If possible, get pictures of kids and adults doing things to help the forest, not just cartoons.”

  • “I like the graphs on page 13.”

  • “I think we need footnotes instead of a Glossary.”

  • “I like the Introduction section. It’s very descriptive.”

  • “Graphs and charts were disrupting the flow and are too large and disorganized.”

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  • Dr. Steven Daniels standing on a rock with a dog

    Steven Daniels

    Social Scientist

    My favorite science experience was helping cross-country skiers and snowmobile users work together to make decisions. They both wanted to use the same area for outdoor recreation. Snowmobiling and cross-country...
    View Profile
  • Dr. John Greene and Ms. Patricia Black looking at a laptop screen

    John Greene

    Forest Economist

    My favorite science experience is sharing the things I find out with people who can use them. In this photo, I am discussing forest plans with Ms. Patricia Black.
    View Profile
  • Dr. Michael Kilgore standing in front of water and autumn trees

    Michael Kilgore

    Economist/Resource Economist

    My favorite science experience is when I get to travel to other places around the world to study how people use forests.
    View Profile
  • Dr. Thomas Straka standing behind a mound of charcoal

    Thomas Straka

    Forest Economist

    My favorite science experience is evaluating large government programs and policies to see if they make financial sense. For example, should the State forestry agency hire more foresters to advise...
    View Profile

Jump To

  • Educator Guide
  • Lesson Plans

Note To Educators

The Forest Service's Mission

The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.

USDA and Forest Service Logos

What Is the Natural Inquirer?

Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.

Natural Inquirer bee sitting at a desk with paper and pencil

  • Meet the Scientists

    Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.

  • What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?

    Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.

  • Thinking About Science

    Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.

  • Thinking About the Environment

    Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.

  • Introduction

    Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.

  • Method

    Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.

  • Findings & Discussion

    Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.

  • Reflection Section

    Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.

  • Number Crunches

    Presents an easy math problem related to the research.

  • Glossary

    Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.

  • Citation

    Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.

  • FACTivity

    Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.


Science Education Standards

You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.


We Welcome Feedback

  • Contact

    Jessica Nickelsen
    Director, Natural Inquirer program

  • Email

    Contact us here.

Lessons

  • In this lesson plan, students will read a Natural Inquirer article and write short summary notes from each section. Students will then create “6-W Poems” that reflect their understanding of...

    Lesson Plan – The 6-W Questions

    • Lesson Plan
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • 2-3 Classroom Periods
    • Agriculture
    • Carbon
    • Citizen Science
    • Climate
    • Engineering and Forest Products
    • Fire
    • Insects
    • Pollinators
    • Pollution
    • Recreation
    • Social Science
    • Water
    • Wilderness
    • Wildlife
    • Graphic Organizer
    • Guided reading
    • Poem
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Writing
    In this lesson plan, students will read a Natural Inquirer article and write short summary notes from each section. Students will then create “6-W Poems” that reflect their understanding of...
    • Explore Lesson Plan
    • Download Lesson Plan (PDF)
    • Explore Lesson Plan
    • Download Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Part Of

    Show Me the Money: Promoting Sustainable Forests in the South

Additional Resources

  • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

    Learn more about the Natural Resources Conservation Services in your area.
    Visit Website
  • USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)

    Learn more about the Farm Service Agency.
    Visit Website
  • American Tree Farm System

    We work to give people the tools they need to be effective stewards of America's forests. Privately owned woodlands are vital to our country's clean water and air, wildlife habitat, recreational activities, and producing the jobs, wood, and paper products we all need.
    Visit Website
  • USDA Forest Service: Conservation Education

    Through Conservation Education, the Forest Service provides a variety of educational resources and programs for individuals of all ages to learn about the environment and our nation’s forests and grasslands. Through these hands-on, interactive learning opportunities, students, educators, and parents can explore how to become a responsible steward of our natural resources. There are also a variety of resources for teachers and parents to engage youth in environmental education and for exploring careers in conservation.
    Visit Website
  • FIND Outdoors

    Formerly the Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association, FIND Outdoors is a reimagined 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina. We are the Southeast’s leader in providing access to public lands, environmental education, recreation, and front country camping experiences. We maintain and operate 21 recreation, education, and camping facilities across western NC, northern GA, and beyond— serving approximately 800,000 visitors each year with over 150 recreational and environmental education programs, special events, and tours. • Our story is rooted in education about the forest. • Our passion is to help people become inspired. • Our goal is to help people connect with nature. • Our drive is to help people learn through discovery. We help people...FIND Outdoors. We are...FIND Outdoors.
    Visit Website
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  • Natural Inquirer - Homepage
  • Find Outdoors
  • USDA
  • USDA Forest Service logo.

The Natural Inquirer program produces a variety of science education materials for PreK through grade 12. Natural Inquirer products are produced by the USDA Forest Service, FIND Outdoors, and other cooperators and partners.

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