Objectives

By studying two important naturalists from different periods in Vermont's history, students will gain historical perspective on the changes that shaped Vermont's landscape while exploring the cultural and historical role of the naturalist. This lesson builds upon knowledge of ecological interdependence to introduce students to the effects of deforestation, including changes in wildlife population, climate change and erosion.

Vermont State Standards

3.9 Sustainability; 4.5 Continuity and Change; 4.6 Understanding Place; 6.4 Historical Connections; 6.7 Geographical Knowledge; 7.15 The Universe, the Earth and the Environment: Theories, Systems and Forces; 7.16 Design and Technology: Natural Resources

Materials

• 'Autobiographies' of Samuel Williams and George Perkins Marsh [DOC]
• Quotations from the writings of Samuel Williams and George Perkins Marsh [DOC]

Instructional Plan I. Introducing Samuel Williams and George Perkins Marsh

Ask students to provide a definition for 'naturalist.' Discuss where the word comes from ('nature') and ask what naturalists do. What other vocations might fall under this title (scientist, writer, painter, etc.)?

Next, introduce the students to two well-known naturalists in Vermont, Samuel Williams (1743-1817) and George Perkins Marsh (1801-1882), by asking student volunteers to do a dramatic presentation of their 'autobiographies.' Follow-up the introductions with a question and answer session:

• Who came first in Vermont history, Samuel Williams or George Perkins Marsh?
• Samuel Williams was born in 1743 and George Perkins Marsh was born in 1801. Calculate how much older George Perkins was.
• Who wrote Man and Nature?
• Who gathered his information from scientific experiments?
• Who was a failure as a businessman?
• Who went to college? (Both of them did!)
• Who is considered the "father" of the conservation movement?
• Did Samuel Williams grow up in Vermont? (Where did he grow up?)
• Where did George Perkins Marsh grow up?
• Who wrote The Natural and Civil History of Vermont? (And what does it mean for a history to be natural and civil?)
• Do you think George Perkins Marsh read Samuel Williams' book?
• Who wrote about the effects of clearing the land? (Both.)
• Are their ideas still important today?

In you have a timeline in the classroom, place important dates, such as their life spans and/or the publication of their most important books, on the timeline. [ Lesson Creating a Timeline ]

Ask to students to explain what it means to clear the land (to cut down trees in order to create farmland). Speculate as to what Samuel Williams and George Perkins Marsh had to say about the effects of clearing the land. What kind of changes do you think they noticed?

Introduce the word deforestation. This is the modern term we use to describe clearing the land. NASA defines deforesation as: the removal of forest stands by cutting and burning to provide land for agricultural purposes, residential or industrial building sites, roads, etc., or by harvesting the trees for building materials or fuel.

Ask to students write down hypotheses about the effects of deforestation on:

1. the wildlife living in the forest;
2. the soil on the forest floor, which was protected by the forest canopy and held in place by roots;
3. the local climate.

Discuss their hypotheses. Establish that deforestation:

1. displaces and reduces wildlife populations;
2. allows valuable layers of soil to wash away, which is known as soil erosion;
3. causes changes to the local climate, allowing land to dry out more quickly in the summer and freeze more quickly and deeply in the winter.

II. Effects of Deforestation

To prepare for this activity, ask students to find and write a short summary of a current news article about wildlife population, soil erosion and/or climate change. In the classroom, divide the class into small groups to discuss their findings with each other and decide if the issues described in the article were related to deforestation. In a class discussion, ask how the articles supported the students' hypotheses about the effects of deforestation.

Explain to the class that Samuel Williams and George Perkins were concerned about these issues over a hundred years ago, and although they didn't have the words 'deforestation' or 'erosion,' both of them discussed the effects of deforestation in books, articles and speeches. Hand out the Quotations from Samuel Williams and George Perkins Marsh.

When they have completed the hand out, discuss the answers as a class. Ask students to guess what George Perkins Marsh means by 'vegetable mould.' (The nutrient-rich top layer of soil on the forest floor.)

All of the quotes describe changes in the environment, but only one of them clearly states a reason for the changes. Ask students to find this quote. (George Perkins Marsh: "With the disappearance of the forest, all has changed...")

Samuel Williams and George Perkins Marsh made many important observations and discoveries about the natural world, but of course they didn't know everything, and they couldn't see the future. What issues did students encounter in their news articles that Samuel Williams and George Perkins Marsh couldn't have known about?

Assessment

Check students' hypotheses for completion and depth of comprehension. Collect and assess hand-outs and article summaries for completion and accuracy.

Extensions

Write letters to Samuel Williams or George Perkins describing current issues related to deforestation.

Recreate some of Samuel Williams' simple experiments measuring the effects of deforestation. Williams' describes his experiments in his book The Natural and Civil History of Vermont, which is available at the Stewart-Swift Research Center at the Henry Sheldon Museum; Special Collections at Middlebury College; and Special Collections at the Bailey Howe Library, University of Vermont.