The First U.S. Law About Conservation

We're very excited to announce that our children's nonfiction picture book, EROSION: How Hugh Bennett Saved America's Soil and Stopped the Dust Bowl has been named a 2021 Notable Social Studies Book by the Children's Book Council and the National Council for Social Studies.

Science + History = Social Studies

This is Book 5 of the Moments in Science series, which chooses moments when science changes significantly in some way. 

EROSION discusses the events of the 1920s-1940s in the U.S. when soil erosion caused the Dust Bowl. Huge dust storms covered the midwest and contributed to the economic depression of the 1930s.

One man knew what to do, Hugh Bennett. A soil scientist, he had studied America's soil coast to coast. At the time, the soil scientists were creating a detailed map of the United States which showed the type of soil in every county, every town, every farm. With that knowledge, they could suggest the best uses for the land, whether farm land or building a city. 

The Dust Bowl resulted from a combination of drought and poor farming practices. Bennett couldn't change the weather, but he could make sure farmers knew and practiced the best methods of soil conservation.

But Bennett needed help. This story is about the science of soil erosion and soil conservation, but it's also about creating the first U.S. law for conservation. 

Lincoln Memorial Covered in Dust

Here's the photo that inspired this book.