12 Gifts of Conservation
By Spencer Miller
Public Affairs Specialist, National Headquarters
Holidays are a time to enjoy the warm comforts of home and family. A time to reflect and give thanks for life’s blessings. This month, we’re going to highlight important gifts given to us when we conserve natural resources: soil, food, plants, wildlife, people, health, protection, recreation, air, water, technology and future.
Unlike a single wrapped present, conservation is a gift to the whole world, and to the future. Each breath of air, sip of water and bite of food you will ever take, exists because of it. Were the world not continuously renewed, it would soon be consumed and barren. Conservation is the gift that keeps on giving.
Mother Nature is the perfect conservationist. At USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service we study nature. One of our goals is to help growers mimic natural systems. The closer they come to matching those systems, the better the results. The voluntary conservation efforts of America’s farmers and ranchers benefit us all.
And conservation is beneficial on any scale. When you plant a small backyard garden, you send positive impacts rippling through the world. You provide habitat for billions of living things, from microbes to wildlife. Your plants clean the air, and their roots and leaves prevent erosion, while building underground reservoirs of water and soil health. Your garden would mean the world to many creatures, and a healthier world for us all.
Our agency was formed to prevent another Dust Bowl. Our mission has since expanded to conserve the full range of natural resources, but soil health is our foundation. And it’s the first of 12 gifts we will highlight this December.
Happy Holidays to you and your family from NRCS! We encourage you to give the gift of conservation. As always, we’re here to help.
