Saving the Plains Keyword: PLAINS

In 1997, Kansas farmers grew enough wheat to make about 36 billion loaves of bread!

Surviving the Dust Bowl

Here is a resource guide from a PBS television show. This site includes a timeline, maps, and articles about the Dust Bowl. Read the suggestions for classroom discussion, and read the eyewitness accounts.

		Questions What year held the worst drought in American history? What five-state region made up the dust bowl? Describe the role of soil conservation in reclaiming the farmland.

Wheatmania

Wacky Wheat is your host at this site about wheat farming in the great state of Kansas. Read about life on a wheat farm, visit some prairie skyscrapers, and learn just what wheat is good for.

		Questions What are prairie skyscrapers? Where were most of them built? Why were they built there? What do people do with wheat, aside from eating it? Name two inventions that revolutionized wheat harvesting. How long does it take to harvest an acre of wheat today?

Kentucky Caverns

In Kentucky, underneath the hilly land lie…caves! Learn all about caves and see some cool pictures at this site. Be sure to click The Formation of Caves to learn how caves are made, and Cave Ecology to learn what threats caves face.

		Questions How does rain water become acidic enough to dissolve rocks and form caves? Name four features of a karst terrain. What is the greatest threat to cave ecology? What are the main sources of this threat?