CHAPTER 2

Natural Resources are products that come directly from the Earth Two Types Renewable Nonrenewable

Mississippi has 3 main resources Soil Forest Water Soil Most abundant resource Vital to agriculture economy Delta – some of most fertile soil in world Must have soil to grow anything else - trees

Forest The Piney Woods experienced an economic boom for fifty years due to its forests Economic Boom Economy Trees were cleared for lumber, houses, farms, etc… Problems with cutting down the trees Wildlife disappeared when habitat gone Caused increase of erosion No trees to hold the soil

Forest Continued 56% of MS’s land is covered in forest Main uses for forest: lumber, paper, and Masonite boards 2 heavily forested areas in MS Piney Woods Northeast Highlands 2 commercial types of trees Hardwoods – oak and hickory Softwoods – Pine (most of our wood products are made out of pine)

Water One of MS most important and most abundant resources Two types of water Ground water Surface water Early transportation routes Rivers & Stream The First Mississippians made their homes on the banks of rivers and streams Reasons: food, water, transportation, and trade Fears about water Industrial Pollution threat Sewage runoff Chemicals used in farming

Water (continued) Aquifer – underground reservoir of trapped water In layers of sand and gravel Good water usually found feet deep Cistern – large underground tank made out of brick or stone that rainwater could drain into Tightly covered – good, clean water Disease Cholera – quickly spreading & deadly disease spread by human waste getting into water supplies

The MS River has influenced the state in the following ways Indians used it for travel and trade It was used as a landmark by explorers Gaining control of it was part of the North’s strategy for winning the Civil War Natchez and Vicksburg were two of MS’s early towns built on the MS River

MS has 3 water boundaries MS River Pearl River MS Sound Gulf Coast between land and 4 barrier islands East to West: Cat, Ship, Horn, & Petit Bois 80 miles long & 15 miles wide Shallow in most places MS River drains 2/3 of USA – Rockies to Appalachians Early transportation depended on rivers Roads & highways only effective in last 100 years Canoes, flatboats, & steamboats were used

Rivers in MS are divided Rivers in the west all flow to the MS River Rivers in the east all flow to the MS Sound or Mobile Bay 2 Major Tributaries in the West Yazoo River – formed at Greenwood by Tallahatchie & Yalobusha Rivers Big Black River – formed in east central MS near Maben 2 Major Tributaries in the East Tombigbee River – Northeast MS to Mobile Bay Pascagoula River – ‘Singing River’ – flows to MS Sound

Central MS – Jackson Capital sits on banks of Pearl River Flows through middle of state to MS Sound Mississippi River constantly changing course State line vs river bed Oxbow lakes

Reservoirs – man made lakes used in MS to help control flooding in the Delta and provide recreation 5 Reservoirs (from North to South) Arkabutla on Coldwater River Sardis on Tallahatchie River Enid on Yocona River Grenada on Yalobusha River Ross Barnett on the Pearl

The state is prone to flooding because of its location on the MS River When the river overflows the extra water is trapped in wetlands Wetlands – flood plain The wetlands are MS most productive habitats There have been two floods in MS 1927 was the worst in MS’s history 2011

There are four ways to prevent flooding 1. levee – wall made mainly of dirt to hold back the water Primary way of controlling flooding 2. channelization is when the river is widened and straightened 3. cutoff is when a channel is created through the neck of the river bend 4. diversion is when the river is diverted into another body of water

Rebuilding the forest Reforestation is the replanting of the forests Mississippi Forestry Commission was established to protect and replant the forest Reasons for reforestation Oxygen Building materials Habitats

MS does not have great mineral deposits Some coal, iron & aluminum ore deposits Not big enough to be developed commercially Most important minerals: Petroleum, natural gas, gravel, and sand Not a lot of oil on national scale but some Oil first found in Tinsley, MS in Yazoo County

Vardaman Sweet Potato Capital of the World Greenwood Cotton Capital of the World Biloxi Oyster & Shrimp Capital of the World Mize Watermelon Capital of the World Belzoni Farm-Raised Catfish Capital of the World

Soil Erosion Early farmers were not educated in care and use of land Land was abundant and cheap Topsoil washed into rivers and streams Ways to restore the soil’s fruitfulness Fertilizers Rotating crops Over hunting and over fishing have caused a reduction in certain animals As a result we have hunting laws