How big is the wilderness land protected by President Trump?

Grade level: 4th – 6th grades

Skills: Division (large numbers)

sRelated environmental issues: Biodiversity

President Trump passed the wilderness preservation law on March 11, 2019. With the legislation, 1.3 million acres of federal land in California, Oregon, Utah, and New Mexico will be protected from logging, oil drilling, mining, and road-building.

  1. Death Valley, California

    Death Valley, California  (Photo credit: ROBYN BECK)

  1. Former President Obama passed the law to protect 2 million acres of wilderness across the West in March 2009. With the both laws, how many acres of land is protected from logging, oil drilling, mining, and road-building?
  2. The size of Rhode Island is 750,000 acres. How many times is the area protected by the two presidents larger than the state of Rhode Island?

Sources: East Bay Times, March 15, 2019. 

Note) The actual size of Rhode Island is 775,680 acres.

 

__________________________________________________________

 

Answer keys

  1. 3.3 million acres (1.3 + 2 = 3.3)
  2. 4.4 times (3,300,000 / 750,000 = 4.4)