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Background: During the summer of 2000, the largest fire in Colorado history attacked Mesa Verde National Park. The park closed for several weeks as firefighters struggled against the blaze. Luckily, the ancient cliff dwellings survived. (Learn more about Mesa Verde by reading "Life on the Edge" in our November-December issue.) Directions: Print out this page (or get a copy from your teacher). Then jump into the world of wildfire at www.nationalgeographic.com/eye/wildfires/ for clues to help you complete these sentences. For each sentence, circle the word that would go best in the blank. |
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1. The year 2000 saw more wildfires than usual, partly because the weather was warm and _____. wet dry fun 2. During 2000, wildfires burned _____ acres in the United States. That's more than twice the yearly average. 2.6 million 4.9 million 10.4 million 3. Lightning sparks some wildfires, but _____ start most of them. animals elves people 4. Firefighters and park rangers sometimes set fires on purpose! Such _____ burns usually prevent larger blazes. monster pyro controlled 5. Wildfires aren't all bad. By destroying shrubs and small trees, they make room for new _____. plants rivers snack bars |
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6. Cones from the _____ tree require intense heat to open. So they actually benefit from fires. maple jack pine blue spruce 7. Firefighters sometimes use shovels, axes, and chainsaws to _____ land around a wildfire. They do that to keep flames from spreading. decorate waterproof clear 8. Another way to fight wildfire is to drop _____ from airplanes and helicopters. bananas water balloons chemicals 9. _____ can cause wildfire to spread quickly through a thick forest. Wind Water Magic 10. Firefighters who parachute into remote areas are called _____. Smokey Boys Smoke Jumpers Danger Rangers |
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| Teachers and students may make copies of this page to complete as a classroom assignment. © 2001 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. |