iv the current standards movement. The organization and content coverage of Natural Resources Systems was developed with valuable insight from a panel of expert reviewers and with the National Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Standards and Common Core State Standards at the forefront. The textbook content also correlates to various state standards and to exam stan- dards for Career Skill Certifi cation™ by Precision Exams. Each chapter concludes with a chapter summary, vocabulary review, chapter review questions, and critical thinking questions and activities. STEM and inte- grated academic questions are also featured with additional ideas about incorpo- rating the chapter’s lessons into SAEs and FFA. These areas challenge students to engage with the content at a deeper level than most traditional natural resources texts. Most importantly, this entire textbook is supported with professional, user- friendly online resources. Quite simply, teachers have a full-service resource at their disposal to engage students in the classroom, online, and in their minds. The material on every page conveys our passion for the gifts of nature in our modern world. The material also extends our message that working with nature and developing sustainable practices is an exciting area that allows stu- dents to express their passion for conservation and preservation of our natural resources. We hope you enjoy our presentation of natural resources for our modern society and continue to learn about Earth and its resources, and pos- sibly fi nd a career in this area that fulfi lls you. About the Authors Dr. Travis Park is an Associate Professor at North Carolina State University, where he instructs the teaching methods course and coordinates student teach- ing. He also co-leads Developing Educational Leaders and Teachers of Agriculture (DELTA), the alternative licensure professional development program for agricul- ture teachers in North Carolina. Dr. Park earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Purdue University, and his PhD from the University of Florida, all in agricultural education. Upon graduation, he was named the 1996 G. A. Ross Award winner, which recognizes the outstanding male student in the graduating class. After graduating from Purdue, Travis taught agriculture at Tri-County High School in Wolcott, Indiana, for 6 years. His agriculture program was recognized as one of the top six agriculture programs in the nation. Travis is happily married to his wife Lacy. Together, they are raising three creative, active, and strong daugh- ters. They currently reside in Raleigh, North Carolina. In his spare time, Travis enjoys backpacking, camping, composting, crafting smoked meats and jerky, read- ing, and gardening with native plant species. Tara Berescik teaches agricultural education for Tri-Valley Central School in Grahamsville, New York. Grahamsville is located in the watershed for New York City, which inspires students to learn about the watershed and enroll in environ- mental science and conservation science classes. In addition to the environmental and conservation science classes, Tara’s courses include large animal production small animal care anatomy and physiology fl oral design international agriculture and sustainability and middle school agriculture and technology. Her courses focus on hands-on learning and building career skills.