Q: If the erosion on your land is serious, you may consider using barriers to control erosion. But this can be a risky measure that further damages your property or that of your neighbors. It's best to consult with professionals on that matter. The NCRS local service office can suggest a professional to help you deal with the erosion on your land. If you decide to erect your own barriers without the help of a professional, you need to choose the appropriate kind of barrier for your land. Erosion controls often involve the creation of a physical barrier, such as vegetation or rock, to absorb some of the energy of the wind or water that is causing the erosion. On construction sites they're often implemented in conjunction with sediment controls such as sediment basins and silt fences. Other types of barriers are: dikes, dams, rock lining, sediment traps, and storm drain outlet protection. Rock lining, also called riprap, will protect channel or waterway banks from water flow that erodes it. Use riprap to stabilize stream banks or below concentrated flows of water. You can also use it on slopes. Riprap is made of from different kinds of rock including granite or limestone. Some places may also use concrete as riprap. This technique is useful if you're worried that water runoff will wash the seeds and mulch away down a hillside. A contour trench is a shallow trench dug along the contour of a hillside so that it runs perpendicular to the flow of water. The purpose is to catch the water and give it time to sink into the soil before it runs off the hill. Dig a few short trenches around the side of the hill. Each one should be 6 inches (15.2cm) deep and 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9m) apart. Groundcover can be planted below the trenches and this will protect them from being washed out. A channel is a spot where running water cuts into the soil and forms a rut. By filling the channel with compost or manure, you will help prevent further erosion. If a channel increases in size with each rain, it can eventually form a gully, which is harder to address. Stop a channel before it turns into a gully by using a hoe to break it up. Fill it in with compost or manure and rake the area so that it's flat and smooth. After breaking up a channel, replant it with vegetation according to the system outlined above. Gullies are channels that have cut deep into the earth. By reducing gullies, you'll not only control erosion, but also allow the surrounding vegetation to thrive. Once enough topsoil and subsoil has been washed away, there's no barrier to keep heavy rains from washing away soil. When a gully cuts below the water table, it sucks away the water from the surrounding area, killing trees and vegetation on either side. Reduce the amount of water pouring into gullies by addressing the situation at the top of the gully. There are probably bare spots and other signs of sheet erosion that you can work to fix by planting groundcover immediately. This will help the water absorb into the soil instead of flowing into the gully. While some people recommend building diversion channels to make the water flow elsewhere, this usually just creates a new problem - namely, a new channel that could become a new gully. It's better to work on fixing the gully once and for all. In addition to controlling water, it's important to stabilize the land, including the bottom of a gully, to keep it from getting any deeper. To do that, build a check dam, which is a small series of dikes that slow water flow so that the ground can recover. Choose your dam material. You can use rocks, poles, planks, or another sturdy material. You can pack holes with straw or brush. Each dam will be about 2 feet (0.6m) high. Dig the first dam into the sides of the gully. Construct your dam by placing material across the gully so that it touches the bottom and digs into the walls on either side, so that the water can't flow around it. Make a notch in the middle. The middle of the dam should have a space where water can get through; otherwise it'll just find a way around the dam. Make a rock apron on the other side. The water needs a place to land on the other side so that its impact is reduced. Put a bed of rocks in front of the dam. Construct more small dams or dikes to form a series. Depending on the size of the gully, put in several more dams. The system works most effectively if the dams are close together, so the water can't pick up much speed in between them. Once your check dam is in place, level out the gully. The aim is to gradually level the gully by grading the sides so that the bottom fills in over time. Use a shovel, a pick axe or another appropriate tool to begin knocking dirt from the sides of the gully into the bottom. It can take weeks or even months to finish the job, because each new rain is a bit of a setback. Any time there is bad weather, check your work to make sure it is holding and not causing more erosion. If more dirt slides down the sides of the gully, keep working to level them to a gentler angle. Make sure the check dams are working sufficiently. You might need to add more small dams, adjust the length of the sides, replace the aprons, and so on to ensure that water isn't still cutting the gully deeper when it rains. When your dam and leveling work has sufficiently slowed the gully's growing cycle, you can plant it using the process above. Start with groundcover, use fast-growing trees to stabilize the area, and after a few seasons of healthy growth, plant native species that will return the land to its natural state.
A: Know that barriers are best left to professionals. Choose the appropriate kind of barrier. Use rubble or riprap. Consider digging contour trenches. Break up channels. Reduce the flow of water into gullies. Build a check dam or dike to stabilize the soil or gully bottom. Grade the slopes on the sides of the gully. Monitor the progress of your work after bad weather. Plant the area.

Q: Look for visual representations of what you're learning, such as photos of a historical figure, a map for geography, or illustrations of a cell for cellular biology. You may even want to check out documentaries online. Other great options are to color code your notes, use a highlighter, draw diagrams, or sketch out what you're learning. Music can help your mind focus while you read, or you could try finding your text as an audiobook. Some textbooks include digital access to an audio file or even include a CD. If you're reading a novel for class, look for the audio version. You can also try reading your notes out loud or explaining what you're learning aloud to someone else. Some subjects, such as science, are easier to pair with movement since you can build models of what you're studying. You can always hang up a whiteboard or poster board in your room, then stand at it while you write out the important concepts or create a diagram of what you're learning. This allows you to move as you process the information, which will help you learn. Other great options include role playing, making a model, or creating a representation of what you're learning.
A:
Incorporate images if you're a visual learner. Listen to music or an audio book if you're an auditory learner. Build movement into your study sessions if you're a kinesthetic learner.