Final answer:
One of the environmental problems in the 1960s was the degradation of agricultural lands due to an increase in population and demands for resources.
Step-by-step explanation:
The environmental problem in the 1960s was that agricultural lands were degraded due to an increase in population and the demands for land, water, food, and energy. This led to the destruction of habitats and the unsustainable use of resources.
In the 1960s, the correct environmental problem was agricultural land degradation due to the neglect of environmental impacts from farming, industry, and mining. This was a period with less environmental regulation leading to issues like pollution and habitat loss.
The environmental problem in the 1960s that is referenced here is agricultural land degradation. This was a time when the environmental impact of commercial farming, industrial growth, and mining was largely neglected. Environmental laws were less stringent, which allowed practices like hydraulic mining that caused significant environmental damage. Also notable were the overharvesting and habitat loss of species, highlighted by events such as the Cuyahoga River fire caused by extreme pollution, and the collapse of the western Atlantic cod fishery due to overfishing.
Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is: a. Agricultural land was degraded. During this period, there was significant environmental neglect, leading to diverse problems such as soil erosion, river pollution, and habitat destruction, contrary to the ideas that there were too many fish in the rivers or that agricultural lands were overprotected. The option regarding bald eagle populations exploding is historically inaccurate as their numbers were actually declining at this time due to pollution and habitat loss.