DOCUMENT RESUME ED 403 116 SE 058 778 AUTHOR Adams, Mary; And Others TITLE Ecosystem Matters: Activity and Resource Guide for Environmental Educators. INSTITUTION Forest Service (USDA), Rocky Mountain Region. PUB DATE Nov 95 NOTE 239p.; This curriculum was made possible through the Western State Foresters in conjunction with the USDA Natural Resource Consortium Education West Wide Program. AVAILABLE FROM USDA Forest Service, 201 14th Street, P.O. Box 96090, Corner 14th and Independence (2NW), Washington, DC 20090-6090. PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Teaching Guides (For Teacher) (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Conservation Education; Drama; *Ecology; Elementary Secondary Education; *Environmental Education; Geography Instruction; Interdisciplinary Approach; Language Arts; Mathematics Education; Physical Education; *Resource Materials; Science Activities; *Science and Society; Social Studies; *Thematic Approach ABSTRACT An ecological approach involved making conscious decisions which result in actions that responsibly contribute to the long-term stewardship of natural resources. This activity and resource guide was designed for use by both educators and resource managers to supplement existing courses and programs concerning ecological matters. These interdisciplinary activities cover such subjects as social studies, drama, language arts, geography, history, math, physical education, and science in addition to environmental education. The activities are organized by age group-grades K-3 (13 activities), grades 4-5 (20 activities), grades 6-8 (25 activities), and grades 9-12 (13 activities--but are scattered throughout the guide without regard to age level. The preface describes a new way of looking at the earth and its natural resources called Ecosystem Management; the introduction defines ecosystems and ecosystem management; and the users guide gives tips for sampling activities. Each activity is accompanied by a sidebar containing the following information: (1) Age level; (2) Process; (3) Objectives; (4) Timeframe; (5) Skills; (6) Materials; and (7) Vocabulary. Sample activities include "Career Critters" (K-3), which introduces the concept that wild animals can manage some human-induced environmental problems, and "The Long and Winding Road" (grades 4-12), in which students examine various societal values related to archaeological resources such as Stonehenge. Contains a glossary of 175 words. (PVD) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. ***********************************************************************
Transcript
DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 403 116 SE 058 778
AUTHOR Adams, Mary; And OthersTITLE Ecosystem Matters: Activity and Resource Guide for
Environmental Educators.INSTITUTION Forest Service (USDA), Rocky Mountain Region.PUB DATE Nov 95NOTE 239p.; This curriculum was made possible through the
Western State Foresters in conjunction with the USDANatural Resource Consortium Education West WideProgram.
AVAILABLE FROM USDA Forest Service, 201 14th Street, P.O. Box 96090,Corner 14th and Independence (2NW), Washington, DC20090-6090.
PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Teaching Guides (ForTeacher) (052)
EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Conservation Education; Drama; *Ecology; Elementary
Secondary Education; *Environmental Education;Geography Instruction; Interdisciplinary Approach;Language Arts; Mathematics Education; PhysicalEducation; *Resource Materials; Science Activities;*Science and Society; Social Studies; *ThematicApproach
ABSTRACTAn ecological approach involved making conscious
decisions which result in actions that responsibly contribute to thelong-term stewardship of natural resources. This activity andresource guide was designed for use by both educators and resourcemanagers to supplement existing courses and programs concerningecological matters. These interdisciplinary activities cover suchsubjects as social studies, drama, language arts, geography, history,math, physical education, and science in addition to environmentaleducation. The activities are organized by age group-grades K-3 (13activities), grades 4-5 (20 activities), grades 6-8 (25 activities),and grades 9-12 (13 activities--but are scattered throughout theguide without regard to age level. The preface describes a new way oflooking at the earth and its natural resources called EcosystemManagement; the introduction defines ecosystems and ecosystemmanagement; and the users guide gives tips for sampling activities.Each activity is accompanied by a sidebar containing the followinginformation: (1) Age level; (2) Process; (3) Objectives; (4)
Timeframe; (5) Skills; (6) Materials; and (7) Vocabulary. Sampleactivities include "Career Critters" (K-3), which introduces theconcept that wild animals can manage some human-induced environmentalproblems, and "The Long and Winding Road" (grades 4-12), in whichstudents examine various societal values related to archaeologicalresources such as Stonehenge. Contains a glossary of 175 words.(PVD)
************************************************************************ Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made *
from the original document.***********************************************************************
rcosysterp-11
U.S. DEPARTMENT OP EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement
DUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)
This document has been reproduced aseceived from the person or Organization
Ongenating d0 Minor changes have been made to improve
reproduction quality.
Points of view or opnrons slated on thisdocu-ment do not necessarily represent officialOERI position or policy.
ctivity and Resource Guideor Environmental Educators
United StatesDepartment ofAgriculture
Forest Service
rirJ
RockyMountainRegion
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
The Goal of Ecosystem Matters:
To provide engaging, thought-provoking, relevant, hands-on
activities which help your students learn that;
*Ecosystems MATTER. Sustainable ecosystems are
important to all life on earth.
* Ecosystems are made up of energy and MATTER, biological
and physical components which interact and are self
sustaining.
*People are shaped by and in turn shape
ecosystems. People MATTER in ecosystem management.
Printed November 1995
_,cosystemIVItters
EducatorsResource Guide
DEDICATION:
ECOSYSTEM MATTERS is dedicated to Elizabeth Estill
USDA Rocky Mountain Regional Forester and a former
classroom teacher. We share her vision and commitment
toward education and the environment.
4
I0 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I'd like to thank the many people who contributed to Ecosystem Matters. An incredible number
of dedicated individuals gave their time writing, editing, pilot testing and reviewing activities forthis guide.
This curriculum was made possible through the Western State Foresters. They made special
contributions for development in conjunction with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation
Education West Wide Program.
A special thank you to all the technical and scientific assistance the curriculum writers received
from the USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,
Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the Colorado State Forest Service and the
Colorado Division of Wildlife.
Additionally, thanks to Project Learning Tree, Project WILD, Project Food Land & People and
Intrigue of the Past for permission to modify and use existing activities.
And finally, I'd like to thank two very special people, Susan Bartell Ford and Ed Nesselroad,
whose enthusiasm ,encouragement and support made Ecosystem Matters possible.
Writers: Mary Adams, Roxanne Brickell, Charles W. Clark, Pattyanne Corsentino,
Sue Doyle, Wendy Hanophy, Bonnie Joy, Jeff Kiedel, Carolyn Kirk, Carolyn Knapp,
Barb Poulin
Contributors: Lynn Almer, Sherri Bell, Shawna Crocker, Susan Bartell Ford,
Fred Deneke, Marcia Hoefer, Dave Leatherman, Shelley Nolde
Illustrators: Mickaela S. Earle, Scott Shafer, Norm Kitten
Layout and Design: Scott Shafer
Cover Design: Norm Kitten
Word Processing: Lisa R. Casebeer
"Our Mentor": Carol Bylsma
PREFACE
By Dr. Frederick J. DenekeUSDA Forest Service, Assistant Director Cooperative Forestry
Our young people are our future. How they understand and relate to each other and to the
earth's natural resources will determine the future of all those who follow in their footsteps.
With all of the focus on the consumption in our daily world, our youth and all of us are
presented messages that say having an abundant life comes from getting material things. In reality,
having is attained by being present in every moment and by extending ourselves and giving
towards a greater good. The highest and most powerful motivation is in doing that which is not for
ourselves only, but for the posterity of all.
We are now embarking upon a new way of looking at ourselves and our environment. The new
dawn is one of a recognition of our interconnectedness with each other and with all things, living
and non-living. It involves people uniting in spirit and working together toward a cause higher than
individual material gain.
The term currently in use to describe this new way of looking at our earth and its natural
resources is "ecosystem management." An ecosystem approach usually involves four parts:
1. Adopting an holistic view of the natural world;
2. Recognizing complexity and interconnections;
3. Taking account of the dynamic nature and finite capacities of ecosystems; and
4. Encouraging collaboration among all those whose activities affect ecosystems.
In plain and simple terms, it involves taking an ecological approach to the protection,
restoration, care, and use of natural resources. .This ecological approach involves making
conscious decisions each moment and each day which result in actions that responsibly contribute
to the long-term stewardship of our resources. It involves an attitude of abundance rather than
scarcity and a focus on contribution (giving) rather than exploitation (taking).
People who live in healthy ecosystems are healthier. People who view themselves as part of
that ecosystem, and are actively involved in its protection, care and restoration, develop a sense of
empowerment and ownership over their lives. This translate into socially, culturally and
economically stronger communities, neighborhoods, cities, and society as a whole.
To have stewardship, we must teach it to learn it. That is what this guide is all about. It is about
teaching, learning and co-creating. It is about becoming involved in making informed and heart-
felt choices and decisions. And it is about taking personal action to help address the
environmental issues of today's world for a better tomorrow.
As educators you know that as you teach you reinforce your own learning. In using this new
guide, I encourage you to work with your students and, as a part of their work, have them teach
each other about the principles they find in the lessons. Through teaching their learning will
deepen along with yours. In the process, all will gain, especially our future generations.
6 PREFACE III
111-a 11 I inandilIV ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
ECOSYSTEM MATTERS INTRODUCTION
On June 4th, 1992, ecosystem management was adopted by the USDA Forest Service as the
new framework for using and caring for our National Forests and Grasslands. What is ecosystem
management? How is ecosystem management different from past management practices? Why isecosystem management important and how will it impact your life and the lives of your students?Ecosystem Matters is a kindergarten through 12th grade, user-friendly, hands-on and
interdisciplinary curriculum guide designed to help answer these questions. This guide provides
the knowledge base and creates the understanding which enables students to participate in theecosystem management process.
WHAT ARE ECOSYSTEMS?Ecosystems are interacting systems of groups of species and their non-living physical
environment. The word ecosystem is also used to describe the place where these interactions
occur. The living organisms make up the biological components of the ecosystem. The variety and
complexity of species present and interacting in an ecosystem are known as biological diversity orbiodiversity. The physical components of the environment include such things as topography,moisture and temperature.
The physical and biological components of an ecosystem are mutually sustaining and
interdependent The loss of one species or the change in one physical factor could affect the
sustainability of the entire ecosystem. When an ecosystem has "integrity" the native biodiversity isintact and the ecological patterns and processes that maintain that diversity are supported.
WHAT IS ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT?Ecosystem management is the integrated management of natural landscapes, ecological
processes, physical and biological ecosystem components and human activities in a manner which
maintains or enhances the integrity of an ecosystem. For the Forest Service this means that
ecosystem management blends the needs of people and environmental values in such a way that
the National Forest and Grasslands will represent diverse, healthy, productive and sustainable
ecosystems. Ecosystem management is a means to achieve sustainable conditions. This willprovide wildlife and fish habitat, outdoor recreation, wilderness, water, wood, mineral resources
and forage for domestic animals while retaining the esthetic, historic and spiritual qualities of theland. Ecosystem management recognizes that people are an integral part of ecosystems. The
cultural identities, family heritage lifestyles, and livelihoods of people are linked with theecosystems that support them. Ecosystem management requires blending social and economic
factors into the equation along with ecological factors. This ensures that those who have an
interest in the many natural resources concerns have an opportunity to participate in the decision-making process.
In the past, forest and grassland management often focused on certain species, certain sites or
certain components within an ecosystem. Management became more difficult as managers
recognized that ecosystems are quite large and usually cross jurisdictional lines. Resource
managers want to base their decisions on an ecological approach using the best possible scientific
information available at the time. While seeking to find the connections between different parts,
patterns and processes in ecosystems, all managers find that managing ecosystem requires
cooperation across disciplines and jurisdictions. Ecosystem management encourages forging
partnerships among public interest, land managers, land users, biologists, foresters, hydrologists,economists, engineers, sociologists, botanist, geologists and other scientists.
As educators, we have a lasting effect on future generations. We have the opportunity to teach
our students to view the world as one interconnected whole of which we are an integral part
Perhaps the most lasting lesson your students can learn from Ecosystem Matters is that they
have the power to make a difference. By taking action, whether it's changing personal behaviors or
constructing a nature area on their school grounds, they can feel good about themselves and morehopeful about the future.
7
ECOSYSTEM MATTERS USERS GUIDE
Instructional activities within ECOSYSTEM MATTERS are designed for easy use by both educators
naturalists, and others will all find the activities relevant, fun, quick-to-prepare, and user-friendly.
ECOSYSTEM MATTERS activities are designed to be supplemental to existing courses and
programs. Each activity is designed to stand alone without other ECOSYSTEM MATTERS activities.
There is no need to do all of the activities in order nor do all of the activites, even for a given grade
level. For this reason, instructors may choose to use a few activities as part of their study or use all
of the activities to serve as the bases for a unit on ecosystem management. Each activity can also be
used to teach required concepts and skills while teaching children about ecosystems and how they
are managed.
Where Do 1 Begin?Imagine this guide is a new cookbook full of recipes which you have never seen or attempted to
prepare. Review the Table of Contents for an overview of what ECOSYSTEM MATTERS has to offer.
Then scan every page in the book. Look at the pictures. What looks good to you? What would you
like to try? Mentally note activites which interest you. Begin to think about some ideas you have for
using those activities.
If you were preparing a recipe, you would want to think about the time of day you might want to
eat the dish, how much time it takes to prepare, who might share the meal with you, and what your
guests food preferences are. If you only had thirty minutes to make your meal, you would probably
not choose to roast a twenty pound turkey. You would probably not fix a lobster dinner for a quest
allergic to seafood. Think about the activities that interest you in the same way. When will you do
the activity? What age group will you do it with? What are the students' needs, skill level, and
preferences? Do the students like games, drama, art, or stories?
This book gives you plenty of coaching to find the right activity to suit your purpose. The SIDE-
BAR on the first page of each activity will help you choose an activity which fits your time slot, is
suited to the age of the group you are instructing, and covers the particular concepts and skills you
want to address. The SIDE-BAR contains the following important information:
*LEVEL indicates the grade levels for which various parts of the activity are recommended.
Activities can usually be geared up or down with some modifications.
*pRocEss provides two or three sentences describing the activity.
*OBJECTIVES states the concepts that the activity addresses.
*TIMEFRAME includes the recommended time allotments for each part of the activity.
*SKILLS lists the thinking processes and skills that the activity develops.
*MATERIALS lists materials needed to do the activity.
*VOCABULARY lists key words used in the lesson. The definition for each of these words can be
found in the glossary.
8 USERS GUIDE V
In the space below, write down some of the activities you might like to use and the context theybest fit:
Preparing for the ActivityIt can be a bit frightening trying out a new recipe or a new activity. In either case, one just has to
take the plunge and begin. When cooking a meal, one needs to gather all of the ingredients
together, make sure all the utensils and appliances are available, and then follow the directions step
by step. The information from the SIDE-BAR lists the materials necessary. Each activity also contains
the following parts to get you cooking:
*The TITLE is the attention grabber which relates to the activity's content
*The OVERVIEW is selected information to enhance the educator's understanding and perspective
of the activity.
*The PROCEDURE contains step by step instructions for doing any pre-activity preparation and the
activity itself. There are sample questions to be used in discussion.
*ExTENSIONS contain recommendations for exercises that enrich or extend the learning experience
in the activity.
*RESOURCES are references for information used in the activity and additional resources which
might be helpful.
So take a look and take the plunge. Test the waters.
Getting the Most out of the Guide---Mark It Up!Keep track of how the activities work for you. Just as with cooking, adjust the recipe to fit your
personal style and taste. Experiment! Adjust the activities to fit your presentation style and the age
group you are presenting to.
Write in this book! That's right--write! Underline! Highlight! Mark Deface! Scribble in themargins! Keep a record of your successes and challenges. Fill the blank spaces in the guide with
ideas the authors didn't include. Write notes to yourself about the impact of each activity on the
students. Did the activity challenge the students to think in different ways? Did you think of
additional questions or extensions to the activities? Do whatever it takes to make this book a record
of your own learning and growth.
Ask for Feedback
Find out how well the activity went. If you are a classroom teacher, ask your students. If you are
a resource person, ask the students and their teacher and/or parents. Involve others!. See if anyone
else has tried the activities and what their successes were.
-A r ""Iv1411 Last, But Not Least, Have Fun!VI ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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GRADES GRADES GRADES GRADESIlk-3 4-5 6-11 912
21 , A Happy Forest 37 Career Critters 37 Career Critters 185 Carring Capacity
37 Career Critters 17 Don't Use ft All Up! 185 Carrying Capacity 179 Common Ground
17 Don? Use It All Up! 129 Do You Dig It? 179 Common Ground 17 Don't Use It All Up!
5 Eat a Rock Extension on: 17 Don't Use It All Up! 129 Do You Dig It?5 Eat a Rock
1 Great Bat Grates 129 Do You Dig It? 197 Mayhem in the Maldives73 Environmental Check Up
29 Hole Homes 73 Environmental Check Up 155 Mural, Mural on the Wall83 Fowl Play
Extension for: Eat a Rock 171 400-Acre Wood 189 Murder Ewe Wrote65 Home of Mine, State of Mine Extension on:
29 Hole Homes 83 Fowl Play 115 On the Edge of ChangeVariation on:
57 Living With Fire 65 Home of Mine, State of Mine Extension on: 51 Spinning the Eco-Web29 Hole Homes
15 Playing Lightly on the Earth 135 If You Owned the Ecosystem 147 The Blind Men and the65 Home of Mine, State of Mine Ecosystem
51 Spinning the Eco-Web 93 Life on the Edge135 If You Owned the Ecosystem 125 The Long and Winding Road
11 Three's a Crowd 57 Living With Fire93 Life on the Edge 159 To Whom It May Concern
33 Trees for Many Reasons- (A) 101 My Home, Our Home57 Living With Fire 33 Trees for Many Reasons- (A)
25 Wet and Wild World 115 On the Edge of Change155 Mural, Mural on the Wall
15 Playing Lightly on the Earth1 Murder Ewe Wrote
51 Spinning the Eco-Web101 My Home, Our Home
147 The Blind Men and theEcosystem 115 On the Edge of Change
105 The Incredible Journey 15 Playing Lightly on the Earth
125 The Long and Winding Road 51 Spinning the Eco-Web
11 Three's a Crowd 147 The Blind Men and theEcosystem
33 Trees for Many Reasons- (A)105 The Incredible Journey
MATERIALS: 81/Z X 11' whitepaper, rulers, markers or crayons,
photo of bats and bat cave or
mine. Materials to construct bat
safe mine for each group: shoebox
or similar box, black construction
paper, string, glue, 5-oz. clear
plastic tumblers, three pieces of
yam six inches long, epsom salts,
measuring cup, spoon, water, hot
plate or stove, punch for holes in
box, colored dye, metal pan (large
enough for ten cups of liquid).
VOCABULARY: Bat grate, cave,
colony, concentration, dense,
diorama, ecologist, environment,
evening, grate, great, guano,
hibernating, mine, protection,
roost, stalactite, stalagmite, ton.
GREAT BAT GRATESOVERVIEW: Bats sleep dur-
ing the day. They fly, hunt, andfeed at night. Bats need a safedaytime location in which to sleepand a safe place to give birth to ababy (pup). Bats sleep in a varietyof places including caves, mines,trees, under bridges, in attics, inabandoned buildings and vehicles,in hollow trees, and under rockledges. They sleep hanging upsidedown by their toes.
During winter, bats hibernate.They store food in their bodiesthroughout the winter for energyand to keep up their strength. If abat is disturbed during the winter,strength might be lost and it mightdie.
The U.S. Forest Service knowsit's important to protect bats, espe-cially since bats eat insects thatannoy people and ruin farmers'crops. When mines are no longerbeing used in some parts of thecountry, Forest Service personnelsometimes install bat-safe grates on
11
mine openings to keep humansfrom trespassing and to protectanimals from a possibly dangerousarea. These grates allow bats tocome and go but the strong gratekeeps others away. The bat re-mains safe inside, undisturbed bylarge animals (including humans).
PROCEDURE:PRE ACTIVITY::
Locate, show, and discusspictures of bats.
ACTIVITY:
1. Read students the follow-ing story, pausing to ask questionsalong the way:
Bats sleep by roosting duringthe day in dark, cool, safe, quietplaces. Caves are ideal places forbats to roost. One of the placesMexican Free Tail bats live is in theBracken Cave in Texas. The caveis 600 feet long. These bats are thesingle largest colony of bats in theworld. There are from 20,000,000to 40,000,000 Mexican Free Tail
GREAT BAT GRATES 1
bats living in Bracken Cave. It is the largestgroup of warm-blooded mammals on earth.
Ask:
-Where do bats like to live? (Caves andmines.)
-Why do bats choose these places tolive? (Safe, cool, spots to hang or most, dark,rarely disturbed.)
Locate Texas on a United States map. Ask:
-How far is Texas from where you live?
Bats work hard when they go out at night.How many insects would you guess MexicanFree Tail bats catch and eat when they fly fromtheir cave in Bracken, Texas? Make a guess; it'sa lot! (Pause -for guesses.) Well, hold yourbreath. The thousands of Mexican Free Tail batsthat fly into the evening eat 250 DON of insectsbefore morning.
Bat colonies fly as a group, roost as acolony, and hibernate as a colony. They feelsafe together and sometimes need help so theycan get their rest.
Bat pups are born in the spring and sum-mer. They hang upside down or roost in the batnursery. Each square foot of the bat cave nurs-ery ceiling is covered by a hundred pink, hair-less, squeaky pups. Mother bats carry theirnewborn pups with them when they hunt forfood at night. The pups hang tightly to theirmother's fur so they won't fall. When bat pupsare about three weeks old, their wings arestrong enough for them to fly.
Another special cave in which bats live isthe New Mammoth Cave in Campbell County,Tennessee. Thousands of cave-dwelling graybats live and hibernate here. The cave tempera-ture can change from 50 degrees Fahrenheit tobelow freezing. During warm spring, summer,and early fall months the gray bats catch thou-sands of insects each night. When the weatherbecomes cooler, they store food as fat in theirbodies so they can hibernate throughout thewinter in safety. Some gray bats live up to 32years.2 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
Locate Tennessee on a United States map.Ask:
-How far is Tennessee from where youlive?
It is very important for bats to roost andhibernate safely and peacefully. To get theirbodies ready for hibernation, bats eat and eatand EAT. By the time the temperature is verycold, they will have stored a lot of food energyin their bodies in the form of fat. This energyhelps them survive the winter. The bats fly intotheir caves or mines or safe areas, find their ownplaces to hang upside down, and roost undis-turbed until warm weather comes again.
If the roosting, hibernating bats are dis-turbed and awakened, stored-up food energy isused up quickly. By using this energy early, thebats may not have enough strength to continueroosting throughout the entire cold season. Ifthey lose too much strength, they may fall to thecave or mine or "home" floor and die. Batswithout strength cannot fly.
Because bats help the environment, theUnited States Forest Service has developed batgrates for great bats. (Grate and great arespelled differently. They mean different thingsbut sound the same. Words like this are calledhomonyms.) The bat grates (strong metalfences) cover the mouth of the cave and protecttheir living area. The bat grate on New Mam-moth Cave weighs 120 ton. The bat grate ismade of heavy metal bars spaced far enoughapart to allow the gray bats to leave the caveand return to the cave.
A door was built, in New Mammoth Cave, soecologists and Forest Service personnel cancheck on the number and safety of the bats.These people must walk through guano on thefloor of the cave. Guano are bat droppings.The ecologists and Forest Service personnel arevery quiet and very careful not to disturb thebats when they enter the cave.
Bat grates are also put on vacant mines.When miners no longer work or operate a mine,the opening to the mine is sometimes left open.Sometimes a sign is posted that says NO TRES-PASSING or KEEP OUT to keep people away.
12
Ask:
-How do ecologists and the United StatesForest Service personnel help protect bats?(Bat grates.)
-What other groups are protected by batgrates on caves and mines? (Humans andother animals.)
Bat grates are GREAT!
2. Show a picture of a bat cave or mineentrance. Ask students to draw a bat cave ormine showing a grate covering the front.
3. Depending upon amount of materialsavailable, put students in groups to construct batcave dioramas. Ask them to follow the proce-dure below to construct their bat caves.
A. Teacher or adult preparation: Preparethe following mixture for tumblers. Combinefive cups epsom salts and four cups boilingwater. Cook in a metal pan until solution isdense and epsom salts are thoroughly combinedwith water. Add colored dye. Stir with a spoonand cool. Keep away from students as a safetyprecaution. Caution children not to taste ortouch the mixture.
B. Have students cover the inside of ashoebox with black construction paper, thentrace the diameter of the top of a 5-oz. tumbleron top of the box (see figure 1). Punch holes inthree places around the circle you have drawnto drop yarn into. Glue bottom of tumbler tothe top of the box, inside the three places whereholes for yarn have been made (see figure 1).Students may want to repeat this step two orthree times depending on the size of theirboxes.
Figure 1
C. Soak the six-inch yarn pieces in thesolution. Put one end of the yarn in the hole ontop of the box and the other end in the plasticcontainer. Add solution about half way uptumbler. The solution should be absorbed bythe yarn. The excess will drip from yarn strandhanging into box to form stalactites. Stalactitesare formed from the ceiling down from calcare-ous water (water containing carbonate of lime)flowing down to form a column. Stalagmitesmay form from the floor of the cave or mine tothe stalactite column.
When plastic tumblers are to be refilled,solution must again be heated in metal pan andstirred with metal spoon. The solution may bestored in refrigerator or kept in the pan.
D. When the cave stalagmites have fin-ished forming, use pattern (figure 2) to trace andcut bats from black construction paper. Addthem to the scene.
Figure 2
ASSESSMENT: Students pictures anddioramas should show how bats use abandonedmines or caves and how bat grates help protectthe bats.
EXTENSIONS:1. Students research how and where
stalagmites form.
13
2. Locate Carlsbad Cavern on a map.
GREAT BAT GRATES 3
RESOURCES:Amazing Bats, Eyewitness Juniors #13,
Frank Greenaway, Alfred A. Knopp, New York.ISBN 0-679-81518-X.
Amazing Mammal Parts I, II, NatureScope, Ranger Rick, National Wildlife Federation,1400 16th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20036-2266, 1986.
Bats, A First Nature Fact Book, DJ. Arneson,Kidsbooks, Inc., 3535 Peterson Avenue, Chicago,Illinois 60659, 1993. ISBN 1-56156-253-0.
Bats, Creatures of the Night, Jill Wolf,Antioch Publishing Company, Yellow Springs,Ohio, 45387, 1990. ISBN 0-89954-549.
Bats of Colorado, Shadows in the Night,Colorado Division of Wildlife, Department ofNatural Resources, 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO80216, 1984. (303) 297-1192.
Bats, Wings in the Night, Patricia Lauber,Random House, New York, Canada, 1968. Li-brary of Congress Catalog Number 68-23674.
Bats, Zoobooks, Linda C. Wood, Deane Pink,Frye and Smith, San Diego, CA, Wildlife Educa-tion, ltd., 1989. USA ISBN 0-937934-59-3.
I Can Read About Bats, Elizabeth Warren,Troll Associates, Mahwah, NJ., USA. Library ofCongress Catalog Number 74-24928, 1975.
Stellaluna, Janell Cannon, Harcourt Brace dCo, San Diego, CA. ISBN 0-15-280217-7.
Very Elementary Bats, Bat Conservation,International, (catalog) P.O. Box 162603, Austin,TX 78716.
Colorado Division of Wildlife, "Bats areBeautiful" 22 minutes; "Bats: Myth and Reality"16 minutes, "Bats of America" 15 minutes; 6060Broadway, Denver, Colorado 80216. (303) 297-1193.
National Geographic, "Bats Aren't All Bad"Alvin Novick, MD, May, 1973.
4 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
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LEVEL: Grades K-3 (with exten-
sions for grades 4-5)
SUBJECTS: Science, Consumer
Education, Geography, Art, Lan-
guage Arts.
PROCESS: Through observation
and sensory exploration, studentswill recognize a crystal, under-
stand that it is removed from the
ground, and that it is valuable to
people.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Determine that salt comes
from the earth.
2. Determine that salt is mined
from someone's property.
3. Apply their senses to compare
and contrast unknown objects.
4. Describe the multiple uses of
salt and other minerals.
5 Develop scientific observa-
tional skills.
TIMEFTIAME: two 40-minute
ses-sions.
SKILLS: Analyzing, comparing
similarities and differences, des-
cribing, developing vocabulary,
drawing, experimenting, genera-
lizing, inferring, listening, observ-ing, predicting, working in small
groups.
MATERIALS: Foil-lined baking
cups (one per two students), cup-
cake baking pan, kosher, mar-
guerite, sea or other coarse salt,
water, oven, magnifying glasses,
popcorn, pretzels, table salt, craft
sticks (one per student), small
plastic cups half full of table salt
(one for every four students), cop-
per wire, clay, marbles, toilet
paper tubes, "Eat a Rock" work-
sheet one per student (attached).
VOCABULARY: Crystals, dia-
monds, factory, landowners, mag-
nifying glasses, managers, min-
eral, mines, mining, public land,
salt.
E T A ReCkOVERVIEW: If you look
around your home and your class-room, you'll find all kinds of miner-als. The copper used for wiring,the glass for windows, and the saltused on your foods are just a fewof the minerals in your world.These minerals come from theearth. Many of the minerals arefrom mines or huge holes in theground that miners dig in order tofind the minerals. Only mineralsthat have a use are mined. Sincemining is expensive, no one isgoing to develop a mine for amineral that is not in high demand.
Mining the land is expensivefor many reasons. The mine mustbe dug; people are paid to workthere; the land eventually has to berepaired; and minerals must betaken from the mine to a factorywhere they are changed into some-thing people can use. For ex-ample, copper comes from a mineand is taken to a factory to bechanged into wire. It certainlydoesn't come from the ground
15
looking like wire.
One mineral used by people issalt. It, too, comes from the land.Once it was seawater, but whenthe water dried up, it took theform of a rock. Along with beingan important part of our diet, salt isused for many things. Soap,mouthwashes, and medicines aremade from salt. It also is used indeveloping photographs and in de-icing airplanes and roads.
Crystals are often very valu-able objects mined from the earth.Crystals have forms and shapeswith flat sides and usually edgesthat come together at points.Some crystals have many points,and some have only a few. Dia-monds are crystals, and so is salt.Crystals can be formed in theclassroom in a way much like theywould appear naturally. Dissolvesalt in water in a container. Leaveit to dry, and then look at theinteresting shapes along the sidesof the container. The salt crystals
EAT A ROCK 5
look like tiny clear boxes. Because they are sosmall, they must be seen under a magnifyingglass. Unfortunately, diamonds cannot beformed in the classroom. Diamond crystals arevery difficult to make. That's why they are veryexpensive.
Who owns the land minerals come from?People do. Sometimes one person might own it.Sometimes the land is owned by a large country,like the United States, and is called public land.Other times the land is owned by a companythat paid a lot of money to mine the land. De-pending on who owns the land, there may bemany users of the land. You and some of yourrelatives or friends might camp or hike on someof these lands, for example. Animals and plantsuse the land that the minerals come from too.
PROCEDURE:PRE ACTIVITY
1. Make salt mines by filling half of thefoil cupcake papers with a coarse salt (enoughfor one per two children) and fill to top withwater. Stir to dissolve salt and place in hot oven(450 degrees). Bake until water cooks off (ap-proximately 3 hours). Cool.
2. Give students opportunities to reviewtheir skills for using magnifying glasses. Haveeach student stick a marble on a small piece ofclay to keep it from rolling away. Let studentsexamine their marble first through an emptytoilet paper tube, while practicing closing theireyes one at a time. Have everyone attempt todraw their marbles as seen through the tube.Then use a magnifying glass to look at themarble. Follow this up with class discussion.Ask everyone to describe the marbles as seenthrough the tube and under the magnifyingglass. Compare what each did to study themarble with one eye. Since some students havedifficulty with this skill, it will be beneficial forthem to hear how others were successful. Whatothers say they do to look with one eye can bebeneficial for all.
Ask:
-What are at least five items in thisclassroom that came from a mine?
-It costs money to mine and use miner-6 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
als. What are some costs for removingminerals from the land and turning theminto products that we buy and use?
-What does a diamond look like? Whatdoes salt look like? Go home and see ifsomeone in your family or a friend has adiamond that you can look at.
ACTIVITY
1. Give each student three large salt-covered pretzels. Tell students to put one pret-zel to the side in a safe place. [Pass out copies of"Eat A Rock" worksheet to each student.] With acraft stick students gently scrape off the "lumps"on two of their pretzels into "A". (Save thesepretzels for use at conclusion.) Pass out thecupcake salt mines (one per two students).Look carefully now at the mines without remov-ing or disturbing them. Mines are fragile andshouldn't be entered or disturbed without per-mission. After a few minutes, have studentshold their mines above "B" and tip them so thata few minerals fall into "B."
2. Tell students: "Using all of your sensesexplore both "A" and "B," but keep the inside of"A" and "B" separate. (Your students, can workwith a partner if they wish.) With a magnifyingglass look closely at the contents of each rect-angle and draw on your worksheets (below therectangle) the shape of the contents of eachrectangle as you see it through the magnifyingglass."
3. "Next, try to pick up only one of thegrains (crystals) from each rectangle and roll itaround in your fingers. Describe how it feels.Is it soft, hard, smooth, ragged, sharp, wet, dry,or other texture?" List these descriptions on theboard for "A" and "B."
4. Repeat the process for smelling. Dothey differ in smell, and if yes, how?
5. Finally, dampen one fingertip and dipit into "A" and taste; repeat for "B." Again, de-scribe tastes for each rectangle and list them onthe board.
6. Return to the mine; have studentsdescribe the interior of the mine using thesesame senses. See if they can apply some of the
16
same words just used to describe the contents ofboth rectangles ("A" and "B").
7. Have four students work together as ateam with a small cup half-filled with salt. Pre-dict what is in the cups and compare it to theobjects from the pretzels and from the mines.Place water in the cups. Stir the contents andthen observe and report what happens to thesalt. Ask everyone to eat their remaining saltypretzels and one of their pretzels without salt.Compare the tastes.
8. List other mined minerals found in theclassroom. The following list identifies somelocations around the western United Stateswhere these minerals are mined but there areminerals mined in most regions of the country.Locate these on a map. Have students list tenitems found at home that have been manufac-tured from mine
Mineral Use Location in United Statescopper wire,pipe Arizonasilver jewelry, New Mexico
iron ore cars Wyomingmarble government buildings Washingtonmercury florescent light bulbs Oregon
EAT A ROCK 7
17
ASSESSMENT:Ask:
1. In what ways do you use salt?
2. Where does salt come from?
3. What are foods you eat that taste likethe crystals in the "mines"?
4. List five items found in the school thathave been made from a mineral.
EXTENSIONS:1. Students can grow their own "salt
mines" by letting their cups of salt water sit inthe classroom. Put student's names on the cupsand place in a safe location. Over a period ofone to two weeks, the water will evaporate, andsalt formations will develop along the sides ofthe cup. When all of the water has dried up andsalt crystals have re-formed, students can reviewtheir knowledge of salt crystals and explorethem again from a sensory level. You may findthat they have become possessive about theirmines and might not want to disturb them. Ifthis occurs, you can explore the problem of landownership and the conflict of uses for the landand consumer needs for the minerals found inthe land.
2. Activity "Home of Mine, State of Mine"can be used to extend "Eat a Rock" for 3rd to5th grade students.
3. Write for mineral summaries for yourstate.
4. Invite a geologist to your classroom todiscuss mineral mining in your state and publiclands that provide the minerals.
RESOURCES: Major Minerals and EnergyOccurrences United States by Mineral Informa-tion Institute, Inc., Denver, Colorado.
State Mineral Summaries from U.S. Bureauof Mines State Mineral Officer, some Regionaloffices:
(CO) Building 20, Denver Federal Cen-ter, Denver, CO 80225
(AK) P.O. Box 550 Mayflower Island,Juneau, AK 998028 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
(ID, MT, OR, WA, WY) East 360 ThirdAvenue, Spokane, WA 99202
(AZ, NM, UT) 210 E. 7th Street, Tucson,AZ 85705
STATE GEOLOGISTS:
Some are listed below. Check with yourown state government for local resources if notlisted here.
Alaska: Director and State Geologist,Alaska State Geological Survey, Division ofGeology and Geophysical Surveys, 794 Univer-sity Avenue Suite 200, Fairbanks, AK 99709-3645,(907) 474-7147
Arizona: Arizona Geological Survey, 845North Park Avenue #100, Tucson, AZ 857719-4816, (602)882-4795
California: Department of Conservation,Division of Mines and Geology 801 K StreetMail Stop 14-33, Sacramento, CA 95814-3534,(916) 323-5336
Hawaii: Hawaii Geological Survey, Divisionof Water and Land Development, P.O. Box 373,Honolulu, HI 96809, (808) 587 0230
Idaho: Director and State Geologist, Uni-versity of Idaho, Morrill Hall, Room 332, Mos-cow, ID 83843, (208) 885-7991
Montana: Montana Bureau of Mines, Mon-tana College of Mineral Science and Technology,West Park Street, Main Hall, Butte, MT 59701,(406)496-4180
18
Nevada: University of Nevada-Reno, MailStop 178, Reno, NV 89557-0088, (702) 784-6691
New Mexico: New Mexico Institute ofMining & Technology, Campus Station, Socorro,NM 87801, (505) 835-5420
North Dakota: North Dakota GeologicalSurvey, 600 East Boulevard, Bismarck, ND58505-0840, (701) 224-4109
Oregon: Dept. of Geology and MineralIndustries, 800 NE Oregon Street, #28, Suite 965Portland, OR 97232, (503) 731-4100
South Dakota: South Dakota GeologicalSurvey, USD, Department of Water & NaturalResources, Science Center, Vermillion, SD57069-2390, (605) 677-5227
Utah: Utah Department of Natural Re-sources, 2363 South Foothill Drive, Salt LakeCity,UT 84109-1491, (801) 467-7970
Washington: Washington Department ofNatural Resources, Geology/Earth Resources,Washington Dept. of Natural Resources MailStop PY-12, Olympia, WA 98504, (206) 459-6372
Wyoming: Geological Survey of Wyoming,P.O.Box 3008, University Station, Laramie, WY82071-3008, (307) 766-2286 .......
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TIMEFRAME Ten 30-minuteclasses, depending on age of
students.
SKILLS: Hypothesizing, inferring.
MATERIALS None needed.
VOCABULARY: Behavior, ,
crowding, disturbance, safety.
THREE'S A GROWOVERVIEW: Sometimes
wildlife seems to want to say,"Don't get too close!" From a treebranch a bird watches a personapproaching; when he or she getstoo close, the bird takes flight.
Animals are often threatenedwhen crowded by humans, eventhough the humans may mean noharm and merely want to observethe animal. Animals may displaytheir discomfort by fleeing, grind-ing teeth, coiling, hissing, stompingfeet, snarling, coughing, or woof-ing. Flight is the usual way ofshowing stress. Noises may comewhen an animal is ready or threat-ening to attack.
Wildlife photographers havelearned that they have probablygotten too close when the wildlifethey are photographing begin toact strangely. Animals may runaway if humans are outside acertain distance. At closer range,they may charge or respond inother aggressive ways to the threat
21
of human presence.
One way of understandinghow a wild animal acts whencrowded is to recognize that manyanimals have certain distances theykeep even from their own kind.Wolves may demand large areas ofrange which no other wolf outsideof their own pack (family) mayenter. Studies show that certainkinds of finches always leave acertain distance between them-selves when they perch on atelephone wire or fence line.
When crowding occurs, manyanimals react with bizarre, aggres-sive,- disordered behavior, and maydevelop skin diseases like mange.They may adjust to the crowdedsituation, over time, by ceasingreproduction.
In the United States, great blueheron rookeries have been dis-turbed by the mere presence ofpeople. Rookeries are the birds'breeding grounds. Herons live
THREE'S A CROWD 11
most of the year as lone individuals; when theycome together to breed to go through court-ship and nesting they experience stress, ifdisturbed by humans. When stressed they maystop breeding, lay few eggs, or abandon therookery, leaving eggs or young birds to perish.At a heron rookery in Colorado, wildlife manag-ers have established a 1000-foot limit; no humandisturbance is allowed close to the rookery.They are not sure this limit will save the rookeryfrom development pressures, but they know anycloser range would certainly disrupt the rookery.
The major purpose of this activity is forstudents to recognize the possible negativeconsequences for people and wildlife as a resultof conditions of crowding.
PROCEDURE:1. Introduce the concept of discomfort
from crowding by asking one student to stand infront of the class. Approach the student slowly,asking the student to hold up a hand to showwhen your closeness makes him or her begin tofeel uncomfortable. Ask:
-Why does it feel uncomfortable?
-If I were to step in closer, what wouldyou feel like doing?
Have students experience the feelingsthemselves by lining up in two rows facing eachother. Each student in one row slowly ap-proaches the person across from him or her.The stationary person gives a signal to stopwhen it gets too close. Have them hold theirpositions and really "feel" the closeness. Lookup and down the row. Why are some spacesbetween people bigger then others? Repeat withthe opposite row doing the approaching. Ask:
-Do you allow strangers to approachyou as closely as you do friends or family?Why?
-How do you feel in the middle ofstrangers on a crowded bus or elevator?
-How might your body react in somekinds of crowded conditions? (Nervousness,sweaty palms, hard to breath; don't look at12 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
people, etc.)
2. Ask:
-Why might animals in the wild also beuncomfortable when approached by strang-ers? (Fear of being attached, need to protectyoung, etc.)
-What other things might increase ordecrease fear? (Ability to fly away, climbquickly, run fast, swim fast, animal size, whetherthe animal is alone or with a group, is on a nest,or has young, etc.)
3. Have the students make a list of ani-mals they are likely to encounter in the environ-ment. Have them estimate what distance shouldbe maintained from each animal species bothfor personal safety and for the comfort andsafety of the animal. Emphasize that these arejust estimates. It's better to stay farther awaythan you think is necessary than to get too close.
4. Have students hypothesize aboutanimal behaviors that might indicate discomfortsuch as foot stomping, teeth grinding, raising upon hind feet, looking around nervously, andeventually flight. OPTION: Students mime orrole play such situations. Classmates guess theanimal they are, and in what situation.
5. Discuss ways in which wildlife harass-ment might occur unintentionally such as flyingtoo close in small airplanes, getting too close tophotograph, calling or heckling for animals toreact (especially at zoos), hiking near a nestingsite, and using loud vehicles near baby animalsor in places where animals are unaccustomed toseeing them. Explain that there are certain timesof the year when some animals may be moresensitive to being disturbed. Mating season orduring severe climatic conditions such as heavywinters or drought are examples. How cancommunities minimize disturbances? What canindividual people do? Summarize reasons it isimportant to minimize such disturbance frompeople for wildlife.
ASSESSMENT:Ask:
1. What behaviors might show that a' .person Montoin ui a group is nervous?
22
2. How might a mother dog let you knowyou are getting too close to her and her pups?
3. Rank order the following, from animalsyou could get closest to without harming tothose you should stay the furthest away from: aheron rookery during breeding season, youngraccoons in a forest, a large garter snake in thegrass of your yard, honey bees around theirhives, frogs in a freshwater pond in the summer.
4. Describe negative results of crowdingfor humans. Describe negative results of crowd-ing for animals.
EXTENSIONS:1. Draw life-size outlines of some animals
and mount them on an outside wall of theschool building. Break into small groups; haveeach group establish a distance from each spe-cies that the group feels would be far enoughfor the animal not to be threatened by the pres-sure of a person. Using measuring tapes, eachgroup measures and records the established"comfort zone" for each species under differentconditions and then presents their suggesteddistances for the animal comfort zones. Contacta wildlife resource person to check the accuracyof these distances. Is there a general rule aboutthe relationship between the size of the comfortzone to things such as size of the animal, pres-ence of young, ability to flee, single or group ofanimals, etc.?
domesticated animals like pets, dairy cows, etc.
LEVEL: Grades K-8
SUBJECTS: Social Studies,
Physical Education, Science.
PROCESS: Through inventing
and playing games with a benign
effect on the environment, stu-
dents look for evidence of games
that harm the environment.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Distinguish between games
that are damaging. and not damag-
ing to the environment.
2. Invent games that don't darn-
age the environment.
TIMEFRAME 30 to 45 minutes.
SKILLS: Analyzing, comparingsimilarities and differences, evalu-
ating, inventing, problem solving,
synthesizing, working in small
groups.
MATERIALS: Access to going
outside.
VOCABULARY: Game, harm.
PLAYING LIGHTLY01 T E E RI
OVERVIEW: Personal choicesof all kinds can affect the environ-ment. We can look at the gameswe play outside and choose thosethat do little damage to the envi-ronment rather than playing gamesthat leave scars.
The major purpose of thisactivity is for all of us to becomemore aware of the choices wemake each time we play gamesoutside and to consciously experi-ence games that are earth friendly.By playing games that are notdamaging we help maintain andimprove the quality of our ownenvironments.
PROCEDURE:1. Most of us like to play. In
fact, playing is an important way tolearn as well as to have a goodtime. Ask students to think ofexamples of ways to play outsidethat do no serious or permanentdamage to the environment, andthen to list ways that are damaging.The damage might affect non-living
9
things, like putting graffiti oncement walls. It might be damag-ing to plants and animals likecarving initials on tree trunks. Ask:
-Are there any games wecan play that do no damage?(There may not be, but we canthink about how much damage,how permanent it is, and what itaffects.)
2. Go outside on the schoolgrounds and look for evidence ofgames that have damaged theenvironment. Ask studentswhatcould have caused the dam-age and how it might have beenprevented.
3. Introduce the concept ofplaying games that do not seriouslyharm the environment.
PLAYING LIGHTLY ON THE EARTH 15
4. Ask the students to work together insmall groups of two to eight in order to invent agame that does no serious harm to the environ-ment, including the plants and animals livingthere. The students could also try to inventgames that could make this a better environ-ment. Give students about 15 minutes to inventtheir games.
5. Ask each group to present their gameto the other students. Play each of the games.Ask students to talk about their feelings aboutthe importance of playing games that do little ifany damage to the environment.
ASSESSMENT:1. Ask students to keep a record of the
games they play outside for one week. Identifywhich, if any, are harmful to the environment.For one week or longer, play only games thatdo no serious harm to the environment.
2. Have students invent a game foryounger children that does no serious harm tothe environment. Teach it to a younger child orgroup of children. Explain what the youngerchild or children learned about care for theenvironment.
EXTENSIONS: (For older students.)Analyze a variety of kinds of recreation for
their impact on wildlife, vegetation, and othernatural resources, etc. What would studentsrecommend to have recreational fun and stillprotect the earth.
MATERIALS: A big, clear con-tainer with a wide mouth opening,
four sponges cut into eight pieces
each, water, bowl, marker or
masking tape, paper towels,
drawing paper and materials.
VOCABULARY: Conserve,
consumption, demands, environ-
ment, increase, natural resources,
population.
DON'T USE IT ALL IROVERVIEW: This lesson is
not meant to foster anxiety or adoomsday foreboding in students.Rather, it is an introduction to howgrowing populations can affect theenvironment and the positive stepsindividuals and communities cantake to lessen the strain on naturalresources.
With the Earth's populationlikely to exceed six billion personsand projections to double to 11billion by the year 2050, the strainbeing placed on natural resourcesis greater than ever before. Thesun, water, air, and soil are themost vital natural resources, sinceall other resources depend onthese four for their existence.
The more people in a givenarea, the more quickly naturalresources can be used up. Thesolution, aside from populationcontrol, is conservation and carefuluse of available natural resources.Conservation practices includereducing the amount of natural
26
resources consumed. Recycling,reusing, and rethinking (substitut-ing plentiful materials for morescarce ones, and finding alternateenergy sources that are renewable)are all ways to reduce the con-sumption of natural resources.Additionally, consumers can refuseto buy products that are not recy-clable or biodegradable, or that areconsidered over-packaged.
This lesson is very effective asan introductory or culminatingactivity for the study of any naturalresource, including water, air,trees, wildlife, and soil. In order toprovide examples for this lesson, itis helpful to have researched thespecific natural resource, how itcan or is being depleted, and howit can be conserved and/or replen-ished.
Using water as an example,people need and use water daily inmany ways, and often in unreal-ized amounts. Water is useddirectly for drinking (1/2gallon/
DONT USE IT ALL UP 17
day), cooking (5-10 gallons/day), bathing (20-35gallons/day), toilet flushing (21-40 gallons/day),etc. We also use water in many indirect wayssuch as in the production of manufactured itemsand food, preparation of food, cooling andheating, etc.
There is an abundance of water on thisearth. Unfortunately, nearly all of that water,more than 97 percent, is salt water and is neithereasily nor economically available for our con-sumption. Of the fresh water supply (aboutthree percent of the total amount of water on theEarth) most is held as inconsumable in glaciersand icecaps. Less than one percent of the wateron the Earth is fresh water and is in the form ofground water, lakes, and streams. A dilemma iscreated when a limited resource, such as freshwater, has many demands for its use.
PROCEDURE:PRE ACTIVITY ::
1. Put about four cups of water in thecontainer. Ask the students to pretend that thecontainer represents the earth and the waterrepresents all the available water.
2. Discuss with students the ways we usewater (drinking, irrigation, recreation, cleaning,processing, cooking, bathing, transportation,etc.). These can be written on the chalkboardfor student reference.
ACTIVITY:
1. With a marker or masking tape, markthe water level on the outside of the container.Drop a piece of sponge into the container asyou share one personal demand you made onwater today. Remove the wet sponge from thecontainer and have students examine the waterlevel. It probably shows very little change.
2. Ask students, one at a time, to name apersonal demand they made on water todaywhile dropping a piece of sponge in the con-tainer.. The students may begin to notice achange in the water level. After all the spongeshave been dropped in the container, soaking upas much water as possible, remove all of them(don't squeeze them out) and set them aside in abowl. Draw attention to the dramatic change inthe water level. Help students understand thatthe demands of a Int of penple have more effect
ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
than the demands of a few people on naturalresources. Ask:
-What happens to the water level as weput in more sponges?
-What will happen if we keep usingwater at this rate?
-What can we do about this situation?
-How can we give water back to theenvironment?
3. Once the students have mentionedreducing, reusing, or recycling take one wetsponge, naming a way you can reduce or re-cycle, and squeeze the water out of the spongeback into the container. There is a change inthe water level, but not much. One personreducing or recycling does make a difference.The impact, however, will be greater whenmany individuals reduce, reuse, and recycle.Ask:
-In what ways can you reduce, reuse,recycle, or be more careful about the de-mands you make on water (or on othernatural resources)?
When students have an idea about howthey can give back to the environment, havethem squeeze the water out of a wet spongeback into the container sharing their idea withthe class. The water level will go up. It won'tgo back to the original mark, however. Ask:
-Why doesn't the water level return tothe original mark even after all the spongesare squeezed out? (Even by recycling re-sources, some of them will be used up.)
-Why is it important to you to reduce,reuse, recycle, and/or make careful de-mands on water (or other natural re-sources)?
-Can the water in this activity representother resources people use? What are someresources which cannot be recycled? Namesome. How can they be conserved?
27
-What one thing have you learned fromthis demonstration? (Answers will vary, butshould reflect an appreciation for the finitenessof many natural resources, the renewability ofsome, and the desirability of using naturalresources wisely.)
EVALUATION:1. Have students draw a four-picture
sequence strip of the steps in the water/spongeactivity. When evaluating their work, look foran understanding of what is happening with thewater level in the container.
2. Have students draw two pictures. Inthe first picture, showing themselves making ademand on a natural resource. In the secondpicture, showing how the demand(s) can bemade more carefully (reducing, recycling, reus-ing, etc.).
3. Have students write a statement orparagraph about one or more ways they person-ally can reduce, recycle, and/or reuse, anynatural resources.
EXTENSIONS:1. Use different colored sponges, with
each color representing a different natural re-source (blue = water, green = plants, yellow =minerals, etc.). Have students identify ways theyuse water, plants, minerals, etc. each time theydrop a piece of colored sponge.
2. Have students draw "Waste/No Waste"pictures showing people "wasting" and "not-wasting." Have students fold pieces of whitepaper in half and on one side draw a pictureshowing how they might use a resource. On theother half, students can draw a picture of howthey can save that resource.
3. Start a class recycling project. Recyclepaper from the classroom, items from the cafete-ria, home, etc. Challenge another class to matchor beat your efforts.
4. Have students role play a demand theymake on a natural resource. Let the studentwho correctly guesses what is being acted outdrop the next sponge in the water and act outanother demand on natural resources.
6. Older students can take a different slanton the activity by examining how resources areunequally distributed and consumed around theworld. Students use selected thematic mapsfrom an atlas, such as petroleum production andconsumption, making observations and analyz-ing relationships regarding the differencesamong the patterns shown on the maps.
RESOURCES:Global Science, John Christenson, Kendall/
Hunt.
Project Learning Tree, 1250 ConnecticutAvenue N.W., Suite 320, Washington, DC 20036,(202) 463-2472.
Making Connections: Linking Populationand the Environment, grades 4-6, PopulationReference Bureau, 1875 Connecticut Ave., N.W.,Suite 520, Washington, D.C. 20009-5728, (202)483-1100 or 1-800-877-9881, $15.00 plus postage.
Mineral Information Institute, 475 17thStreet, Suite 510, Denver, CO 80202, (303) 297-3226, posters "If It Can't Be Grown, It Has To BeMined" and "From The Earth...A Better Life,"single copies free.
Credit: Used with permission from ProjectFood Land & People
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DON'T USE IT ALL UP 19
LEVEL: Grades 1-3
SUBJECTS: Science, Language
Arts, Environmental Science, Art,
Health, Speech.
PROCESS: Through drama-
tization and role-playing, studentswill become increasingly aware of
the value of fire in a healthy pine
forest.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Describe the value of fire in a
healthy pine forest.
2. Identify one biological need of
a healthy pine forest.
3. Dramatize the succession of a
pine forest.
TIMEFRAME 1 hour.
SKILLS: Analyzing, applying,
demonstrating, describing, deter-
mining cause and effect, em-
pathizing, evaluating, inferring,
listening, predicting, problem
solving, role playing, synthesizing,
visualizing.
MATERIALS: Shoeboxes and
soda pop flats, art supplies,
construction paper, materials for
making dioramas.
VOCABULARY: Biological, forest
floor, litter, nutrients, pine tree.
A HAPPY FORESTOVERVIEW: Many pine
forests depend upon fire to keepthem healthy. Without fire, litter,or dead branches lying on theforest floor, builds up to a pointthat the forest becomes a "standingmatchbox," ready to burn. It costsrelatively little to keep a forestclean and free of this build-up,especially when controlled burnsare used. If a large uncontrolledburn occurs, it may threatenhouses, cities, and lives, and thecost to bring in fire fighters is veryhigh. These costs include paymentnot only for people to fight the fire,but their food and housing, as wellas the cost of airplanes and chemi-cals to fight the fire from the sky.
The best plan is to manage forfire before burns begin. To do this,people must understand the valueof fire and how it is part of thehealth of a pine forest. A healthyforest plays many roles in its natu-ral life cycle.
29
PROCEDURE:PRE ACTIVITY::
1. Review what a plantneeds to grow. Include sun (lightand heat), water (rain and snow),soil, nutrients (in the soil), andspace in which to grow.
'2. Review the parts of atree--roots, stem/trunk, leaves,flowers, branches, and seeds.Discuss how a seed is a plant thathasn't grown and a tree is a plantlike flowers in a garden. Insteadof having a green stem, a tree hasa woody stem or trunk. Askstudents to stand up, hold theirhands up in the air, and thenshake the part on their body thatcould be the roots (they couldstomp on the floor), trunk (shaketheir bodies), leaves (shake theirhands), and branches (wave theirarms).
3. While standing, askstudents to imitate what the follow-ing would look like or sound like:sun (arms over their heads in a
A HAPPY FOREST 21
half circle), rain, thunder, lightening (give some-one a flashlight), fire, wind, and a deer walking.Explain they are playing roles or acting as partsof a forest.
4. Let the classroom become a forestsetting. Move chairs and tables to the sides ofthe room, leaving approximately half of thechairs scattered around the center of the room.These chairs are litter on the forest floor.
ACTIVITY:
1. Tell students: "I will be the storytellerfor the old pine forest. It has a story to tellabout how it can be kept healthy and happy.The forest is very much like all of you--it likes tobe healthy and happy. You will all begin astrees in this forest. Sometimes I will call yourtree name (tree Julia, tree Sam, and so on) andyou will then become something else, whichcould be the sun, the rain, the thunder, a deer,lightening, or even the wind. You will need tolisten to the story so you know what to do next.When I talk about a proud tree with spreadingbranches what will you proud trees do? (Standtall and hold out their arms.) Now, I'm going tobegin the story of your forest but you all need tofind a place to stand in the forest (move to thecenter of the room around the chairs)."
Storyteller: Once upon a time there was aforest with 25 (or however many students youhave) trees. They were proud, tall trees withtheir branches out (students wave their arms).Around the roots and trunks of these trees werea lot of dead trees and branches that covered upthe forest floor (the chairs). There were evendead branches stuck in the living branches of allthe trees. There was a lot of crowding in theforest, and too many trees were getting sickbecause of it. The sun came up each day in theeast (tree-child's name/sun) and moved acrossthe forest trying to warm up the forest and reachthe forest floor.
Storyteller: Trees, is the sun warming upthe tops of your leaves?
Forest answers: [Yes]
Storyteller: But, forest, is the sun warmingup the ground that holds the seeds for lots ofr't. tt.O.C071
22 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
Forest answers: [No]
Storyteller: The sunlight can't get to thesoil because of all the litter on the forest floorand all the dead branches in the trees. There isno place for the light to go so .the sun goesaway. (Sun goes away and returns to the role ofa tree.)
Storyteller: One day a hungry deer comesinto the forest (tree-child's name/deer) lookingfor food. Deer like to eat nice green leaves onyour plants, but the deer is sad. It keeps look-ing and looking, but can it find any food?
Forest answers: [No]
Storyteller: There are no new plantsgrowing from seeds on the forest floor. There isno sunlight warming the forest floor helpingnew seeds grow, and it is too crowded on theforest floor for seeds to find a place to call theirown. So, what do you think the deer does?
Forest answers: [It goes away] (The deergoes away and returns to playing a tree.)
Storyteller: There is no food for the deer;the food hasn't been able to grow and leavesthat are in the forest are in the tops of yourtrees, shaking in the wind. (Tree-child's name/wind and the leaves should be shaking.) Thegreen leaves are out of reach of the hungrydeer. The forest is sad to see the deer leave sohungry.
Storyteller: The deer goes away and so doalmost all of the other animals. They can't live ina forest that doesn't have food for them to eat.They just walk out of the forest and don't comeback. The forest is unhappy to be alone and nothave animals to watch all day.
One day, though, a nice rain (tree-child'sname/rain) falls on the forest. The rain hopes tohelp and tries to reach the ground to water thenew seeds just waiting to grow. Can the rainreach the ground and the seeds with all of thislitter on the forest floor?
30
Forest answers: [No]
CtnrytrilF.r: Cr' NrPry r 1 d a 1-1(-1 wise trees in
the forest, why can't the rain reach the floor?
Forest answers: [Leaves stopped the rainfrom entering the forest; there was too muchlitter on the ground are both acceptable an-swers.]
Storyteller: A healthy forest is a placewhere lots of plants are growing. It's notcrowded with many large, old dead trees and itis full of healthy, well-fed animals. Are youtrees in this fine, old forest healthy?
Forest answers: [No]
Storyteller: Well, one of the old, wisetrees says it is time for a storm with lightening toburn away some of the clutter. This surprisesand scares the other trees. They don't under-stand that they need this, and they are afraid ofthe damage a fire can do. But the old tree saysthis is natural, so it calls a large eagle to its topbranches. It asks the eagle to go and find afriendly storm cloud with lightening and invite itto come visit the forest. The eagle flies away,and flies, and flies until the trees can no longersee it, even as a dot in the sky.
Storyteller: Soon a storm cloud comesover and sees what has happened, and it feelssad. The cloud is wise and friendly and knowsit has to help! It calls on its friend the wind, andsoon the wind begins to blow (tree-child'sname/wind. Students shake leaves like blowingin wind.) Thunder crashes and fills the air withbooms and crashes (tree-child's name/thunder),and then lightening flashes (tree-child's name/lightening with flashlight) and lights up the sky.This goes on and on until finally lighteningstrikes a dead tree, and it catches on fire (tree-child's name/fire). The fire spreads to the otherdead trees and then to the litter. Before long, allthe dead trees have burned away. Before thestorm cloud leaves, it drops some rain (tree-child's name/rain) to put out the fire and cooloff the other trees. The trees in the forest sigh(class sighs) relief that the storm and fire areover and say goodbye to the storm cloud. Thestorm cloud leaves behind a gentle rain cloud towatch over the forest to be sure the fire doesn'tstart up again.
Forest answers: [Sighs] (Lightening,
thunder, rain, wind, fire become seeds and curlup on the floor. They wave goodbye to thestorm cloud.)
Storyteller: Soon the rain finishes falling.Then the sun (tree-child's name/sun) returnsafter hearing how the cloud has helped theforest. It decides to help the forest, too-- thesun can't be outdone by the storm cloud and thewind. It goes back and forth over the forest,warming up the seeds in the wet ground. Aftermany days what do you think happens?
Forest answers: [New trees began togrow.] (Seeds begin to stretch and sit up.)
Storyteller: After a few weeks the deerand other animals hear from the rain and thesun that the forest is getting better and verygreen again, so they decide to return (tree-child's name/deer). The forest is enjoyingwatching the animals and listening to theirstories. Is the forest a healthy forest again?
Forest answers: [Yes]
Storyteller: And the forest lived happilyever after.. The end.
2. Ask students to evaluate what theforest needed to grow and stay healthy. Discusswhat made it possible for the new seeds togrow.
3. Ask students to predict what wouldhave happened if the storm had not come whenit did. (A fire starting in a forest with many talldead trees could get out of control, become toohot, and destroy the entire forest instead of thedry, already dead litter.)
4. Discuss why it is so important thatpeople do not set forests on fire by accident oron purpose. Only in very special cases with lotsof planning and safety equipment do forestersdo small controlled burns.
5. Have half the class make dioramas onsoda pop flats or in shoeboxes showing theunhealthy forest, and the other half of the classmake dioramas of the healthy forest after thefire.
31A HAPPY FOREST 23
ASSESSMENT:Ask students to:
1. Identify the components of a healthyforest.
2. Describe or draw signs of an unhealthyforest. What one missing part of the forestwould tell a stranger walking through it that itwas not a healthy forest?
3. Identify the stages of life in the forest.(Just like us, a forest goes through manychanges or stages of life. We are babies, firstgraders, teenagers, grownups, and eventually wedie.)
4. Explain why the fire was so importantto this forest.
EXTENSIONS:1. Practice and perform this play for other
classes at your school. Have your students askthe audience the assessment questions.
2. Have a forest fire poster contest at yourschool.
3. Invite your local forester in (almostevery large city has one) to explain the value offire as well as forest fire prevention. If you don'thave a forester, call your land-grant university(agriculture university) or extension agent aboutlocating a forester to invite to the class. Theforester can also talk about forestry as a career.
4. Visit a local forest and determine howhealthy it is. Apply the experiences from thedramatization and observe activities and pres-ence of animals, forest litter, new plant growth,and general health of the forest. Remove someof the litter and look closely at the soil for signsof seeds and growth from seeds.
probably been hearing aboutwetlands. They are often discussedin the news and at public meetings.They even show up on your drivehome on bumper stickers. "Savethe Wetlands" is everywhere, butwhy?
Wetlands are more thanswamps or smelly bodies of watercollecting trash. They are morethan an inconvenience to a housingdeveloper or a highway builder.They are habitat for many animalsand plants and have value topeople as well as to our totalenvironment. Ponds are not scary,stinky mosquito-breeding waste-lands, but instead home to frogs,ducks, fish, and beaver. Deer,coyote, and mountain lions drinkfrom the edges, hawks and eagleshunt from above. Frogs, sparrows,and night hawks may feed on themosquitos, while eagles and batsmay feed on the frogs. Entire foodwebs can be observed at thepond's edge.
33
Wetlands come in manyforms, locations, and climates.They appear differently across theUnited States. Swamps surroundedby trees dripping with Spanishmoss provide many of the samefunctions as wetlands in the roll-ing, glacier, pothole country of thenorthern prairie. Wetlands areriverlands, swamps, wet meadows,marshes, tidal lands, bogs, andmore.
Wetlands are valuable re-sources. They play varied rolescritical to a balanced environment.They provide habitat for birds,amphibians, mammals, and insectsjust the same as they do for manytrees, grasses, reeds, and waterplants.
Ponds are a type of wetland.Similar to small lakes, they can befound in farmlands, cities, prairies,and mountains. Some have waterall year. Others have water onlypart of a year, when they fill upwith extra rainfall and help prevent
WET AND WILD WORLD 25
floods.
Water contained in ponds moves throughthe ground to replenish the groundwater thatmany farmers and cities depend on, especially inthe dry Western states. Ponds trap pollutantsthat wash off the ground and filter them out ofthe water before it reaches the groundwater.People who fish use ponds and lakes for recre-ation as do people who simply enjoy looking atthe surrounding plants and animals.
People often fail to look closely at wetlands.Without a thorough examination, people do notsee or understand many of the special thingsthat are taking place right below their eyes, ears,and noses.
PROCEDURE:PRE-VISIT ACTIVI7Y
1. Write to the U.S. EPA Water QualityBranch in your region for posters and othereducational materials on wetlands in your state.
2. To help develop observation skills,have students make scopes out of empty toiletpaper tubes and yarn. They can be decorated orkept simple. Wrap them in black paper andkeep the ends open to make them look morelike telescopes. The scopes are for viewingobjects up close. When your students use them,their attention will be more focused. Carry themon regular walks around the school and schoolgrounds to help students become practiced atlooking at specific objects on walls, statues,trees, and anything along the route. Encouragethem to look on top, along the sides, and under-neath.
3. Since many students have never visiteda pond, plan your visit and review the followingguidelines before visiting the pond: Walkslowly; do not run. Stay with the group. Bequiet except during group discussions and thentalk softly. Respect all living and non-livingthings. Become involved. Do what is asked ofyou. Don't pick plants unless told to do so.
ON -SITE AC 77VITY:
1. Before approaching the pond havestudents sit down and discuss the senses theywill use to explore the pond. While sitting havethem feel natunal materials arVUn rhol. i`ksk26 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
them to rub some of them in their hands. Aftera few minutes, ask them to describe their experi-ences. If possible, take the objects apart to lookinside. Ask:
-How did it feel, how did it smell, andhow did it look?
2. Walk slowly toward the pond and askstudents to plug their ears so they cannot hearfor one minute. When the time is up ask:
-What did you smell? What did you see?
3. Ask them to sit again, close their eyes,and listen carefully until they hear five sounds.Each time they .hear a new sound have them lifta finger until their hands are open. Clap whenthey can open their eyes. Ask:
-What sounds did you hear? What doyou think made these sounds?
4. Begin following a trail to the pond.Instead of looking at the trail, walk slowly,looking up at the sky: Search for differentpatterns, colors, and shapes and encouragestudents to use their scopes. Stop at a pointwhen everyone seems to be engaged and haveeach person locate a favorite pattern, color, orshape. Have them quietly describe the object tothe people closest to their left arms. Repeat thisprocess, following the trail, but this time havethem look at the ground around their feet asthey walk. Stop to describe it. Continue thewalk to the pond and have therri observe for athird favorite shape, color, or pattern withoutfocusing through the scope.
5. At the water's edge, have everyone finda special spot where they can see you easily.They should not be in the water or on wet soil,but they need to be on the edge of the pond.Explore the pond using their senses again.Extend their arms and hold their hands on thesurface of the water, but not in it. Then havestudents place their hands in it. Ask:
-How did it feel on the surface and howdid it feel in the water?
6. Have students down into the muck andpull up a handful from the bottom. Ha-v-e 411-iem
34.
the feel and smell of the muck and look closelyinto the muck for insects or signs of other ani-mals. Pick up rocks from the pond's bottom andthe sides and turn the rocks over to look underthem. Explain that small, jello-like shapes onthe rocks are eggs of animals and insects fromthe pond.
7. Ask for predictions of the life that maybe at the pond. Look into the water very closelyfor signs of movement or other life. Ask:
-What kinds of life can you see? Do youthink that plants are a form of life? Whenhave you seen a dead plant? How did youknow it was dead?
-What signs do you see of animals andinsects eating plants in the pond? Be sure tolook on and under plants.
8. Walk slowly around the pond and lookfor signs of animals and people. Find anddiscuss signs for three different animals at thepond. (There may be a lot of duplication,especially if this is in the city.)
9. Discuss what helps the animal live inwater or near the water. Adaptations are specialparts of an animal's body that make it possibleto live in one place and not another. If there areducks or geese, look carefully at their feet anddiscuss adaptations. When observing animalsremember to look into the air above the pond,on the surface of the pond, under the water, andalong the shore. Look in the plants along thepond for nests and look for tracks of animal'sfeet in the soft soil around the pond. Share witheach other your finds. (If the students work ingroups of three or four, they should share withother groups.)
10. Before leaving, compare your observa-tions. Using several large notebooks, have thestudents list or draw what they have seen. Theycan later record their findings on a long sheet ofcraft paper in the classroom. Use the smallhandbook, Pond Life (a Golden Guide) or asimilar guide to identify some of the unusualpond dwellers.
IN THE CLASSROOM:
1. Compare what everyone saw at the
pond. List ten pond characteristics, includingsmell, sounds, sights, and textures. Search forsimilar characteristics around the school. Ask:
-Why or why aren't these found at theschool? Would the animals found at thepond be happy at the school?
2. Discuss why a pond is important.Using a tape recorder or a camerecorder, havethe students record a letter to the governor ofyour state about the importance of ponds.
ASSESSMENT:Ask students to:
1. List five important characteristics of apond that makes it different from theschoolyard.
2. Draw a picture of a foot of an animalthat lives in a pond.
3. Describe the sounds of the pond andrecord them using a tape recorder.
EXTENSIONS:1. Bring a bucket of pond water and
several inches of "muck" from the floor of thepond back to the classroom to observe. Emptythis into a large, clear one-gallon jar. If possible,hook up an aquarium aerator and run a hoseinto the jar. Place it close to a window, andwatch for activity. Keep an observations listclose to the jar and whenever anyone seessomething moving inside the jar, record it (inwriting or drawing) on the list. Once a weekpull out a small tube of the pond water, look atit through a large magnifying glass in front of alightbulb and watch for movement. Discusshow some animals have many lifecycles. Forexample, frogs change/from eggs to tadpoles tofrogs. Look for changes in the jar, too.
2. Read Beaver at Long Pond or BetweenCattails and identify the residents of the pond.Describe the area surrounding these ponds.Create a 3-D class mural of a pond using draw-ings on foamcore board to add new dimensionsto the mural. For example, a dragonfly or hawkcan be on the board and glued to an "I-shaped"cardboard to lift off the mural.
35 WET AND WILD WORLD 27
3. "Circle Ponds" is an activity to be doneat the pond. (Have a parent volunteer placelarge hoops (hoola hoops work well) in lushspots along a path leading back to the bus orschool--a route different from the one taken tothe pond.) Ask your students to use theirexcellent observation skills along the way. Intheir journals have them fill ten pages with onelarge circle per page and-draw an observationof one living item found in each hoop. Com-pare and discus the contents of these ten circles.
RESOURCES:Beaver at Long Pond, William T. George
and Lindsay Barrett George, illustrated by Lind-say Barrett George, Greenwillow Books, NewYork, 1988. ISBN 0-688-07106-6.
Between Cattails, Terry Tempest Williams,illustrated by Peter Parnall, Charles Scribner'sSons, New York. ISBN 0-684-18309-9.
Pond Life, by George K. Reid, Ph.D.,Golden Press, New York, 1987. ISBN 0 -307-24017-7.
EPA Water Quality Branch, Water Manage-ment Division Region:
CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WYVIII, 999 18th Street, Suite 500, Denver, CO
80202-2405
CA, NV, AZ, NM, HIIX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA
94105
WA, OR, 1D, AKX, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 998101
3628 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
LEVEL: Grades 1-3 (extensions
for grades 4-6)
SUBJECTS: Science, Language
Arts, Geography, (History).
PROCESS: Through observation,
comparison, and evaluation of a
habitat, students make predictions
regarding appearances of animal
homes.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Generalize that the common
needs for food, water, and shelter
are shared needs among all
animals including humans.
2 Identify basic components of
one habitat
3. Discuss the relationship
between habitat and adaptations.
4. Describe why good habitat is
necessary for the health, safety,
and continued life of all living
things.
TIMEERAME 2 hours in field and
1 hour in class.
SKILLS: Comparing similarities
and differences, describing, eval-
uating, inferring, observing, pre-dicting, recording, role playing,
synthesizing, visualizing, working
in small groups.
MATERIALS: Drawing supplies,
Hole Homes drawing, 'Hole
Homes, Prairie Homes° (attached).
(Extensions: clear jar, potting soil,
grass seedsoat, bluegrass, and
buffalo grass).
VOCABULARY: Adaptation,
grass, grassland, habitat, prairie,
snag, soil, stump.
HOLE WOESOVERVIEW: Between the tall
mountains of the west and the longwinding Mississippi River, tallgrasses blew like waves on theoceans over a vast area. As earlypioneers traveled across this prairieland in covered wagons, they sawfew trees, suffered extreme heat inthe summer and cold in the winter,and continually searched for water.Because the prairie country in theUnited States is a region of ex-tremes it is a challenge for all livingthings to survive. The plants andanimals that have always lived inthis land of hot, cold, and windhave adapted to the conditions.
Animals all over the worldshare the same needs for survival-food, water, shelter, reproductionof their kind, and space to move.Humans are no different and alladapt to survive in the climates andhabitats in which they live.
Animals that live in forestsoften build their homes in treetrunks, under the bark of trees, on
37
tree branches, or in the stumps andsnags of dead trees. Considerwhere an animal might make ahome if there were no trees andonly tall grass and the soil underits feet.
PROCEDURE:1. Ask your students to
verbally describe their homes.What is basic to each home? Listthese on the board in the front ofthe room for future discussion.Each home has a place to preparefood and eat, a bed to sleep in,and water to drink and clean with.
2. Review with your stu-dents the basic needs of animalsfood, water, shelter, space -- andcompare these needs to their ownlifestyles. An animal's sheltermight not have strong walls likeours, so eating in the shelter wouldnot be safe. Discuss why. Like-wise, a prairie dog would not havethe ability to bring plumbing intoits home for running water. Dis-cuss where its water would come
HOLE HOMES 29
from. The space around an animal's home ispart of its expanded home--sort of like a ranchor a farm or even our cities. Discuss the needfor expanded homes (i.e. getting things weneed, buying groceries, buying clothes, visitingfamily). Ask:
-Why is shelter important to prairiedogs, coyotes, meadowlarks, and humans?
3. Locate a field free of trees and build-ings close to your school. Sit in the field withyour students and together describe what every-one sees. Then describe a grassland a placewhere there are few trees, the wind blows a lot,it is usually either very hot or very cold, and itdoesn't rain a lot. The land is covered withgrass higher than our heads while we are sittingdown. When the wind blows, all the grassmoves at the same time. Birds fly above thegrass, and you can hear insects chirping andfrogs croaking during the spring, summer, andfall. The sky has great big, white, fluffy cloudsas far as you can see.
4. Ask your students to visualize thegrassland. Use the "Hole Homes, PrairieHomes" drawing to help them "see."
-Where might a prairie dog or a coyotelive in the grassland?
-Where a meadowlark builds a nest?
-What does your own home look likecompared to what a prairie animal's homecould look like?
Introduce the concept of building a homeunder ground.
5. Using the drawing "Hole Homes,Prairie Homes" ask everyone to locate thehomes of a coyote, a prairie dog, a groundsquirrel, and any other animals living under-ground in the prairie. Describe the homes thatthey locate in the drawing. How have theseanimals adapted to living in the prairie? Whathappens to any living thing that can not adapt tothe habitat in which it finds itself? Op_timal.Show your students pictures of these animalsand discuss their adaptations for digging.
30 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
6. Ask your students to work in pairs andcarefully patrol the field looking for signs ofanimals (including insects) living underground.Watch for small holes that can be openings tounderground tunnels and dens. As they locatepossible homes, have each pair sit and watchthe hole until everyone has located a home.After five minutes of observing, ask your stu-dents to rejoin you and describe what they saw.
7. In the classroom, have students exam-ine pictures from the October 1993 NationalGeographic article, "The American Prairie" byDouglas H. Chadwick. Compare their predic-tions from your field work with the painting onthe foldout, pages 104-106.
ASSESSMENT:1. Using pictures of a grassland and
experiences from the field work, have yourstudents make a diorama or mural of a grass-land. If making a diorama use a soda pop box/flat and pipe cleaner or clay animals. Ask themto include at least one nest and one under-ground home.
2. Name three needs that humans have incommon with prairie dogs.
EXTENSIONS:1. In an open space or natural area that is
basically undisturbed by development, searchfor animal homes and discuss the variety of sitesanimals find even without trees.
2. Discuss possible ways for early pio-neers to build homes in the land of no trees.Until trains were able to cheaply bring lumber infrom regions with forests, people living in grass-lands studied the examples of the grasslandanimals. The tall grasses had very long roots inthe soil and held the soil together. What is asod house? Some soil in the grassland had clayin it and clay could be turned into a brick.Everyone's communities varied and the availabil-ity of the following will vary with the resources.Locate a brick maker or a sod house builder fora demonstration or visit an efficient undergroundhome. These are modern variations on pioneerattempts to create shelter on the grasslands.
38
3. Buy several types of grass seed from anursery (oat, bluegrass, and buffalo grass) andgrow them in a clear jar with potting soil. Wa-ter when dry, keep in a sunny location, andwatch as the roots form and the grass seedsgrow. Through a period of several weeks,students will observe the heights to whichgrasses can grow, the types of flowers theyproduce, and the ability their roots have to fillthe soil and bind it together. After one or twomonths, or when the roots fill most of the jar,pull the grass/soil/roots clump out of the jar toobserve what has occurred. Consider how thiscan prevent erosion and how it can make a sodroof for animals living underground. Also,consider how effective it could be in sod homesfor pioneers living on the prairie.
4. Extension appropriate for grades 4-6.Write for information from National Grasslandsmanagers. Ask for materials on the reasons fortheir existence, historical material, and comparethese grasslands that have been protected by theU.S. Forest Service and other government agen-cies to non-protected regions. Locate each on amap of the United States and discuss the rangeof the grasslands now compared to beforepioneers settled and began ranching and farm-ing. Each is managed by a variety of agenciesand you will need to check within your state tolocate an address.
,104
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RESOURCES:If your state isn't listed, call your Depart-
ment of Natural Resources and ask for grasslandinformation.
NATIONAL GRASSLANDSCalifornia: Butte Valley National Grass-land
Colorado: Pawnee National Grassland andComanche National Grassland
Idaho: Curlew National Grassland
Kansas: Cimmaron National Grassland
Nebraska: Ogalala National Grassland
New Mexico: Kiowa National Grassland
North Dakota: Little Missouri NationalGrassland, Sheyenne National Grassland
Oklahoma: Black Kettle National Grass-land and McClelland Creek National Grass-land
Oregon: Crooked River National Grassland
South Dakota: Grand River NationalGrassland, Cedar River National Grassland,Fort Pierre National Grassland and BuffaloGap National Grassland
Texas: Rita Blanca National Grassland,L.B.J. National Grassland and Caddo Na-tional Grassland
Wyoming: Thunder Basin National Grass-land
41
LEVEL: Part A: Grades 2-12;
Variation 1: Grades 5-8; Variation
2: Grades 6-12; Part B: Grades 6-
8
SUBJECTS: Science, Social
Studies, Language Arts.
PROCESS: By reading fables
such as The Lorax, Dr. Seuss or
The Man Who Planted Trees, Jean
Giono, students examine the
importance of conserving natural
resources.
OBJECTIVES: The student will
Discuss and analyze a fictional
story relating to the proper and
improper use of natural resources.
TIMEFRAME Preparation: 15minutes. Activity: Part A: 50
minutes; Part B: 50 minutes; Part
C: 2 50-minute periods.
SKILLS: Analyzing, comparing
and contrasting, discussing,
evaluating, forming concepts,
identifying main ideas, speaking,
writing.
MATERIALS: Paper, pencils, The
Lorax, Dr. Seuss, The Man Who
Planted Trees, Jean Giono.
(Extensions: Crayons, markers,
posterboard.)
VOCABULARY: Deforestation,
natural resources.
TREES FOR MANY REASONSOVERVIEW: A quick look
around the home or school revealshow many items are made fromwood and other forest resources.Trees are important to us whetherthey are used for products or left intheir natural environment wherethey provide oxygen, soil protec-tion, beauty, and a habitat forplants and animals.
Humans have always de-pended on trees for firewood,shelters, tools, paper, and manyother needs. In many parts of theworld, trees are removed fromforested areas, without being ad-equately replanted. This process ofdeforestation can have severeenvironmental consequences on aregional and global scale.
PROCEDURE:PRE-AC77VITY:
1. Obtain a copy of TheLorax or The Man Who PlantedTrees to read aloud to your stu-dents. Motion pictures or videos ofboth stories are also available.
42
2. For the Variation in PartA, write each question on an indexcard. Do the same for the ques-tions in Part B.
ACTIVTIY: GRADES 2-12
PART A: THE LORAX
1. Read The Lorax aloud orwatch the video.
2. Ask students to list whatthey think are the major ideas ofthe story.
3. Ask:
-Why do you think theOnce-ler did what he did?
-What patterns of change inthe environment did we ob-serve?
-What were environmentalconditions like before the com-pany started making Thneeds?What were they like afterward?
TREES FOR MANY REASONS 33
-What was the author's message con-cerning what one person can do to save ordestroy the environment?
VARL4770N 1: GRADES 5-8
1. Read The Lorax aloud or watch thevideo.
2. Divide the class into six groups. Giveeach group a card with one of the followingquestions written on it.
Each group discusses its question, writesdown the answers, and prepares to read theiranswers to the entire group.
-How could the Once-ler have managedhis company to protect natural resourcesand not run out of trees to manufacture"Thneeds"? Is it necessary to protect alltrees "from axes that hack"?
-What did the Once-ler mean by "UN-LESS"? What responsibility does he seem tothink "someone like you" needs to take?What kinds of things can we do today toensure that trees will be available for alldifferent purposes in the future?
-Compare the Once-ler's attitude towardthe environment at the beginning of thestory with his attitude at the end.
-The Once-ler explains his actions bysaying, "If I didn't do it, someone elsewould." Is this a good excuse for doingwhat he did?
-The Lorax says he speaks for the trees.What does this mean to you? What is theLorax's attitude at the end of the story?
-What seems to be the author's purposein writing this fable? (A fable is a fictionalstory that teaches a lesson.)
4. After groups have had time for discus-sion, each group reads their questions andanswers to the class. Students can agree, dis-agree, or add to the answers given by theirclassmates.
34 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
VARIATTON 2: GRADES 9-12
1. Read The Lorax aloud or watch thevideo. Analyze the story and present oral orwritten answers to the following questions.Develop each response carefully, sighting spe-cific examples from the story.
-What seems to be the author's intent inwriting the book? To what age group is itdirected? Why?
-Are any of the situations presented inthe story similar to real situations inpresent-day society? If so, describe whichresources and which groups of people areinvolved.
-What values appear to be important tothe characters in the story? Who mightthese characters represent in real life? Areany of their values in apparent conflict?Which ones? For what reasons?
2. Write and illustrate a children's bookon another environmental topic. The text canbe in poetry or story form and need not beextremely wordy. Illustrate with drawings,pictures from magazines, etc.
PART B: GRADES 6-8 THE MAN WHO PLANTED Thus
1. Read The Man Who Planted Treesaloud, make copies of the story available forstudents to read ahead of time, or show thevideo. Ask students to list what they think arethe major ideas. After listing their ideas on thechalkboard, discuss the following questions withthe entire group:
-Why do you think Elzeard did what hedid?
-What changes did the narrator noticebetween his visits?
-What were the environmental condi-tions like before Elzeard planted the trees?What were they like afterward?
-What was the author's message aboutthe difference one person can make?
43
2. Divide the class into six groups. Giveeach group an index card with one of the fol-lowing six statements on it. Each group decidesif students agree or disagree with the statement.
If they agree, they give three reasons why,and then give an example from real life of howthis statement is true. If they disagree, they statewhy and modify it into a statement they agreewith.
The balance of nature is important to alllife on Earth and can easily be destroyed.
Humans cannot place themselves apartfrom nature in making decisions about naturalresources.
Actions taken without thought or planningcan have disastrous consequences.
-Natural resources are not limitless and canbe used up if they are not managed carefully forthe long run.
-Each person has a responsibility to helpconserve resources and protect the environment.
-Consumers should demand that manufac-turers produce products in an environmentally-sound manner.
3. After students have had time for discus-sion, have each group read its statement andthen present the results of its discussion. Thegroup leading the discussion should encourageclassmates to say whether they agree, disagree,or have ideas to add.
ASSESSMENT:1. Use students' answers to the questions
at the end of each story to assess students'understanding of the environmental messagescontained in the stories.
2. Have each student write a summary ofthe main environmental points in each story.
EXTENSIONS:1. Either alone or in small groups, stu-
dents write and illustrate a sequel to The Lorax.The sequel might explain how the Truffula treemade a come-back through replanting and
proper care. The sequel could say what thenew managers of the Truffula Tree Company aregoing to do to maintain environmental qualityand at the same time make Thneeds.
After the sequels are finished, ask olderstudents to consider the following questions:
-Does either the original Lorax story oryour sequel accurately portray industry?
-Which version, the original or yoursequel, appears to best describe people'sattitudes in the region you live?
-What social and economic implicationswill the actions suggested in your sequelhave for ensuring a quality environment?For example, who will pay for the environ-mental protection?
-Who will pay for the damage to theenvironment if these actions prove unsuc-cessful?
-What does the Truffula Tree Companyprovide to the local economy?
-Who will provide Thneeds if theTruffula Tree Company doesn't?
2. Have students prepare a sequence tothe key events in The Lorax. Then, have themdraw a diagram or flow chart showing the con-nections between characters in the story(Swomee-Swans, Bar-ba-loots, Lorax) and thenatural resources (Truffula trees, clean air, cleanwater).
44TREES FOR MANY REASONS 35
RESOURCES:Johnny Appleseed, Steven Kellog, New York,
William Morrow and Co., 1988.
Just a Dream, Chris Van Allsburg, Boston,Houghton Mifflin Co., 1990.
introduces the concept that wildanimals and plants can "manage"some environmental problems.Sometimes organisms can helpsolve or mitigate human-inducedenvironmental problems by simplydoing their "jobs." An organism'secological job is called its niche.
PROCEDURE:PRE ACTIVITY::
Introduce and define thevocabulary words.
ACTIVTIY
1. Divide students into smallgroups of four to eight.
2. Give each group a copyof the Ecosystem Map, and a set of"Critter Cards," "Ecosystem Cards,"and "Critter Tokens." Have themlocate key areas on the map. Ask:
-Where are the 12 ecosys-tems on the map?
46
-Where does the streambegin and end? Trace thecourse of the stream.
-Where is the golf course inrelationship to the stream?
-Where are the parking lotsin relationship to the stream?
-Where is the town park inrelationship to other areas oftown. Who do you think visits?
-Where is the prairie eco-system in relationship tohouses?
-Are there areas or neigh-borhoods on the map that aresimilar to where we live?
3. Have each group pass outtheir "Critter Cards." Each studentreads the back of the card eithersilently or aloud to the group andlooks at the illustration on the card.Each student must keep his or hercard - no trading!
CAREER CRITTERS 37
4. Arrange the "Critter Tokens" neatlyaround the edge of the Ecosystem Map. Thereshould be at least three of each different "CritterToken." They don't need to be in any particularsequence.
5. Shuffle and stack the 12 "EcosystemCards" face down beside the Ecosystem Map.One student draws a card and reads it aloud tothe group. Each student examines his or herown "Critter Cards" to determine if those animalsor plants could help solve the ecosystem prob-lem described. If so, students explain how tothe group. If the group agrees, a "Critter Token"of that plant or animal is placed on the mapecosystem. Remember more than one plant oranimal may be used to solve the problem.There may be several unused "Critter Tokens" atthe end of the activity.
6. When all the "Ecosystem Cards" havebeen drawn and all the ecosystem problemssolved, have the groups compare their resultswith the other groups' results.
7. Discuss and ask:
-Could any of these solutions backfire?In other words could the plants or animalsused to help solve certain problems end upbeing a problem themselves?
-Are there other wild plants or animals(not identified in this activity) that couldhave been used to help solve the ecosystemproblems?
-The gambusia fish is not native to manystates. Is it okay to introduce "foreign spe-cies" to help with an ecosystem problem?What are the benefits? What are the risks?
-How could the location of the 12 eco-systems on the map be redesigned to reducesome of the environmental problems?
-Are there ways that animals, plants,and humans could work together to solveenvironmental problems?
-In what ways is this activity realistic?Unrealistic?
38 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
ASSESSMENT:Have students:
1. Summarize five or more of the ecosys-tem problems described in this activity andexplain how a wild animal or plant was helpfulin solving those problems.
2. Define "niche." Give examples of theniches held by the animals and plants describedin this activity.
3. Think of one ecosystem problem (notused in this activity) and describe how wildplants and animals might be used to help solvethe problem.
EXTENSIONS:1. Students may research more informa-
tion about the animals or plants on the "CritterCards."
2. Survey the neighborhood or study thenewspapers and news articles for local environ-mental problems. Could they be solved byusing wild animal or plant managers? Havestudents make their own maps of the communityhighlighting environmental issues.
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PASTE ECOSYSTEM CARDS ON THEBACK OF 3"x5" INDEX CARDS
4 7
ECOSYSTEM CARDS
#1 Prairie EcosystemA prairie ecosystem is near a new
housing development on the edge oftown. The grassy field has prairiedogs in it. With all the new houses,lots of the prairie dog's natural en-emies coyotes and eagles havedisappeared. Now the prairie dogpopulation is growing. The prairiedogs are digging burrows and moundsin the lawns of the new homes. Theyare also eating vegetable gardens andunderground telephone wires. Somepeople are worried the prairie dogsmight carry diseases and want tobegin poisoning the prairie dogs. Asa manager, how could you help solvethis problem? What critter(s) orplant(s) could you "employ" to helpyou? How would they help?
r#2 Mountain EcosystemOutside of town is a big national
park in the mountains. Lots of peoplecome to the park to see wild animals,especially elk. In fact, there are somany elk in the park that they arerunning out of grass to eat. Now theelk are starting to eat the shrubs, andthe bark of trees. Trees are starting todie because so much bark has beeneaten. Your job as manager is toreduce the number of elk in the parkbefore they really damage the ecosys-tem. Remember that hunting is notallowed in a national park. Whatcritter(s) or plant(s) could you "em-ploy" to help you? How would theyhelp?
a
r#3 Golf Course EcosystemYou are the manager of a golf
course. The golf course is your eco-system. You are very proud of yourgolf course especially the nearbystream, ponds, and water holes on thecourse. Golfers enjoy trying to gettheir balls in the holes without hittingthem into the water. It's fun! Oneproblem. Mosquitoes lay their eggs inponds. When the eggs hatch themosquitoes go after the golfers!
You' could spray insecticidearound the course to kill the mosqui-toes but it's expensive and wouldprobably harm other animals. Whatcritter(s) or plant(s) could you "em-ploy" to help you? How would theyhelp?
a
r#4 Stream EcosystemA stream ecosystem runs near a
farm. Along the edge of the stream isa nice green area with lots of willowsand tall trees. In the spring and sum-mer the farmer takes water out of thestream. The water goes from thestream down an irrigation ditch towater a field of crops. When thathappens there is not much water leftfor the animals in the stream. Thestream becomes very shallow. Littlefish can live in shallow water, but bigfish need deep, cool pools of water.What critter(s) or plant(s) could you"employ" to help you? How wouldthey help?
6.77CAREER CRITTERS 39
ECOSYSTEM CARDSIN
#5 Farm EcosystemYou are a farmer. The farm is
your ecosystem. Your crops areturning into a field of dreams forinsect pests like grasshoppers. Theyare eating up your crops! You couldspray with insecticides to kill thegrasshoppers but that would cost a lotof money. Your field is also close tohomes. The spray might drift overinto the homes and people couldbecome ill. What critter(s) or plant(s)could you "employ" to help out? Howwould they help?
#6 Pine Forest EcosystemIn your pine forest ecosystem, all
the trees are the same age and thesame kind. Thousands of acres ofyour forest all look the same.
As a manager, your job is tochange the forest so that a variety ofnew plants and animals live there. Todo this you must cut/kill some trees.When that happens other grasses,shrubs, and flowers will grow wherethe trees once were. What critters orplant(s) could you "employ" to helpyou? How would they help?
40 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
#7 Stream EcosystemA stream ecosystem runs through
town. Most of the time there is only alittle water in your stream. But whena thunderstorm hits, lots of rain fallson paved streets and parking lots.The rain can't soak into the asphalt, soit runs downhill into the stream. Thestream suddenly fills with fast-movingwater. This water is often pollutedwith the oil and gasoline that hasdripped on the asphalt from cars. Thestream banks erode so trees andshrubs along the edge of the streamsometimes fall. Soil washes away.When the storm is over, the streamgets low again. It is full of dirt, sand,and pollution. As a manager your jobis to stop the erosion of the streambank and to keep the stream fromhaving big changes in the level ofwater. What critter(s) or plant(s)could you "employ" to help you?How would they help?
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#8 Garden EcosystemYour town has a community
garden. Townspeople come here toplant vegetables. But this year smallinsect pests called aphids are eatingthe vegetables! Lots of people dependon those vegetables for meals. Youcould spray insecticides to kill theaphids, but some people don't want touse insecticides. They say that insecti-cides might make people ill. Thecommunity garden has another prob-lem: The soil is too hard and packedso roots have a hard time growing.What critter(s) or plant(s) could you"employ" to help you? How wouldthey help?
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ECOSYSTEM CARDS
#9 Town Park EcosystemIn the town park some of the old
oak trees are dying. They need to bereplaced by new oak trees. Ofcourse, that costs a lot of money.What critter(s) or plant(s) could you"employ" to help you? How wouldthey help?
#10 Foothills EcosystemOn the hills at the edge of town
many houses were going to be built.The bulldozers scraped the groundand plowed the dirt roads to get readyfor the new construction. But theconstruction project was suddenlycalled off? The soil is now beingblown away by the wind and washeddownhill into the stream by rain-storms. As the manager, whatcritter(s) or plant(s) could you "em-ploy" to help keep the soil on theground? How would they help?
#11 Downtown EcosystemDowntown becomes very hot in
the summer. The sun beats down onthe sidewalks and black asphaltstreets. The sun shines directly intothe windows of buildings. Everyoneturns on air conditioning, creatingmore air pollution, which makesbeing outside even more miserable.What critter(s) or plant(s) could you"employ" to solve this problem? Howwould they help?
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r#12 Downtown EcosystemThere are many pigeons down-
town. They like to nest on the ledgesof buildings. Some people like thepigeons but others say there are justtoo many. Their droppings makecertain areas really dirty and the birdsmay carry diseases. What critter(s) orplant(s) could you "employ" to reducethe number of pigeons downtown.How would they
aCAREER CRITTERS 41
CRITTER CARD CUTOUTS
PorcupinesEveryone knows we live in for-
ests and have sharp quills to defendourselves. But do you know what weeat? We eat the bark of trees.Mmmm, sure tastes good! If we eattoo much bark, it will sometimes kill
Lthe tree.
WoodpeckersWe like to live in forests where
bugs live under the bark of sick ordead trees. We peck out the bugswith our beaks. We also use ourbeaks to chip deep holes into trees forour nests. Sometimes these holes areused by other birds like bluebirds andnuthatches for their nests. Our holeshelp to bring new varieties of birdsinto the forest.
Bark BeetlesAlthough we are very small, we
can kill trees! We bore a hole throughthe bark of a tree and eat the wood-like layers inside. Sometimes we carrydiseases that kill trees.
BeaversWe build dams in streams. Using
our big front teeth, we cut down treesand shrubs, chew them into smallersticks and build small dams. Thesedams help to slow down the water instreams and make deep pools. Ourdams help to stop small floods.
WillowsWe are shrubs that like to grow
along the edges of streams and beaverponds. Our roots spread out andgrow deep. They help hold the soiland keep it from getti.ng washed awayby floods. Some other wetland plantshelp to clean up pollution, too.
LadybugsYes, we really are cute, aren't we?
But not if you are a small tasty buglike an aphid. We chomp those guys
- dowri. Yuna!L ow42 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
CRITTER CARD CUTOUTS
BullsnakesWe live in dry fields and around
farms. We like to eat little furry crea-tures like prairie dogs and otherrodents! Although we can get to bepretty big (eight feet long and as thickas your leg), we are not poisonous.
BadgersWe live in underground burrows
in dry fields. We are shy and don'tlike people. Although we are notmuch bigger than a small dog, we aretough and mean. We dig under-ground to eat small furry creatures likeprairie dogs and other rodents.r -1
WolvesWe need wild, open places to
live. The farther away from peoplethe better, we like it!. We hunt inpacks and can kill large animals.
BatsWe are experts at eating pesky
flying insects. Using our radar, weswoop around and can eat thousandsof flying bugs in one night! Somepeople are scared of us but we aren'treally so bad. Besides, we are activeat night when most people are asleep.
Gambusia FishWe enjoy the nice warm waters of
ponds and lakes. One reason is thatusually mosquitoes do to! A femaleadult mosquito lays her eggs in thewater. The eggs hatch into a wigglyworm-like stage that stays underwater.Later they hatch and turn into flyingmosquitoes. It's those underwatermosquito wigglers we love to eat!
MeadowlarksWe-are robin-sized birds that live
in fields and on farms. We are knownfor our beautiful song and the coolblack "V" on our chests. Many peopledon't know we like to eat insectslots of them!
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51
CRITTER CARD CUT OUTS:
SquirrelsIn the autumn we collect acorns
from oak trees and store them to eatlater in the winter. Sometimes wehide our acorns in little holes under-ground. The only problem is that wecollect so many acorns sometimes weforget where we bury them! Some ofthese acorns sprout and grow into tall
Ltrees.
WeedsWeeds are plants that people
think are no good. But some weedsare good. We grow fast, even on bareground. We are usually the first plantsto grow where the soil has beendisturbed. Our roots grow quicklyand help keep soil from blowing awayin the wind and washing away in therain.
TreesLiving trees do many good things
for the environment. Our roots helpto hold soil down. We provide shadeand keep areas cool. Our leaves arecolorful and help clear the air of somekinds of pollution.
FalconsWe are hawk-like birds that are
built for speed. We like to live andnest near high cliffs, canyon walls, andeven sky scrapers. We are not afraidof heights. We swoop around to catchsmaller birds to eat. Ecosystems withsteep walls and plenty of birds to eatcan be good places for us.
EarthwormsWe love dirt and dirt loves us!
We crawl around underground loosen-ing the soil as we make our tunnels.Air can now get deep into the ground.Our waste also helps to fertilize thesoil.
*PLACE CRITTER CARDCUTOUTS ON THE BACKS OFCRITTER CARD PICTURES
PORCUPINES
WOODPECKERS5 2
CAREER CRITTERS 43
44 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
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59
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LEVEL: Grades 3-12
SUBJECTS: Science, Language
Arts, Physical Education.
PROCESS: Through a physical
activity, students discover the
components and relationships of
ecoregions and the role of eco-
system management in these
ecoregions.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Describe some non-living and
living components of an eco-
region (a geographic area where
the combination of climate and
soils produce a distinct plant
community).
2 Demonstrate a component of
an ecoregion.
3. Describe how each living
component in an ecoregion is
related to the sun and to other
ecoregion components.
4 Describe how different eco-
regions are related to each other
and how they form a larger eco-
system.
5. Identify and dethonstrate the
role of ecosystem managers.
(Note: Younger stud-
ents may only accomplish the first
three objectives, while all five ob-
jectives are appropriate for upper
grade levels.)
TIMEFRAME 30 to 50 minutes.
SKILLS: Analyzing, comparingsimilarities and differences, critical
thinking, demonstrating, describ-
ing, discussing, generalizing, id-
entifying, listening, observing,
predicting, role playing.
MATERIALS: A 3' x 5' indexcard and 12' string for each stu-
dent, scissors, tapes, pencils or
markers, large piece of yellow
paper, yam or string (two colors
200 ft. of one color cut into ten
20-ft. lengths (yellow yam is
ideal), and a 100-ft. length of the
other color rolled into a ball),
`Ecoregion Chart (attached).
(Extensions: Camerecorder or
video camerecorder.)
VOCABULARY: Biodiversity, bio-
sphere, ecoregion, ecosystem,
ecosystem management, natural
resources, predator, topography.
WINNING T E EGss EBOVERVIEW: Ecosystems are
systems formed by the interactionof a group of organisms with eachother and their environment. Eco-systems include interdependentplants, animals, the physical envi-ronment, and the ecological pro-cesses (such as exchange of matterand energy) that connect them.Areas of different sizes can beconsidered ecosystems, dependingupon who is drawing the lines ofdistinction. A jar of pond water, arotting log, a grassland, or theentire earth can each be consideredan ecosystem. In this activity, theterm ecosystem will be used torepresent the entire earth. Theentire earth's ecosystem is com-monly referred to as the biosphere.
On earth, there are geographicareas in which the combination ofclimate, topography (lay of theland), and geology determine whattypes of plants and animals growand live there. These areas arecalled ecoregions. A desert, withits characteristic dry climate, sandy
60
soils, and unique wildlife is anexample of an ecoregion. Otherexamples include grasslands,rainforests, coniferous and decidu-ous forests, oceans, arctic areas,fresh water streams, riparian zones,and wetlands. All of theecoregions on earth interact toform one large ecosystem.
Human cultures have devel-oped within different ecoregionsand have been sustained by them.All of the resources humans havedepended on for survival andcomfort have come from natural-resources. Over time, attitudes andbeliefs about the natural world andthe use of natural resources havechanged. In the not-too-distantpast, the human population wassparse compared to the naturalresources available. Human im-pact on ecoregions was minimal.As human populations have in-creased, so have demands onvarious ecoregions. Some parts ofthe ecosystem are being heavilyimpacted and some species have
SPINNING THE ECOWEB 51
become extinct.
As people develop a better understandingof ecological functions and their place in theecosystem, they are incorporating these ideasinto the practice of natural resource use andmanagement. A recent philosophy adopted bymany natural resource agencies for managingthe earth's resources is called ecosystem man-agement.
Ecosystem management is the careful andskillful use of ecological, economic, social, andbusiness principles in managing ecoregions aspart of the larger ecosystem. This management'sgoal is to produce, restore, or sustain ecosystemintegrity over the long-term. When ecosystemmanagers talk about maintaining the integrity ofecosystems, they mean retaining the ecosystem'sbiodiversity (variety of living organisms) and thestructure and organization of the ecosystem.The need to conserve biodiversity is at the heartof ecosystem management.
While protection of biodiversity is of greatimportance, ecosystem managers must alsoconsider human needs. People want ecoregionsto be maintained for various uses, experiences,products, and services. Recreation, spiritualrenewal, economic growth, timber and mineralsfor homes and other products, and forage forwildlife and domestic range animals are ex-amples of human needs that may all come froma single ecoregion. The ecosystem managermust take the wide variety of human needs intoaccount, along with the best scientific knowl-edge about ecosystems, in order to managenatural resources for sustainable use over time.
PROCEDURE:PRE -ACTIVITY:
1. Cut string/yarn as defined in Materials.
2. Cut large yellow paper into a circle.
3. Write the following statement andquestion on the chalkboard or in another visibleplace: All of the ecoregions are connected to thesun. In what ways is your ecoregion connectedto other ecoregions?
ACTIVITY:
1. Survey the student's backgroundknowledge by asking for definitions of an52 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
ecoregion and ecosystem. An ecoregion is alarge geographic area in which the combinationof climate, topography, and geology determinewhat types of plants and animals that can growand live in an area. If students are not familiarwith these concepts, take some time to explain alocal example of an ecoregion. (See Overviewfor information.) If students are familiar withecoregions, brainstorm various ecoregion typeswith them. Record the ecoregion types in avisible space. Taking ah individual ecoregion,have students describe what the ecoregion mightlook like focusing on the non-living componentsof the ecoregion. Ask:
-What does the soil look like?
-Is there water in this ecoregion?
-In what form?
-Is the air dry or moist?
-Does it rain a lot?
-Is there wind?
-Is it rocky?
Record the non-living components for eachof the ecoregions.
2. Depending on class size, choose eightto ten ecoregions (see the "Ecoregion Chart") foruse in this activity. Choose enough ecoregionsso that there will be three students involved ineach ecoregion group and two to three studentsremaining to act as ecosystem managers.
3. Number students off or assignecoregions to form the groups. Give eachstudent a 3" x 5" index card and 12" string. Thecard will be worn around the neck. On the tophalf of the cards, students write the name of anorganism that lives in their ecoregion. On thebottom half of the cards, they write the name oftheir designated ecoregion. At least one studentout of the three in each group must be a plant.For best results, have each student in a group bean organism of a different category; for example,one plant, one plant-eater, and one predator (ananimal that kills and eats another animal forfood). For younger students, you might wish to
61
assign organisms ahead of time.
4. When student's cards are completed,have each ecoregion group stand together.Have the groups form a circle. (See diagram.)Students who represent the ecosystem managersremain outside of the circle at this time.
5. Place the large yellow circle in thecenter of the larger circle of students. Tellstudents the yellow circle represents the sun.Tape one end of each of the 20-ft. pieces of yarnto the "sun" circle. Ask students what they thinkthe pieces of yarn represent (the sunlight travel-ing through space to the earth).
6. Standing in their groups, ask studentsto name the organism from their ecoregion mostdependent upon sunlight. Hopefully, they willname the plant in their ecoregion. Hand the"plant" student in each ecoregion the unattachedend of the 20-ft. string. All the pieces of yarnare now attached to the sun and stretched out tothe ecoregion groups, creating the appearanceof the "spokes of a wheel" or the "rays of thesun."
7. Students in each ecoregion must nowdetermine which organism might get the sun'senergy next. In other words, which organismmight eat the plant? The "plant" student givesthe next student (plant-eater) in his or her grouppart of the piece of string to hold also.
8. The "plant-eating" student now passesa piece of the string along to the organism thateats it, the predator. At this point, all students ineach ecoregion will be holding on to theirgroups' piece of string. Ask:
-How is each organism in yourecoregion dependent upon the sun?
-How do all the organisms in yourecoregion need each other?
-What would happen if there were noplants in your ecoregion? No plant-eaters?No predators?
-In what ways is the sun important?
-Besides the sun, what else do plants
need to grow? (Soil, air, water.)
9. Have students in each ecoregion men-tion one or more of the non-living componentson which they depend (water, soil, rocks, wind,etc.).
10. Introduce the ecosystem managers.Ask students sitting in the circle what they thinkecosystem managers do. (Ecosystem managersmanage the natural resources in ecoregions inorder to maintain biodiversity or variety of life ineach ecoregion and to protect the larger ecosys-tem. They assess and evaluate the conditions ofan ecoregion considering-both living and non-living components. Ecosystem managers makeand carry out decisions about ecoregions whilemaking sure people are able to use necessarynatural resources.)
11. Ecosystem managers enter the circlewith the 100-ft. ball of yarn. Starting with anyecoregion group, the ecosystem managers posethe question written on the board. Write re-sponses on the board. Students, after the firstgroup, can repeat an answer already written onthe board or respond with a different answer.One of the ecosystem managers, holding ontothe end of the string, gives students in theecoregion the string and then carries or passesthe ball of string to the next ecoregion that wasmentioned as being connected in some way tothe first ecoregion. Repeat the question and thisprocess of passing the ball of string until thereare no further connections. At that time, theother ecosystem managers hold onto part of thestring also. You can suggest some connectionsto the students if necessary. When groups'responses are complete, a large web will havebeen spun, demonstrating the large ecosystemmade up of connecting ecoregions. Studentshave spun an eco-web! Have students stay inplace and ask:
-How is your string from the sun differ-ent from the string to other ecoregions?How is it similar?
-What do the strings between theecoregions represent? (The larger ecosystem.)
-What can you now tell me aboutSPINNING THE ECOWEB 53
62
ecoregions?
-What can you tell me about an ecosys-tem?
-Why are ecoregions important to oneanother?
-What helped you know how ecoregionsare related?
-If ecosystem managers discovered oneplant or animal in an ecoregion in trouble,how do you think they would work to helpthat species?
12. Choose any organism from anyecoregion and identify that organism as a spe-cies in trouble. (Examples: toucans in therainforest are being collected, clams in an estu-ary are being poisoned by pollution, the Floridapanthers are disappearing due to shrinkinghabitat, etc.) Pose the problem to the ecosystemmanagers. Ask:
-What might they do to help the species?
-What information do you need to makea good decision?
-What do you need to know about thisspecies and its relationship to other species?
-How does knowing that ecoregions areconnected influence your decision?
-How will your management decisionaffect other organisms or other ecoregions?
-What is the role of ecosystem manager?
-What are some other roles humansplay in ecoregions besides managers?
-In what ways can humans be goodcaretakers of the ecoregions? The ecosys-tem?
-What can you do to be a good care-taker?
13. What would happen if one of theecoregions disappeared? Have one group drop54 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
their strings and discuss the implications forother ecoregions and the ecosystem. Ask:
-Which ecoregion is the most impor-tant?
-Is any ecoregion more important thananother?
14. Conclude the activity by asking:
-What surprised you the most duringthis activity?
-What did you find most interesting?
-How might what you've learned in thisactivity help you in other areas of your life?
ASSESSMENT:Have students:
1. Choose one ecoregion to draw, includ-ing both living and non-living components.
2. Take two ecoregions and demonstrateways they are connected by any method ofchoice such as drawing, writing, role playing,etc. Students can choose ecoregions not previ-ously discussed: or can discuss soil as an ecosys-tem and its connection to the total ecosystem.
3. Complete a paragraph, "If I were anecosystem manager, I would...."
63
EXTENSIONS:1. Invite students to photograph or video-
tape a local ecoregion to illustrate the non-livingand living components of that ecoregion. Havestudents describe the connections between thecomponents.
2. Construct a classroom ecoregion (onpaper, a diorama, a mobile, etc.).
3. Play "Ecoregion Charades." Havegroups role play different ecoregions while theirclassmates guess which ecoregion they areportraying.
4. Have students design advertisements topromote the importance of ecosystem manage-ment.
5. Have older students research a real-lifesituation in which a variety of managementdecisions are possible. (Examples: NorthernSpotted Owl controversy, reintroduction of thewolf and grizzly bear to former historic range,salmon runs in dammed rivers, fishing with driftnets, etc.) They research all sides of the issue,including social and economic connections, andmake a management decision. Have them thenwrite a position paper supporting their manage-ment decisions and present their decisions to theclass.
64
Ecowe bCircle of kids holding string.
SPINNING THE ECOWEB 55
1 6
EC
OR
EG
ION
CH
AR
TE
CO
RE
GIO
NN
ON
-LIV
ING
CO
MP
ON
EN
TS
AN
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ES
CR
IPT
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OS
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LE O
RG
AN
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Gra
ssla
nds
Esc
arpm
ent (
cliff
like
), b
utte
s, s
oil,
fire,
win
dgr
ass,
mic
e, g
rass
hopp
ers,
pra
irie
dogs
,bu
ll sn
ake,
red
-tai
led
haw
k, e
tc.
Rai
nfor
est
Hum
idity
, hea
vy r
ainf
all,
soil,
equ
ator
ial,
nutr
ient
pool
, litt
le te
mpe
ratu
re v
aria
tions
fig tr
ee, p
eriw
inkl
e, h
owle
r m
onke
y,to
ucan
, bee
tle, t
ree
frog
, jag
uar,
etc
.
For
est-
Con
ifero
us*
(con
e-be
arin
g ev
ergr
eens
)G
rani
te r
ock
form
atio
ns, r
ocky
soi
l,w
ind,
sno
w, h
igh
elev
atio
npi
ne tr
ee, p
ine
beet
le, m
osqu
ito, d
eer,
blac
k be
ar, m
ount
ain
lion,
etc
.
For
est-
Dec
iduo
us*
(leaf
-be
arin
g)*c
hoos
e ba
sed
on y
our
loca
tion
Mod
erat
e ra
infa
ll, fe
rtile
soi
l, lo
w e
leva
tion,
tem
pera
ture
var
iatio
noa
k tr
ee, m
aple
tree
, squ
irrel
, cic
ada,
whi
te-t
aile
d de
er, b
lack
bea
r, e
tc.
Oce
anS
alt,
cora
l ree
f, ro
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and,
wav
es,
wav
e ac
tion,
win
dpl
ankt
on, c
oral
, fis
h, w
hale
, sha
rk, e
tc.
Est
uary
, Tid
e P
ool
Mix
ing
of s
alt a
nd fr
esh
wat
er, t
ides
,nu
trie
nt-r
ich
soil,
hig
h hu
mid
itysa
ltgra
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h,fis
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eron
, sea
gull,
etc
.
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laci
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hig
h la
titud
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afro
st, l
owte
mpe
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hort
gro
win
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ason
, win
dfo
rget
-me-
nots
, mus
k ox
, car
ibou
, sea
l,w
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pola
r be
ar, e
tc.
Fre
sh W
ater
Str
eam
Wat
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ocks
, gra
vel
alga
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ayfly
, dra
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otte
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tc.
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Low
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tem
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Hig
h w
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tabl
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oder
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tem
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will
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coon
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wls
, etc
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land
sW
ater
, hig
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ity, w
ater
-logg
ed s
oil,
nutr
ient
-ric
h so
ilca
ttails
, red
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Nor
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arrie
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tc.
LEVEL: Grades 4-8. Variation:
Grades Pre K-2
SUBJECTS: Science, Social Stu-
dies, Language Arts.
PROCESS: Through learning how
fire is a natural event in forests and
other ecosystems, students dis-
cover how fires help keep plants
and other parts of the ecosystems
healthy.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Observe a burning candle to
learn about fire.
2 Describe a forest fire: how it
starts, spreads, and bums out.
3. Explain several approaches to
forest fire management
4 Create and administer a sur-
vey about forest fires and discuss
the results.
TIME-FRAME Preparation: 50
minutes. Activity: Pad A: 30
minutes; Part B: two to three 50-
minute periods; Part C: two 50-
minute periods. Variation: 30
minutes.
SKILLS: Analyzing, categorizing,
classifying, observing, summariz-
ing.
MATERIALS: Art materials, glass
jar with metal lid, wooden kitchen
matches, small birthday candles,
paper match, corn or potato chip,
magazine photos of forests or
fires, "Fire Triangle" and
"Colorado Wildfires° worksheets
on Student Pages 1 and 2
(attached). Variation: 20 strands
of yarn and pieces of blue poster
board or construction paper to
make necklaces, pieces of red and
green construction paper to make
head-bands. (Extension: Drawing
mat-erials, "Tree Tops Valley"
Student Pages 3 and 4 (attached).)
VOCABULARY: Arson, firebreak,
fuel, interface, prescribed burn.
LIVING WITH FIREOVERVIEW: Fire is a natural
event in most forest ecosystems.Some forests depend on fire torecycle nutrients back into the soil.From an ecological standpoint, fireis neither "good" nor "bad." Fireoccurs naturally through lightningstrikes in the presence of dry fuel.Fires also occur when humans startthem intentionally or accidentally.
Fires need heat, fuel, andoxygen to burn these three ele-ments are known as the "fire tri-angle." Remove any one of thesethree elements and the fire will notburn. Initially, the heat is providedby the source of ignition. Fuelsinclude dry trees, dead trees andlimbs, leaf litter, and dry grass.
Oxygen is, of course, availablein the air. Weather conditions havea great influence on when firesoccur and how they spread. Hottemperatures and dry winds candry out trees and grasses in aforest, making them available asfuel for a fire to consume. The
6 7
stronger the winds, the morequickly moisture evaporates fromthe vegetation, and the faster thefire can spread.
Even in the largest fires, suchas the Yellowstone fire in 1988, noteverything burns. Patterns ofburned areas across the landscapecan help keep ecosystems healthy.Areas that have recently burned donot have much fuel or dry deadlitter, and they are less likely toburn again soon. Having trees ofmixed ages is healthy for the forestecosystem in many ways, one ofwhich is preventing the entireforest from burning down.
In the southeastern UnitedStates, the months of March, April,and May are called "fire season,"when 75 percent of forest firesoccur. Fire season in the Westusually runs from June throughOctober, during the very drymonths of year. In the Northeast,it is March through May, and thenagain in the fall, corresponding to
LIVING WITH FIRE 57
the leaf drop. Wildfires do not generally occurwhen the fuels (trees, shrubs, and grasses) arewet and cold.
Fire was an important tool in Native Ameri-can cultures and is in other cultures around theworld. Some Native American people set fire toprairies knowing that new growth would attractgame. Fire has traditionally been used to drivegame, reduce populations of unwanted animals,enhance crop growth, and clear forests.
Fire can be an effective management toolfor state and federal agencies to manage theirwildlands, which include forests, grasslands, andother ecosystems. Over the years, fire manage-ment policies and techniques have changed. Acontrolled, or prescribed burn (one that islighted by trained fire personnel within pre-scribed fuel and weather conditions) can pre-pare a logged area for reforestation, enhancewildlife habitat, protect a native tree species,control insect populations or disease, or reducefuture fire hazards by reducing burnable fuels.They are not risk free and they can be expen-sive.
Fire is an essential component in thelifecycle of several tree species. Some dependon the heat of fire to open their cones andrelease the seeds, while others simply need fireto open the forest canopy to provide light. Ingeneral, fires return nutrients to the soil in theform of ash.
Preventing, controlling, and suppressingwildfires is becoming more vital as more urbanpeople seek woodland settings for their homes.More and more homes, property, and lives areendangered by fire along the wildland-urbaninterface. Once again, we learn that it isn't easyto balance the needs of humans against theneeds of forest systems.
PROCEDURE:PRE ACTIVITY.'
1. Make photocopies of the "Fire Tri-angle" worksheet (student page 1) for eachstudent. Gather materials for the demonstration.You may want to invite a local firefighter orforester who is involved with fire managementto visit your class.
58 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
2. Variation: You need an outdoor areaor large room for the game. Make four greenheadbands out of construction paper for the"rangers." Make one red headband for "wild-fire." Make 20 "fire protection necklaces."These can be made by cutting squares out ofblue poster board and tying string through them.(Or, simply make loops or bands of blue con-struction paper large enough to go over stu-dents' heads and rest on their shoulders.)
ACTIVITY:
PART A: FIRE TRIANGLE
1. Pass out the "Fire Triangle" worksheets.Have students read and work through it on theirown. When everyone is finished, ask the classwhat three things are needed for fire to burn.Draw the fire triangle on the board. Ask themunder what conditions they think it would beeasy to start a fire, and when they think it wouldbe hard.
2. Demonstrate how a candle burns in aglass (from a science lab) when each of thethree different elements are limited:
A. Place a small, lighted birthday candlein a jar (you may want to mount it in a dab ofmodeling clay). Then seal the jar with the lid tocut off the supply of oxygen. As the flameconsumes the oxygen in the jar's air, the flamewill go out. Explain that cutting off oxygen isone way of managing a fire.
B. Open the jar, relight the candle, andput the lid back on. Only this time, when theflame starts to go out reopen the lid to let moreoxygen in; the candle will reignite. Explain thatthis illustrates what happens when the windpicks up during a fire; the fire may reignite orburn out of control.
C. Take the lid completely off and allowthe candle to burn until all the fuel (paraffin) isconsumed and the fire extinguishes itself. Givethe students time to see how long it takes. Setup a wooden match and a paper match (similarsize) in bases of clay. Light them both and seewhich burns longer. How do these two treeproducts - wood and paper burn differently?Place a corn or potato chip on a piece of tin foiland light it. See how long it takes to burn.What fuel in the chip made it hum? (Vegetable
68
oil, found in all plants.)Explain that the primary way fire managers
prevent fires is by reducing fuels so fires will notstart as easily, and won't burn as intensely or foras long.
3. Finally, extinguish the flame by addingwater, which removes the heat and smothers theflame. With all of today's "high-tech" firefightingequipment, water is still the main "tool" used tofight fires.
4. Try to have a local firefighter visit yourgroup to talk about the equipment and tech-niques that are used to suppress fires. Preparestudents to ask questions about how fire can beprevented and how they can protect themselvesshould a fire occur. You can also have a for-ester visit your group to talk about wildfires.Prepare students to ask questions about howforest fires are managed in their region, and howthey can best be prevented.
Note: For grades 6-8, the candle demon-stration can be done by groups of studentsrather than the teacher.
PART B: SURVEY DEVELOPMENT
1. Use magazine pictures of fires andforests to initiate a discussion revolving aroundstudents' attitudes on forest fires.
2. Present your research question to yourstudents.
Examples:
-Should controlled burns be allowed inpublic forests?
-Do forest fires play a negative role inecosystem management?
-Do forest fires play a positive role inecosystem management?
Students may be involved in the develop-ment of those questions.
3. Discuss surveying as a technique togather information.
4. Have students develop a ten-question
survey related to perceptions associated withforest fires. Samples:
SAMPLE SURVEY
Please take a few minutes to complete oursurvey. Simply circle the best response for eachquestion. Thank you!
1. I support controlled forest fires.Strongly AgreeAgreeNo opinionDisagreeStrongly Disagree
2. I feel that forest fires started by lightningstrikes should be allowed to burn until personalproperty is in jeopardy.
5. Have students pass out surveys toparents, neighbors, teachers, other classes, etc.asking first if they would like to participate.Finished surveys are collected and participantsare thanked. After each student collects fivesurveys, results are tallied and discussed. Becareful, however, not to place too much validityon the results. There are many variables thatinfluence survey results, including such things asthe age, education, occupation, residence, etc. ofthe respondent. Survey questions must becarefully worded. Results can, however, lead
LIVING WITH FIRE 59
into new areas of study.PART C: CAUSE AND EFFECT
1. Have students contact their state for-estry agency (usually within the state departmentof natural resources or department of agricul-ture) or a local office of the USDA Forest Ser-vice. They can ask for information concerningthe causes of all large forest or range fires in thestate over the past several years, including dataon both prescribed burns and uncontrolledburns (see "Colorado Wildfires" student page 2for sample data).
2. Using the Cause of fires table, have thestudents develop tables and pie charts showingthe actual numbers and percentages of fires fromdifferent causes for the years studied. (studentpage 2).
3. Using the Colorado Fires table, havestudents compare the data for at least threedifferent years:
Determine the number of fires each year,noting increases or decreases.
Reasons why increases or decreases mighthave occurred.
Make a graph for 1977-1992. Chart numberof wildfires and acres burned.
4. Have students research the effects offire on the economy and the environment. Findout about financial costs involved in the loss ofnatural resources and in fire management, eco-logical costs involved in the loss of naturalresources and in fire management, ecologicalcosts or benefits from forest fires, and howvarious agencies or forest industries manage fireand handle fire prevention.
VARIATION: PRE K-2 FIRE TAGThis game simulates how trees can be
destroyed by fire, how they can be protectedfrom fire, and how they grow back.
1. Choose one student to become theWildfire that burns the trees. She or he wearsred headband.
2. Choose four students to be SmokeyBear rangers They Tx/Par green hpa nric
60 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
Give each ranger five blue "fire protection"necklaces to hold (see Pre-activity).
3. The remaining students pretend to betrees. They scatter to different parts of the roomand stand still.
4. The Smokey Bear rangers gatheraround the Wildfire in the middle of the room.
5. The game starts when someone yells,"Fire!" Then the Wildfire runs to grab the handof a tree. When this happens, the tree becomespart of the Wildfire, and the two of them run tograb another tree. Thus, the fire builds andspreads.
6. At the same time, the Srnokey Bearrangers run to protect the trees by putting fireprotection necklaces around their necks. Theycan protect only trees that have not yet caughton fire.
7. When a tree receives a necklace, itjoins hands with the other protected trees tomake a "firebreak" (line of protection that thefire cannot penetrate). In reality, this could be astrip of wet or bare earth.
8. When the fire runs out of fuel, it burnsout. Wildfire students drop their hands andstand still to show that new tress have grown inthe enriched soil. Once again, there is a forest.
9. Before dismissing the group, discussthe meaning of Smokey Bear's slogan: "Only youcan prevent forest fires!"
ASSESSMENT: Have students create apicture-board story of wildfire it's like a comicbook but without any dialogue. The pictureboard should have at least ten frames showing:
a. How the forest looked before the fire(the fuel-dead trees, leaf litter, etc. should belabeled).
b. How the fire was ignited (natural ora human source).
c. The pattern the fire burned (burningnear a cabin because there are dry trees aroundit).
o
d. How the fire was put out. Which partsof the fire triangle were removed to stop thefire?
RESOURCES:Fire, George R. Stewart, University of Ne-
braska Press, 1984.
Fire Ecology: The United States and SouthernCanada, Henry A. Wright and Arthur W. Bailey,New York, John Wiley and Sons, 1982.
Fire in America: A Cultural History of Wild-land and Rural Fire, Stephen J. Pyne, Princeton,NJ, Princeton University Press, 1982.
Fire: The Story Behind a Force of Nature,Jack DeGolia, Las Vegas, KC Publications, 1989.
Introduction to Wildland Fire: Fire Manage-ment in the United States, Stephen J. Pyne,Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 1984.
Wildlife in Transition: Man and Nature onYellowstone's Northern Range, Don Despain,Douglas Houston, Mary Meagher, and PaulSchullery, Boulder, CO, Roberts Rinehart Pub-lishers, 1986.
Yellowstone and the Fires of Change, GeorgeWuerthner, Salt Lake City, Haggis House Publi-cations, 1988.
Videos:Yellowstone Forest 1988, produced by
Video Visions, P.O. Box 6721, Bozeman, MT59715. One hour.
Yellowstone in the Summer '88, producedfor Travel Montana and Wyoming Travel Com-mission by Sage Advertising, P.O. Box 1142,Helena, MT 59624, (406) 442-9500. 17 minutes.
CREDIT: Used and modified with permis-sion from Project Learning Tree's "Living withFire".
4. Oxygen is available in the air. Weatherhas a great influence on when fires occur andon how they spread. Hot temperatures and drywinds can create severe fire conditions by affect-ing fuel, moisture, and oxygen. What can drywinds do to fuels to make them more likely toburn?
1. Fires need heat, fuel, and oxygen toburn. This is known as the "fire triangle." Drawa triangle below and label each of the threesides with the word and a picture for each of thethree parts.
2. Initially, the heat is provided by anignition source, which can be human or natural.Name two natural and two human-causedsources of heat for fire ignition.
Natural:1.
2.
Human-caused1.
2.
3. Fires need fuel to burn. In a forest, whatsort of fuels might you expect to find? Namethree potential fuels:
1.
2.
3.
62 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
5. If you cut off any one of these elements,a fire will not burn. What are some waysfirefighters might cut off each of the three partsof the fire triangle?
72
Student Page 2
STATE AND PRIVATE LANDS
Calendar Year Protected Acres Number Wildfires Acres Burned
Source: Ron Zelleny, Colorado State Forest Service.
CMISI O Mitt(for the year of 1900 in New Jersey)
Cause No. of fires % of Total1. Arson 717 49.3%2. Children 234 16.1%3. Miscellaneous 204 14.0%4. Smoker 84 5.8%5. Debris Burning 68 4.7%6. Equipment Use 51 3.5%7. Campfires 37 2.5%8. Railroad 11 0.8%9. Lightning 4 0.3%10. False Alarm 45 3.1%
73 LIVING WITH FIRE 63
LEVEL: Grades 4-8 (Can be anextension for 3rd grade, "Eat a
Rock")
SUBJECTS: Consumer
Education, Geography, Science,
Art, Language Arts.
PROCESS: Through gathering
data on uses and sites for mining
and comparing uses of minerals
mined all over the United States,
students will explore the value of
mining to our lifestyles and to the
economy.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. List ten of the original sources
of ten common consumer pro-
ducts found in their daily lives.
2. Match these products to re-
sources mined from the ground.
3. Identify mineral production in
every state of the United States.
4 Evaluate the value of these
minerals to their current lifestyles.
TIMEFRAME Three 50-minute
sessions.
SKILLS: Analyzing, applying,
discussing, generalizing and
predicting, inferring, listing,
mapping, problem solving, read-
ing, reporting.
MATERIALS: United States map,
50 small paper slips, library
references and encyclopedia,
poster board or large construction
paper, art supplies (colorful
markers, crayons, colored pencils,
watercolor and/or poster paints,
magazines, glue, etc.), computer
(optional), samples of mineral
objects: such as copper pipe or
wire, plastic pipe, kitty litter, baby
powder-talc, clay plant pot, silver,
plastic, gold, copper jewelry,
pennies, aluminum foil, tin cans,
"State Minerals List° (attached),
"Mining for Words' (attached).
VOCABULARY: Consumers,
minerals, mining, resources.
WE OF MINESTATE OF MINE
OVERVIEW: You wake upeach morning, turn on the light andradio, wash your face, brush yourteeth, get dressed, eat breakfast,pick up your homework, lunchbox, and daypack, and catch thebus to go to school. Almost every-thing you have done so far wouldbe impossible without minerals thathave been mined from the ground.The alarm clock contains petro-leum products, copper, and silver;the water pipes are made of cop-per, lead, or petroleum products;the light bulb contains tungstenfilaments; the toothpaste may be inan aluminum tube and the brush ismade from petroleum products.Almost everything you touchthroughout the day, at home, atschool, and at your friends' housesis made with resources removedfrom the ground. If the objectsweren't made from a mined re-source, they were most likelymanufactured in a way that usedmined resources. For example,consider how a tree (not a minedresource) is turned into paper.
BEST COPY AMIABLE 7 4
You can bet it has come in contactwith metals of many types. It hasbeen transported on trucks madeof metal and fueled by petroleumproducts, for example.
Like the food webs found innature, we have a close bond tothe earth through our dependenceupon minerals. We could livewithout many of these, but ourlifestyles would change drastically.
We use minerals in theamounts of billions of tons of sandand gravel each year, and approxi-mately ten tons of minerals a yearfor every man, woman, and childin the United States. We also needmineral nutrients to keep healthy.Foods we eat supply us withcalcium, copper, iron, phosphorus,and much more. Just look on theside of a box of cereal or vitaminbottle label. Minerals are found infertilizers that grow our foods.Farmers use metal tractors, andgrocers use petroleum-fueled metaltrucks to bring foods to consumers.
HOME OF MINE STATE OF MINE 65
The walls of our houses, made of bricks, stones,and concrete, are nailed together with nails ofsteel and other metals. Inside walls are often ofgypsum wallboard. Copper wire and pipesrunning between the walls provide us withwater and electricity for cooking our meals.
Minerals also provide the materials forpeople to express themselves artistically. Miner-als are found in paints, and in the clays andmarbles used by sculptors. Even soap sculpturesare dependent upon minerals since salt is usedto manufacture soap.
Scientists would be unable to perform theirhighly technical research without the aid ofcomputers. Each computer is reported to con-tain more than 42 different minerals, all minedsomewhere.
Like the food we buy in the grocery store,many minerals come from other parts of thecountry or the world. Minerals come fromprivate property and public lands all across thecountry including farms, ranches, national for-ests, and Bureau of Land Management property,especially in the western states. Steel comesfrom iron ores and blends of metals mined fromthe ground in places like Pennsylvania, Michi-gan, and Minnesota. Salt doesn't start at thestore, but from places in the earth where therewas once sea water like Utah, Louisiana, andNevada. Coal that is used to generate electricitymay come from Wyoming, Montana, and WestVirginia; and petroleum used to create plasticsand fuel our cars often come from Texas, Colo-rado, and California. We depend on theseresources, yet do we really understand that theycome from within the ground and from all overthe country and the world?
Mined resources are found in every statewithin the United States, but not all minedresources are found in every state. For example,copper is found in some states and not in others.Copper is an important mineral in Arizona,Montana, and New Mexico, but not in NorthDakota. It might be present, but not in enoughquantity that it is worth the cost to mine it. Yet,North Dakota offers other minerals not found inArizona, Montana, or New Mexico.
66 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS 75
PROCEDURE:PRE-ACTIVITY:
1. Photocopy "State Minerals List" and theU.S. map for each student.
2. Set up a display of items from thematerials list and "pretest" students by discussingthe sources for these items. Number (1 to 50)and fold 50 small slips of paper and place themin a box or hat for later use.
3. Provide each student with the StateMinerals List and U.S. map. This handout pro-vides a list of common minerals from each state.(Note: These are not the only minerals found inthe state--just two of the most important ones.)Also included on the list is a common use ofeach mineral. These manufactured products arenot necessarily made in the state, but are madewith the minerals mined in that state.
AC7TVI7Y
1. On the U.S. map, have the studentslocate each state and write on that state the twominerals mined there.
2. Ask students to place their initials onstates that they have been to or where they haverelatives.
3. Create a color key and color in oneshade for states with the same mineral. Forexample, states producing copper could becolored in orange and states producing iron orecould be grey. Select only one duplication perstate since there could be many. Identify theclimatic and geographic differences in thesestates. For example, copper is mined in Michi-gan and in Arizona. Michigan is wet, cool andnot a desert while Arizona is hot, dry and defi-nitely a desert. Use travel and family experiencesof students to help determine these characteris-tics.
4. Tell students: 50 slips of paper arenumbered 1 50 in this box (or hat). As youfinish your maps, pull two slips of paper fromthe hat. Each number will match a state on the"State Minerals List." Number two will beAlaska, three is Arizona, and so on. You are toselect the two minerals from the list for eachstate to report on. Using library resources,including encyclopedias; you need tO report
back with three facts about each mineral andtwo uses for each not shown on the list. Work inpairs, if you wish, to report on four states in-stead of two states. The report can be bound ina cover with a map of the United States thatshows locations of minerals. [Optional - -If there'sa computer in the classroom, students can entertheir researched information into a computer filethat can later be printed out at the conclusion ofeveryone's activities. A printout of the reportscan be presented to the school librarian. Thereport should contain each state in the UnitedStates in alphabetical order, with two mineralsincluding three facts and two uses for each.]
5. Evaluate and discuss the display set upat the start of this activity to determine whatminerals make up each item and where itemsmight have been mined.
6. Have everyone list ten different manu-factured items in their homes that have comefrom mineral products. Petroleum products arefound in plastics; many metals contain iron ores.Bring the lists to school and try to determine,using the maps and other resources, where itmight have been mined. Discuss with studentstheir dependence upon mineral resources-especially petroleum.
7. Conclude "Home of Mine, State ofMine" by having students produce a productposter that shows uses for minerals found intheir daily lives. They should use facts discov-ered in their combined reports on commonhousehold uses and the uses provided in the"State Mineral List." Each poster should containa minimum of ten mined resources. Each itemshould be identified either in the poster orlabeled and identified below it. An example ofa. poster is a person on rollerblades wearing allof the appropriate safety equipment. Studentsneed to identify the raw resource, i.e. petroleumand steel. Posters can be constructed as collagesfrom drawings found in magazines; from free-hand drawings using markers, paints, pencils,and/or crayons; or from multimedia assemblies.
8. What would happen if the states thatproduce copper no longer produced copper?Consider the products made from copper andconsider the economy of the state. Discuss howeach state benefits from the money earned from
the sale of the copper.
ASSESSMENT:Ask students to:
1. Identify two minerals from two states.
2. List ten items found in the classroomand identify the resource origin.
3. Evaluate their needs for natural re-sources as they apply to their current lifestylesand report on this in two to three paragraphs.
EXTENSIONS:1. If the same minerals are found in very
different locations around the United States,what predictions can you make about climateconditions when the mineral was forming?(Possible answers can involve geologic historyand climatic changes over time.) Is there arelationship?
2. Have students imagine a world withoutmetals. Look around the room, compareeveryone's mineral lists from home and class-room activities, and determine non-metal, non-mineral substitutes that would allow us to main-tain our current lifestyles. (Would you be ableto make these changes in our lives? Try to makethese changes for a day in the classroom.) Re-member that even pencils and papers come incontact with mined resources.
3. People all over the country work inmining and in the manufacturing processes thatchange raw resources into consumer items.Have students interview family members (uncles,aunts, grandparents, cousins, etc.) and friends tofind out who works where and what they do.The United States economy is very dependentupon mining and manufacturing. Without them,we couldn't have restaurants, doctors, clothingstores, or anything as we currently know it.Encourage students to share interview findingsin class. What would happen if these jobsdisappeared? What would happen if the miner-als disappeared or were no longer available?Why might they no longer be available? Whatcould happen? (There are no wrong answers.)Extend this idea to shopping at Christmas, buy-ing school supplies, and into all levels of theeconomy. Have students invite some of theirrelatives/friends in to talk to the class about their
76 HOME OF MINE STATE OF MINE 67
jobs. Invite a geologist from a local college,university, or state geology office to talk aboutthe mining industry.
4. "Mining for Words" contains many ofthe minerals found in the "State Minerals List."This is a vocabulary enrichment activity that canbe completed when students finish their reports.
RESOURCES: Major Minerals and EnergyOccurrences United States by Mineral Informa-tion Institute, Inc., Denver, Colorado.
Below are some state resources. Contactyour state government for similar materials inyour own state if your state isn't listed here.
State Mineral Summaries from U.S. Bureauof Mines State Mineral Officer, Regional Offices:
(CO) Building 20, Denver Federal Center,Denver, CO 80225
(AK) P.O. Box 550 Mayflower Island,Juneau, AK 99802
(ID, MT, OR, WA, WY) East 360 ThirdAvenue, Spokane, WA 99202
(AZ, NM, UT) 210 E. 7th Street, Tucson, AZ85705
STATE GEOLOGISTS:
Alaska: Director and State Geologist, AlaskaState Geological Survey, Division of Geologyand Geophysical Surveys, 794 University AvenueSuite 200, Fairbanks, AK 99709-3645, (907) 474-7147
Arizona: Arizona Geological Survey, 845North Park Avenue #100, Tucson, AZ 857719-4816, (602) 882-4795
California: Department of Conservation,Division of Mines and Geology, 801 K StreetMail Stop 14-33, Sacramento, CA 95814-3534,(916) 323-5336
Hawaii: Hawaii Geological Survey, Divisionof Water and Land Development, P.O. Box 373,Honolulu, HI 96809, (808) 587-0230
Idaho: Director and State Geologist, Uni-versity of Idaho, Morrill Hall, Room 332, Mos-cow, ID 83843, (208) 885-7991
Montana: Montana Bureau of Mines, Mon-tana College of Mineral Science and Technology,West Park Street, Main Hall, Butte, MT 59701,(406) 496-4180
Nevada: University of Nevada-Reno, MailStop 178, Reno, NV 89557-0088, (702) 784-6691
New Mexico: New Mexico Institute ofMining & Technology, Campus Station, Socorro,NM 87801, (505) 835-5420
North Dakota: North Dakota GeologicalSurvey, 600 East Boulevard, Bismarck, ND58505-0840, (701) 224-4109
Oregon: Dept. of Geology and MineralIndustries, 800 NE Oregon Street, #28, Suite 965Portland, OR 97232, (503) 731-4100
South Dakota: South Dakota GeologicalSurvey, USD, Department of Water & NaturalResources, Science Center, Vermillion, SD57069-2390, (605) 677-5227
Utah: Utah Department of Natural Re-sources, 2363 South Foothill Drive, Salt LakeCity, UT 84109-1491, (801) 467-7970
Washington: Washington Department ofNatural Resources, Geology/Earth Resources,Washington Dept. of Natural Resources, MailStop PY-12, Olympia, WA 98504, (206) 459-6372
Wyoming: Geological Survey of Wyoming,P.O.Box 3008, University Station, Laramie, WY82071-3008, (307) 766-2286
77
STATE MINERALS LISTNumber/State Mineral Resource* Consumer Use**
1. Alabamasaltiron ore
soapiron pipes
2. Alaskagoldpetroleum
dental fillingstelephones
3. Arizonacoppersilver
electric wireradios
4. Arkansasdiamondsaluminum/bauxite
jewelrycooking foil
5. Californiaasbestostungsten
roofing materiallight bulbs
6. Coloradogypsumcopper
wallboardsplumbing pipes
7. Connecticut'claygravel
glossy papersidewalks
8. Delawarecalciummagnesium
fertilizerlightweight metal alloys
9. Floridagraveltitanium
cementrocket engines
10. Georgiairon oretalc
highrise buildingsbaby powder
11. Hawaiiclayvolcanic ash
cat litterglass
12. Idahocobaltgold
jet enginesjewelry
13. Illinoiscoallead
electricitytelevision tubes
14. Indianagypsumlimestone
plasterbuildings
15. Iowacoalgypsum
electricitycement
16. Kansasleadsalt
batteriesfood seasoning
17. Kentuckyfluorsparpetroleum
toothpastetoys
18. Louisianasaltsulfur
food seasoningfabric dyes
19. Maineclaymica
paper coatingroofing
20. Marylandlimestonenatural gas
caulkingcooking
21. Massachusettsgranitelimestone
buildingssidewalks
22. Michigancopperpeat
panshouseplants
23. Minnesotamanganeseiron ore
panstractors
24. Mississippiclayiron ore
dishesairplanes
78 HOME OF MINE STATE OF MINE 69
25. Missouribaritezinc
pertoleummedicine
26. Montanasilverpetroleum
wiredishes
27. Nebraskaclaynatural gas
cat littercooking
28. Nevadalithiummercury
rocketsthermometers
29. New Hampshireberylmica
jewelryglass
30. New Jerseytitaniumzinc
jet enginesfuses
31. New Mexicomolybdenumvanadium
kitchen toolsX-rays
32. New Yorkslatetalc
chalkboardsglass bowls
33. North Carolinaasbestoslithium
oven mittsbatteries
34. North Dakotalignitesalt
electricityice cream
35. Ohiosaltsandstone
cheesesidewalks
36. Oklahomalimestonepetroleum
roofinggrocery bags
37. Oregonmercuryuranium
mirrorssubmarines
38. Pennsylvaniairon orecoal
school busestrains
39. Rhode Islandsandgravel
cementroads
40. South Carolinaclaymica
statuesoven door windows
41. South Dakotauraniumvanadium
energyfabric dyes
42. Tennesseemarblecopper
counter tops-electric cables
43. Texasasphaltpetroleum
drivewayscassettes
44. Utahsaltvanadium
preserving foodrockets
45. Vermontasbestosmarble
insulationfudge boards
46. Virginiacoalsoapstone
electricityinsecticide
47. Washingtonleadtungsten
batterieslight bulbs
48. West Virginiacoalsalt
electricityice cream
49. Wisconsiniron orezinc
food canscar engines
150. `itvyo rtl i ngdiamondsphosphate
stereos.c.......:1:lel linzer
I
70 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS 9
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seen a majestic bighorn sheep?They live in the Rocky Mountains,right? Well, not all species ofbighorn sheep do. One species ofbighorn is called the desert bighornsheep. They live in theCanyonlands of Utah and thedeserts of Arizona and NewMexico, and some parts of Califor-nia. This activity focuses specifi-cally on the desert bighorn of Utah.
The landscape of thecanyonlands consists of sheer cliffs,broad benches, and deep, dissectedcanyons. The climate. is normallyhot and dry. There is little precipi-tation (between 20 and 25 cm/year). The vegetation varies fromsteep slopes with little vegetation,to sparse shrubland, to semi-desertgrassland, to juniper-pinon wood-land, and thickets along the rivers.
Desert bighorns are verysensitive to changes in the environ-ment; therefore, they are oftenreferred to as an "indicator species"
82
or an "umbrella species." Ahealthy, thriving herd of bighornsis indicative of a healthy, thrivingecosystem. An unhealthy herd ofbighorns tells us that the ecosystemis overused or impacted to thepoint of not being able to supportthe wildlife that reside there.Recent on-going studies by biolo-gists (see Resources) indicate thatfor a herd of bighorns to survivelong term, there must be a mini-mum of 100 animals in the herd.
Bighorns are generally amedium gray-brown with white onthe rump, backs of legs, andmuzzle. This coloring allows themto blend in with the rocky land-scape that surrounds their habitat.Desert bighorn depend primarilyon their sense of sight to detectdanger. They have good hearing.Their sense of smell is used todistinguish between foods, detectenemies, and identify their young.
Desert bighorns need food,water, escape terrain, and space.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHECK UP 73
They graze on several different grasses, such asrice grass, as a primary food source. They tendto browse quite often on brush and plants withwoody stems, especially blackbrush. They alsofeed on a few forbs, which are green leafyplants other than grasses. Water must be avail-able at all times to maintain a healthy herd.Some sources of water are streams, waterholes,tanks (eroded depressions in the rock that watercollects in), dew, springs, and water found infood. Water is the greatest limiting factor fordesert bighorn. They prefer open space aroundtheir drinking holes so they can see anythingthat is approaching. They also will not venturemore than a few hundred meters from therough, rocky, broken terrain (their preferredescape terrain) to get water.
Escape terrain is used by bighorns to getaway from predators since few animals are ableto move as quickly as bighorns through suchrugged terrain. Predators of bighorns are eagles(which primarily feed on lambs), gray foxes,coyotes (the most common predator), bobcats,and mountain lions. Predation is not a bigproblem to bighorn survival due to the ruggedterrain they inhabit and the variety of wildlifethat these predators prey upon.
As already mentioned, the desert bighornprefer rough terrain, such as cut up washes orother open areas. Caves and the shelter of treesare used during poor weather and to escapeaircraft and eagles. Bighorns do not run longdistances, but escape their enemies by climbingand hiding in the rugged terrain of their habitat.
Desert bighorns are not as thick-bodied asnorthern bighorn sheep. Adult desert bighornsare 30 to 39 inches tall at the shoulders. Malesare normally larger than females. An adult male,called a ram, averages 160 to 200 pounds ormore in early summer. Rams have a thick,blocky appearance. They have thick necks andlarge curled horns that measure 30 to 40 inchesalong the outside of the curl.
An adult female bighorn, called a ewe,averages 105 pounds. Ewes are more slenderthan males; they have especially slender necks.Ewes have small horns measuring 10 to 13inches long. They have their first lambs at aboutage three. They have one or two lambs.74 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
Lambs are born in the spring and gainweight quickly. By two to three months of agethey have sleek, well proportioned bodies. Atsix months of age they are weaned from theirmothers; that is, they no longer depend on theirmothers for milk.
Lambs are usually born in rough terrainwith caves or overhanging rocks for protectionfrom predators and weather. Nighttime beddinggrounds are often near the top of a ridge or longspur from which much territory can be seen.Locations like this allow for a quick escape overthe ridge or down the mountain.
Cold, cloudy, wet springs influence thehealth of the lambs by restricting the amount ofsunshine and vitamins they need to remainhealthy. Warm sunny springs bring them downonto open slopes sooner for feeding. The herd'shealth is usually good; however, these areasprovide less cover for young lambs and preda-tion on lambs is more possible.
Desert bighorns have a "nursery system" soewes can travel into more open areas to feed onthe succulent spring foods. Two ewes remainwith all of the lambs along the edge of roughterrain so they can escape danger more quickly.The lambs are very obedient to the two ewes incharge. The other ewes return to the lambs onoccasion to nurse and exchange places with oneof the nursery ewes. As lambs become olderand larger, they begin to eat more solid foodsand will follow along with their mothers. Thenthe nursery ends for that year.
The cause of bighorn mortality is verydifficult to determine in 90% of animals found.Possible causes may be attributed to diseasecaused by bacteria and viruses, parasites, acci-dents (such as falling, fighting, being hit by cars,or being trapped in tanks or water holes), tu-mors, mineral and dietary deficiencies, poison-ous plants, and extreme climatic conditions.
Desert bighorns must compete with bothwild and domestic animals for their needs.Bighorns compete with mule deer for water.They occasionally compete with wild burros forfood and water. Desert bighorns also competefor water to some degree with birds and bees.Javelina, jack rahhits, and rodents are other
83
competitors for food and water in some areas.Domestic livestock (cattle, horses, burrow,sheep) are significant competitors with bighornfor food and water. Domestic sheep havecreated the most severe competition for bighornsas they have similar feeding habits and carryparasites and diseases detrimental to bighorn.
Harassment by other bighorn, other largeanimals, or people can cause individual bighornto become run down physically, perhaps froman improper diet due to nervous tension. Evenhikers and photographers trying to get closeenough for a good look can upset desert big-horn. Bighorn seem to be little disturbed bypeople passing at a distance whether they arewalking, driving a car, or riding in a motor boat.They are panicked into a frenzy by low-flyinghelicopters used to count them. Some bighornstrains are very nervous and others are verycalm.
Human impact is most noticeable on theperiphery of bighorn escape terrain. Permanentdevelopments are sometimes built on bighorngrazing areas or key lambing areas and will, as aresult, cause the bighorn to move away. Manyof the scarce water sources of the desert bighornare completely taken over by people. They areused for irrigation, recreation, and mining.Sometimes, however, humans improve thebighorn habitat with attempts to improve forageconditions and access to water holes.
Bighorns most commonly use establishedpathways that are dictated by the topography ofthe land. Unfortunately roadways, fences, andcanals built by people tend to cross bighorntravel routes. This limits their movement fromfeeding grounds to water, from water to beddinggrounds, from winter feed to spring feed, fromsummer feed to fall feed and back again. Re-straining the movement of bighorn sheep alsocreates bottlenecks so herds become isolatedfrom other herds and inbreeding occurs. Thiscondition weakens the immunity and health ofthe herd, creating a serious concern for thelongevity of the herd.
Much bighorn habitat is presently under theprotection and management of the United StatesFish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service,many state parks, and the Bureau of Land Man-
agement. New regulations for land use of big-horn range are being implemented so that therewill be less impact on these animals.
PROCEDURE:PRE ACTIVITY ::
1. Read Overview information thoroughly.It is essential to your understanding of thisactivity. You may want to photocopy it forstudents.
2. Photocopy at least 100 "Life Cards" onyellow paper. Make ten copies of the "FoodCards" on green paper, ten copies of the "SpaceCards" on white paper, ten copies of the "EscapeTerrain Cards" on brown paper, and ten copiesof the "Water Cards" on blue paper.
3. Using a playing field or gymnasium, setup a playing field as shown in the illustration.Use a rope or line to indicate the boundaries ofthe field. Within the playing field mark fourareas with a rope or hula hoop.
4. Place "Food Cards" in one, "EscapeTerrain Cards" in another, "Water Cards" inanother, and "Space Cards" in the last markedarea.
ACTIVITY:
1. Give each student six "Life Cards."Each "Life Card" represents a live sheep. Dis-tribute at least 100 "Life Cards" among the stu-dents the first time this game is played.
2. Choose two students to be a predatorand a poacher. Since predators and poachersare not serious threats, these two people mayonly walk to tag the other students as they movebetween the card areas.
3. Students are safe as long as they are ina card area or beyond the lines that mark theboundaries at each end of the playing field.
4. Each student who is tagged must giveone "Life Card" to the person who tagged them.
5. The students are to move to each cardarea, collecting one card at each area. Some-times their cards have death or birth situations.
6. Upon arrival at the ending boundaries,
84 ENVIRONMENTAL CHECK UP 75
they must pay the teacher a "Life Card" for eachdeath card they are holding (ask a few studentsto help collect these to speed the process if youlike). Students collect "Life Cards" if they areholding birth cards.
7. Count the total number of "Life Cards"that students are still holding. Remember thegoal is to keep herds over one hundred.
8. Repeat the procedure three more timeswithout restoring "Life Cards "' to those who lostthem. Move in the outer boundaries by two tothree feet each round to represent a narrowinghabitat.
9. Now, replay the game, this time cuttingthe number of "Life Cards" to three for eachstudent. Play four rounds again and record theresults. Compare the results of the two sizes ofherds after playing four rounds with differentbeginning amounts of "Life Cards." Ask studentsif there were any apparent advantages to havinga larger herd. Why do they see them as advan-tages or disadvantages?
10. Ask students to describe some of thecards they drew from the food, water, space,and escape terrain areas. Review vocabularywords that aren't familiar. How did it feel whenthey drew some of the death situations?
11. Ask students to explain why they thinkbighorn sheep are an indicator species. Havethem give examples of bighorns sensitivity totheir environment.
12. What were some of the controllingconditions (also called limiting factors) thatdetermine whether a sheep lived or died? Whatare some ways humans can help improve big-horn ecosystems?
13. Have students name wild animals thatwould also benefit from an improved desertbighorn ecosystem.
ASSESSMENT:1. Have students draw or describe an
ideal desert bighorn sheep habitat. Be sure theyexplain why they included the things they did.How did they provide for the needs of thedesert L16111111 cz-7 WAhmt ri rae that76 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
domestic livestock could alter the ideal desertbighorn sheep habitat students have drawn?
2. Have students give the definition of"indicator species" and describe what qualitiesthe desert bighorn sheep have that make them agood indicator species.
EXTENSIONS:1. Have students make a clay or salt
dough model of the ideal bighorn habitat.
2. Invite a local wildlife officer to talk tothe class about other indicator species, perhapsone from your area. Is there something that canbe done to help an indicator species in yourarea?
3. Challenge students to report on differ-ent indicator species. Ask your local wildlifeofficer for ideas.
4. Have students find the UtahCanyonlands on a map. Research what the areais like and what other animals live there. Findout what human involvement is in this area i.e.recreation, ranching, industry, etc.
RESOURCES:An Analysis of Composition, Distribution,
and Habitat Use of Reintroduced Desert BighornSheep in Arches National Park, Utah, Shirlene C.Haas and Gar W. Workman, 1990.
The Desert Bighorn: Its Life History, Ecology,and Management, Gale Monson and LowellSumner, editor, The University of Arizona Press,Tucson, Arizona, 1980.
Bighorn Sheep in the Rocky MountainRegion: Reports of Five Scientific Advisory Com-mittees to the National Park Service (DRAM,1991.
85
FOOD CARDS:r
GOOD GRASS!GOOD FORAGING! YOU'RE FAT!
r GOOD GRAZING MAKES YOUOOPS! POISON WEED! YOU'RE HEALTHY.
DEAD.
SPRING FORAGING IS GREAT!
BROWSING ON BLACKBRUSH ISGOOD.
r
-I I-COMPETITION WITH CATTLE AND
BURROS DEPLETES YOUR FOOD SUP-PLY. YOU DIE.
-I I-GOOD GRASS!
1 F OOPS! POISON WEED! YOU'REHABITAT IMPROVEMENTS MAKE DEAD.
MORE FOOD AVAILABLE.
DROUGHT MAKES FOOD SCARCE.YOU ARE DEAD.
SPRING FORAGING IS GREAT!
-I I'NOT ENOUGH GOOD FOOD BROWSING ON BLACKBRUSH IS
MAKES YOU MINERAL DEFICIENT. YOU GOOD.DIE.
FA MOIST YEAR HAS GROWN GOOD
RICE GRASS.
I-
DOMESTIC SHEEP HAVE OVER-GRAZED YOUR AREA. YOU DIE.
*HABITAT IMPROVEMENTS MAKE
MORE FOOD AVAILABLE.
DROUGHT MAKES FOOD SCARCE.YOU ARE DEAD.
UI
.1
r r "11
EARLY SPRING BRINGS EARLY NOT ENOUGH GOOD FOODGRASS! YUM! MAKES YOU MINERAL DEFICIENT.
.1YOU DIE.
16 mfflowErrre Elms'?
FOOD CARDS:
A MOIST YEAR HAS GROWN GOODRICE GRASS.
rDOMESTIC SHEEP HAVE OVER-
GRAZED YOUR AREA. YOU DIE.
EARLY SPRING BRINGS EARLYGRASS! YUM!
GOOD FORAGING! YOU'RE FAT!
GOOD GRAZING MAKES YOUHEALTHY.
COMPETITION WITH CATTLE ANDBURROS DEPLETES YOUR FOOD SUPPLY.YOU DIE.
WATER CARDS:
TRAFFIC NOISE FROM HIGHWAYSCARES YOU FROM YOUR ONLY WATER-ING HOLE. YOU DIE.
RIVER RAFTERS SPOOK YOU FROMCOMING DOWN TO THE RIVER FORWATER. TOO MANY DAYS PASS. YOUDIE.r 1
IT IS A WET YEAR AND THERE ARELOTS OF WATER HOLES.
a
78 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
WATER CARDS:r
DOMESTIC LIVESTOCK IS NOT AL-I LOWED IN YOUR RANGE. MORE WA-
TER AND LESS COMPETITION!
rCOMPETITION WITH MULE DEER
1 FOR YOUR ONLY WATER HOLE LEAVESI YOU DEHYDRATED. YOU DIE.
COMPETITION WITH CATTLE FORI YOUR WATERING HOLE IS TOO MUCH
FOR YOU. YOU DIE OF DEHYDRATIONTHIS HOT, DRY CLIMATE.
FENCES BUILT ACROSS TRAVELROUTES KEEP YOU FROM GETTING TOWATER HOLES YOU HAVE ALWAYSUSED. YOU DIE.
I.A DROUGHT YEAR CAUSED THE
TANK YOU DRINK FROM TO BECOMELOW AND DANGEROUS TO DRINK FR-OM WITH ITS STEEP SIDES. YOU FALLIN AND CANNOT GET OUT. YOU DIE.
WILDLIFE OFFICERS CUT A RAMPDOWN TO A DEEP DRINKING HOLEMAKING IT SAFE TO DRINK FROM.
WILDLIFE OFFICERS CARVE INDEN-TIONS INTO THE ROCK TO MAKE MOREWATER COLLECTING HOLES.
A SMALL DAM IS BUILT TO PRO-VIDE STORAGE OF WATER FOR WILD-LIFE.
rFENCES ARE BUILT AROUND THE
PERIMETER OF YOUR RANGE TO KEEPDOMESTIC LIVESTOCK OUT.
5
ESCAPE TERRAIN CARDS:
COMPETITION FOR SPACE WITHDOMESTIC LIVESTOCK STRESSES YOUOUT. YOU ARE NOT EATING PROPERLY.YOU BECOME ILL AND DIE.
I- DOMESTIC SHEEP MOVE INTOYOUR AREA. YOU ARE EXPOSED TO ADISEASE THEY ARE INFECTED WITH.YOU HAVE NO IMMUNITY, AND DIE.
NEW LAWS PROHIBIT DOMESTICLIVESTOCK FROM GRAZING ON YOURRANGE.
I
4THE OPENING OF NEW TRAILS
B RINGS MORE HIKERS THAN EVERINTO YOUR ECOSYSTEM. THEY ARETOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT. YOU BE-COME STRESSED, ILL, AND DIE.
NEW LANDS ARE SET ASIDE FORB IGHORN HABITAT.
A NEW WILD BURRO PROGRAMCAPTURES MOST OF THE BURROS IN-HABITING YOUR RANGE. THIS MEANSLESS COMPETITION.
NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENTSCONTINUE CREEPING INTO THE OUTERPERIMETERS OF YOUR RANGE. YOUARE STRESSED AND DIE.
r NEW ROADS AND INCREASED 1TRAFFIC BLOCK SPACE AND BRINGMORE STRESS TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT.THE HERD BOTTLENECKS AND IN-B REEDS. YOU DO NOT EAT WELL, BE-COME SICK, AND DIE.r
PEOPLE ARE BECOMING MOREAWARE OF BIGHORN NEEDS. THEY AREIMPROVING YOUR HABITAT.
ESCAPE TERRAIN CARDS:rI CATTLE ARE NO LONGER ALLOWEDI TO GRAZE IN YOUR RANGE...LESSI COMPETITION FOR FOOD.
III'I A CHOICE TO NOT USE HELICOP-I TERS TO DO COUNTS ON BIGHORN IS
A DEFINITE IMPROVEMENT ON YOURI STRESS LEVEL.L. -111 A YEAR OF HIGH PRECIPITATIONI ALLOWS WILDLIFE TO SPREAD OUTI AND NOT HAVE TO COMPETE FOR JUSTI A FEW WATER HOLES.I.
SPACE CARDS:
COMPETITION FOR SPACE WITHDOMESTIC LIVESTOCK STRESSES YOUOUT. YOU ARE NOT EATING PROPERLY.YOU BECOME ILL AND DIE.
rDOMESTIC SHEEP MOVE INTO
YOUR AREA. YOU ARE EXPOSED TO ADISEASE THEY ARE INFECTED WITH.YOU HAVE NO IMMUNITY, AND DIE.
NEW LAWS PROHIBIT DOMESTICLIVESTOCK FROM GRAZING ON YOURRANGE.
r THE OPENING OF NEW TRAILSBRINGS MORE HIKERS THAN EVERINTO YOUR ECOSYSTEM. THEY ARETOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT. YOU BE-
FCOME STRESSED, ILL, AND DIE.
NEW LANDS ARE SET ASIDE FORBIGHORN HABITAT.
Ir1 A NEW WILD BURRO1 CAPTURES MOST OF THE
HABITING YOUR RANGE.I LESS COMPETITION.
88
PROGRAMBURROS IN-
THIS MEANS
1
1
Un
ENVIRONMENTAL CHECK UP 79
SPACE CARDS:rI NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS 1I CONTINUE CREEPING INTO THE OUTER II PERIMETERS OF YOUR RANGE. YOU ILARE STRESSED AND DIE.F NEW ROADS AND INCREASED
TRAFFIC BLOCK SPACE AND BRINGMORE STRESS TO YOUR ENVIRON-MENT. THE HERD BOTTLENECKS ANDINBREEDS. YOU DO NOT EAT WELL,BECOME SICK, AND DIE.
PEOPLE ARE BECOMING MOREAWARE OF BIGHORN NEEDS. THEYARE IMPROVING YOUR HABITAT.
rCATTLE ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED
TO GRAZE IN YOUR RANGE...LESSCOMPETITION FOR FOOD.
I- -1
A CHOICE TO NOT USE HELICOP-TERS TO DO COUNTS ON BIGHORN ISA DEFINITE IMPROVEMENT ON YOURSTRESS LEVEL.r -i
A YEAR OF HIGH PRECIPITATIONALLOWS WILDLIFE TO SPREAD OUTAND NOT HAVE TO COMPETE FORJUST A FEW WATER HOLES.
aESCAPE TERRAIN CARDS:
rA HELICOPTER COUNTING BIG-
HORN SHEEP COMES TOO CLOSE. INYOUR PANIC TO ESCAPE, YOU LOSEYOUR FOOTING AND FALL INTO ARAVINE. YOU ARE DEAD.
I.
YOU HAVE GIVEN BIRTH TO A SETOF TWINS AND HAVE SAFE BEDDINGGROUNDS. COLLECT TWO LIFE CARDS.
YOU HAVE GIVEN BIRTH TO ASINGLE LAMB. COLLECT ONE LIFECARD.
"1
80 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
ii
ESCAPE TERRAIN CARDS:
r YOU ARE THE PROUD PARENT OF 1
I TWIN LAMBS. COLLECT TWO LIFEI CARDS.
rI YOU WERE NOT CLOSE ENOUGH
TO YOUR ESCAPE TERRAIN WHEN AI HUNTER SNUCK UP ON YOU. YOU DIE.
AS A LAMB, YOU DO NOT MAKE ITTO THE CLIFF OVERHANG IN TIME TOAVOID THE DEATH CLUTCH OF THEEAGLE. YOU DIE.
rA SEVERE STORM HITS. YOU RUN
INTO A CAVE AND ARE UNHARMED.
AN EAGLE DIVES FOR YOU, BUTYOU QUICKLY DUCK UNDER A CLIFFOVERHANG AND ESCAPE IT.
YOU SLIP ON THE ICY ROCK ANDBREAK YOUR LEG. YOU LIMP TO AWASH, BUT ARE UNABLE TO GET AD-EQUATE FOOD AND STARVE TO DEATH.
r -1
YOU EASILY OUT-MANEUVER ACOYOTE IN THE ROCKY TERRAIN.
FROM YOUR VANTAGE POINT ONTHE ROCKY RIDGES AND BENCHES YOUEASILY SPOT HUNTERS AND QUICKLYESCAPE OVER THE RIDGE.
r 1DOMESTIC LIVESTOCK PREFER
THE LOWER, MORE OPEN, LESS ROCKYAREAS; YOU HAVE ABUNDANT SPACE.
onc)
ESCAPE TERRAIN CARDS:
A HELICOPTER COUNTING BIG-HORN SHEEP COMES TOO CLOSE. INYOUR PANIC TO ESCAPE, YOU LOSEYOUR FOOTING AND FALL INTO ARAVINE. YOU ARE DEAD.Ir
YOU HAVE GIVEN BIRTH TO A SETOF TWINS AND HAVE SAFE BEDDINGGROUNDS. COLLECT TWO LIFE CARDS.
YOU HAVE GIVEN BIRTH TO ASINGLE LAMB. COLLECT ONE LIFECARD.
r
rESCAPE TERRAIN CARDS:
IYOU ARE THE PROUD PARENT OF
TWIN LAMBS. COLLECT TWO LIFECARDS.
L.
YOU EASILY OUT MANEUVER ACOYOTE IN THE ROCKY TERRAIN.
FROM YOUR VANTAGE POINT ONITHE ROCKY RIDGES AND BENCHES,YOU EASILY SPOT HUNTERS ANDQUICKLY ESCAPE OVER THE RIDGE.
DOMESTIC LIVESTOCK PREFER THELOWER, MORE OPEN, LESS ROCKYAREAS; YOU HAVE ABUNDANT SPACE.
a
LIFE CARDS:
1.
-rLIFE 1 LIFE
LIFE LIFE
I- -I -I
LIFE 1 LIFE
I
YOU WERE NOT CLOSE ENOUGHTO YOUR ESCAPE TERRAIN WHEN AHUNTER SNUCK UP ON YOU. YOU DIE.
AS A LAMB, YOU DO NOT MAKE ITTO THE CLIFF OVERHANG IN TIME TOAVOID THE DEATH CLUTCH OF THEEAGLE. YOU DIE.
FA SEVERE STORM HITS. YOU RUN
INTO A CAVE AND ARE UNHARMED.
AN EAGLE DIVES FOR YOU, BUTYOU QUICKLY DUCK UNDER A CLIFFOVERHANG AND ESCAPE IT.
r YOU SLIP ON THE ICY ROCK AND 1BREAK YOUR LEG. YOU LIMP TO AWASH, BUT UNABLE TO GET ADEQUATEFOOD AND STARVE TO DEATH.
A
UI
LIFE LIFE
LIFE LIFE
-1
I.
LIFE
90
LIFE
ENVIRONMENTAL CHECK UP 81
LEVEL: Grades 4-8
SUBJECTS: Science, Environ-
mental Education, Physical Edu-
cation, Geography, History.
PROCESS: Through a highly
active simulation game, students
discover how loss of habitat and
nesting parasitism affect neo-
tropical migrating songbirds.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Describe four impacts of de-
forestation on neotropical song-
birds.2. Describe three ways that
cowbirds negatively affect mig-
ratory songbirds.
TIMEFRAME 30 to 45 minutes.
SKILLS: Analyzing, describing,
developing psychomotor skills,
developing vocabulary, discuss-
ing, evaluating, kinesthetic learn-
ing, problem solving, understand-
ing cause and effect.
MATERIALS: String, rope or hula
hoops to mark breeding and win-tering grounds, traffic cones, pap-
er and pencil to keep track of pop-
ulation changes, "Northern Con-
ditions° and "Southern Condi-
tions° cards (attached).
VOCABULARY: Corridors, edge
effect, forest fragmentation, neo-
tropical, nesting, nest parasitism,
parasitic, riparian.
Feint PLAYOVERVIEW: There are over
200 species of birds known asneotropical migratory birds. Theseare birds that spend each summerin the United States or Canada andfly south of the Tropic of Cancereach fall to spend the winter. Theyfind their way from breedinggrounds in North America to win-tering grounds in Mexico, theCaribbean, and Central and SouthAmerica each year. It is not un-usual for them to fly 600 miles eachway. The blackpoll warbler flies2500 miles from southern Maine tonorthern Venezuela without water,food, or rest.
Recent studies indicate thatthere has been a sizable decreaseof neotropical migrants in much ofeastern United States. Not enoughdata has been collected on westernneotropical migrants to determinetheir population status and trend inspecies. Eastern flyways (migrationroutes) move along the easterncoast of North America to north-eastern lands of South America.
91
Western flyways extend fromnorthwestern North America andtravel through Texas, CentralAmerica, and on to northwesternlands of South America.
It is difficult to pinpoint causesfor the decline of some neotropicalmigratory songbirds. Loss ofriparian areas, or areas alongstreams, is thought to be a majorfactor in the decline of neotropicalmigrants. Riparian areas coveronly 3% or less of all the land inthe western United States, and areused by at least 80% of all birds asbreeding habitat or migrationstopover areas. Loss and fragmen-tation of breeding habitat in NorthAmerica is due to suburban sprawland habitat loss to reservoirs,stream channelization, highways,power lines, housing, and commer-cial development.
Destruction of Latin Americanforests, where many species win-ter, contributes to the decline ofsome species. Pesticides, such as
FOWL PLAY 83
DDT, now illegal in the United States, are stillused freely in the countries where neotropicalsongbirds winter. Consequently, manyneotropical songbirds are lost in their winternesting grounds due to poisoning by pesticides.Even though we do not use DDT in the UnitedStates, we still produce it and sell it for use inCentral America and South America.
Some migratory songbirds prefer to nest inforest interiors as far from roads as possible.These areas are safer from predators that enteralong edges and corridors (a tract of landthrough which species travel to reach habitatsuitable for reproduction and other life sustain-ing needs). Forest fragmentation (breaking upof larger tracts) due to land clearing, conversionof forest to farmland and suburbs, and loggingleaves nesting songbirds more vulnerable topredatory grackles, raccoons, snakes, and housecats. As predation increases, fewer nests aresuccessful, fewer young birds return the nextspring to replace adults lost to natural mortality,and the songbird populations decline.
Nest parasitism by cowbirds is a significantthreat to songbird survival. Nest parasitism iswhen a bird lays an egg in another bird's nest,leaving the host bird to hatch its egg and raiseits young. This is a natural way for cowbirds toreproduce.
Native cowbirds in the western UnitedStates, Brown-headed Cowbirds, were oncecalled buffalo birds because they followed theendless herds of bison as the bison movedacross prairies and plains. They traveled withthe large herds, feeding on insects stirred bythousands of hoofs and undigested seeds inpiles of manure. Later, as huge herds of cattlemoved west, the cowbirds extended their rangewest from the Great Plains across the UnitedStates. This change in range and land use allowed cowbirds a greater food supply and moreaccess to songbirds' nests.
The female cowbirds would leave their eggsin any unattended nests that were handy and"hit the trail," leaving the unsuspecting owner ofthe nest to raise their young.
As the west was settled and the forests,grasslands, and marshes were replaced with84 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
farms, pastures, and ranches, the cowbirds toosettled into a new habitat. They no longerfollowed the buffalo migrations or long cattledrives. They became more permanent residentsas cattle were pastured in fenced-in areas.
As they expanded their range, cowbirdsinvaded the breeding grounds of many song-birds that had no natural defense toward theparasitic tendencies of the cowbird. Somespecies of birds recognize and reject cowbirdeggs, but many species are unable to distinguisha cowbird egg from their own eggs. Songbirdsthat are able to recognize a cowbird egg willeither build another layer of nest over it, com-pletely abandon their nest, or chuck the cowbirdegg out of their nest. The problem with thesedefense mechanisms is that adults may not haveenough time to renest and still have time to puton a sufficient fat load for the migration.
Cowbirds sometimes kick a songbird eggout of the nest, or even eat it, before laying theirown egg(s) in the nest. Cowbird eggs mayhatch one day ahead of the host bird's eggs.The cowbird young are larger and will some-times kick the songbird young out of their nest.Cowbirds may grow more quickly than song-birds do. Due to their larger size, the cowbirdyoung require more food, are more aggressive,and are much noisier than the songbird young.Consequently, songbird young are unable tocompete for food.
Most songbirds lay three to five eggs a year.Some species may renest if something happensto their eggs or chicks. In contrast, cowbirdshave adapted to their constant supply of hostnests and can produce a tremendous number ofeggs each year. The average female cowbirdmay lay up to 40 eggs a year. About threepercent of cowbird eggs develop into adults.They generally lay one egg per nest.
Whether the songbirds are in their northernbreeding grounds or their southern winteringgrounds, they must still contend with dilemmasof deforestation, cowbird nest parasitism, and allof the previously discussed problems that are aresult of or that accompany these concerns.
9.2
PROCEDURE:PRE-AC77V17Y:
1. Read Overview information thoroughly.It is essential to your understanding of thisactivity.
2. Using a playing field or a gymnasium,identify one end as the Northern BreedingGrounds and the other end as the SouthernWintering Grounds.
3. Place four circles made from string orhula hoops at each end of the playing area.These represent nesting or wintering grounds.Carrying capacity, the greatest number that eachnest site can hold, for each nesting groundshould be limited to five birds.
4. Place cones down center of field, six, toseven feet across from each other, to form acorridor for the "birds" to migrate through. (Seeattached diagram.)
5. Review vocabulary words. Then iden-tify students as either "cowbirds" or "songbirds"with 'approximately one cowbird to every foursongbirds. Mark the cowbirds with an armband, vest, or whatever you have.
AMY'1. You have one set of condition cards for
the Northern Breeding Grounds and one set ofcondition cards for the Southern WinteringGrounds. Begin your first migrations. As stu-dents arrive at their breeding grounds or winter-ing grounds, read to them a card from the corre-sponding condition cards.
2. Each time the students migrate throughthe corridor, move the cones closer together byfour to five inches to indicate the gradual loss ofhabitat along their migration route.
3. Look ahead in the condition cards.You will want to remove or add nesting circlesfrom the breeding grounds or wintering groundsas the students leave and before their return.
4. As condition cards are read, the num-ber of songbirds and cowbirds changes withmortality due to loss of habitat, cowbird parasit-ism, and many other factors. Birds that are"removed" from migration stand along the side-
lines until they are recalled for new conditions.
5. Be sure to record the number of cow-birds and songbirds after each migration.
6. Option: Have a student tag cowbirdsand songbirds as they migrate through. Thisstudent represents disease, severe weather,predation, or weaknesses due to poor food ordifficult flying. Students tagged become mortali-ties until they are needed to replace birds as thecondition cards instruct.
7. Have students go through at least tenmigrations.
8. Graph the population changes for thecowbird and the songbird. Use contrastingcolors to plot cowbird populations versusneotropical migratory songbird populations.
9. Ask students to analyze the results oftheir graph. Ask:
-What happened that caused certainfluctuations in population to occur?
-Can you see any apparent patterns?
-What do you predict might happen ifthe graph were to continue for another tenor 20 migrations?
-How did it feel to be a neotropicalmigratory songbird?
-How did it feel to be a cowbird?
10. Discuss with the students the factorsthat affected the songbirds and the factors thataffected the cowbirds. Ask:
-How did the loss of habitat affect thesongbird population?
-How did the loss of habitat affect thecowbird population?
-Why did it actually seem to help thecowbirds?
-What other factors caused the songbirdpopulations to drop off?
93FOWL PLAY 85
-What solutions can you recommend forthis dilemma?
11. Have students discuss some ways inwhich people can help the neotropical migratorysongbird populations. Have them explain waysthey might help in their own community. Whatif nothing is done to change the present situa-tion? What effects might the loss of songbirdshave?
12. Chief Seattle once said "All things areconnected like the blood that unites us. We didnot weave the web of life. We are merely astrand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we doto ourselves." Ask:
-How does this statement apply to theloss of not only songbirds, but all species oflife upon this planet?
ASSESSMENT:1. Ask students to design both a suitable
habitat for neotropical migratory songbirds andan unsuitable habitat for them. They must beable to describe the qualities they have includedin each and explain why they benefit or whythey are detrimental to songbirds.
2. Have students produce a news reportabout neotropical migratory songbirds and thecowbird dilemma.
3. Have students write an obituary for thedeceased "Sarah Songbird" or "Clara Cowbird."
4. Ask students to draw a cartoon illustrat-ing the "Cowbird Dilemma."
EXTENSIONS:1. Have students chose a specific
neotropical migratory bird to research, report on,and trace its migration route. Find out about itswintering grounds, too!
2. Have students role play the "life of acowbird" in a comical, yet realistic way.
86 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
.44.4: , sr.."%.....r..*(1'
r .%;;.1
. -f 0 -AI::Vi
NORTHERN CONDITIONSGood news! Local ecologists
have taken action against cowbirdparasitism through trapping andremoving cowbirds. Songbirds havea slight increase in population. Addone songbird to each of the nestinggrounds.
NORTHERN CONDITIONSThe Least Bell's Vireo in Califor-
nia and the Black-capped Vireo inOklahoma and Texas are victims of anew species of cowbird, the BronzedCowbird. They have no defenseagainst these newcomers' nestingparasitism. Their population isdeclining rapidly. Remove onesongbird from each nesting area.
NORTHERN CONDITIONSYou survived your migration
north! But as you arrive in yournesting area, you find that the ripar-ian woodlands have been drasticallyreduced from reservoir construction.Remember, only 3% or less of all landin the western United States is madeup of riparian areas, yet they are usedby at least 80% of all birds. Removeone cowbird and two songbirds.
L.
NORTHERN CONDITIONSYour return migration is more
difficult this time. Riparian areas thatare important stopover areas for yourmigration have been heavily im-pacted by human development.Decrease your songbirds by two andcowbirds by one.
a L95
NORTHERN CONDITIONSGood news! A large area of
your lost habitat has been replaced aswetlands as part of the mitigationagreement for the construction of thereservoir. Increase your populationby two songbirds and one cowbird.Increase your nesting grounds by onecircle.
NORTHERN CONDITIONSYou return to your nesting
ground to find that several hundredacres are now open to grazing. Poormanagement has resulted in negativeimpact on the riparian nesting habi-'tat. Increase cowbirds by three andreduce songbirds by three.
NORTHERN CONDITIONSAs you return you find that
cowbirds continue to expand theirrange with the increased develop-ment of your nesting area. Cowbirdnesting parasitism is having a majorimpact on Willow Flycatchers andWestern Tanagers. Replace onesongbird in each nesting area with acowbird.
NORTHERN CONDITIONSYou find that human develop-
ment has left your nesting habitatfragmented. This increase in forestedge has resulted in greater preda-tion by Great-tailed Grackles, as wellas more threat of nest parasitism bycowbirds. Decrease songbirds byone and increase cowbirds by one.
FOWL PLAY 87
NORTHERN CONDITIONSUpon your return you find an
increase in agriculture has meant agreater use of pesticides and herbi-cides. This has had a slight impact onbird populations; there are less insectsto eat. Remove one songbird andone cowbird.
NORTHERN CONDITIONSYou finish the migration to your
northern breeding grounds and findthat a new housing development hascut roads throughout your nestinggrounds. That means predation onnests has increased. You lose onesongbird from each of the three mostsoutherly nesting grounds. (Teachermay determine which nesting groundsin the North.)
NORTHERN CONDITIONSGood news! Due to a bumper
crop of caterpillars, the Warblerpopulations are booming! Increaseyour songbird population by three.
NORTHERN CONDITIONSYou arrive safely at your breeding
grounds. Unfortunately, so have all ofyour fellow cowbirds. Add one cow-bird to each nesting ground. (Note tothe teacher: This may mean changing asongbird into a cowbird. If so, con-sider it cowbird parasitism.)
88 ECOSYSTEM M.ATTESa
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSYou arrive safely at your winter-
ing grounds to find that neotropicaldeforestation has greatly reducedyour habitat. Reduce your songbirdpopulation by two and increasecowbird population by one.
NORTHERN CONDITIONSYou return to your northern
nesting grounds to find that a log-ging company has done some clearcutting, destroying much of yourhabitat. The furthest nest area fromyour teacher is completely wipedout! Cowbirds are absorbed intoother nest sites first, due to theiradaptability, and then songbirds areabsorbed in other nest areas if theystill have not reached their carryingcapacity.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSYou arrive at your wintering
grounds. Increased agriculture hasresulted in a greater use of DDT andother harmful pesticides and insecti-cides. Decrease your songbirdpopulation by three and cowbirds bytwo.
NORTHERN CONDITIONSYour northern migration was
difficult with severe wet and coldweather. Remove two songbirdsand two cowbirds from your popu-lation in the breeding grounds.
9b L a
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSYour luck is improving. Ecolo-
gists have set aside a habitat reservefor migratory birds. Increase yoursongbirds by two and cowbirds byone.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSYou return to find that the
Central America for the RainforestAlliance, one of many groups tohelp neotropical songbirds, hassaved tropical forests in theTortuguero National Park togetherwith Barra del Colorado NationalWildlife Refuge. Increase yoursongbird population by four anddecrease your cowbird populationby two.
16 -1
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSYou return to find that increased
pasture lands in Central Americahave decreased forest habitat andadded to forest edge. The cowbirdpopulations are thriving. Increasecowbirds by one per nesting area.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSA banana farm has replaced
part of your wintering habitat. Thisincreases forest edge. Decreaseyour songbird population by oneand increase the cowbird populationby two.
a L
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSAs you return to the Caribbean
islands you find them overcrowded,due to loss of habitat on neighboringislands from hurricane damage. Thatmeans you have a lower food sup-ply. Decrease songbirds by two andcowbirds by one.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSYour wintering ground has
been partially developed by ranch-ers. Decrease your songbird popu-lation by one and increase yourcowbirds by one.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSThis is a bad winter for you.
Pesticide use in Latin and SouthAmerica results in toxins beingconcentrated in birds' fat reserves.This affects songbird and cowbirdsurvival and reproduction. Reduceboth songbird and cowbird popula-tions by two.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSGood news! A new group is
formed, the Association for theEnvironmental Well-being ofSarapiquf. These dedicated conser-vationists realize the value of theforest and its wildlife as a lure fortourists. Increase your songbirdpopulation by four and decreaseyour cowbird population by two.
FOWL PLAY 89
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSYou return this winter to learn
that numerous conservation groupshave sprung up all over LatinAmerica. They are raising money topurchase habitat for reserves. In-crease your songbird population bytwo.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSYou are relieved to find that
lost habitat has been mitigated formigratory songbirds. Increase yoursongbird population by two andcowbird population by one.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSThings are looking up! A tree
nursery in central Mexico is givinginterested residents trees for refores-tation. This is an importantneotropical migratory bird corridor.Increase your songbird populationby two and cowbird population byone.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSYou return to find that educa-
tion programs about conservation inrural communities has had a positiveimpact. Increase your songbirdpopulation by one and decreaseyour cowbird population by one.
I11.90 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
IJ
0 0(,) I
is
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSYou can celebrate! Funds from
international partnerships provideresource protection at reserves in theYucatan. Increase your songbirdpopulation by two and cowbirdpopulation by one.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSWatch out! Neotropical song-
bird trafficking is taking a toll onbird populations in one nestingarea. Decrease songbird populationin one nesting area by three.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSYou are devastated to find that
slash and burn logging in Costa Ricahas greatly reduced important habi-tat for songbirds and increased fbrestedge. Decrease your songbirdpopulation by two and increase yourcowbird population by three.
.41
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSIt has been a hard winter.
Poaching is affecting bird popula-tions in two nesting areas. Reduceeach area's songbird population bytwo.
3
J
P'
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSThings are looking up! The
Belize Audubon Society has ex-panded a reserve for Howler Mon-keys, which increased songbirdhabitat as well. Increase your song-bird population by one.
owl
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSYou are relieved to know that
landowners have formed a voluntarysystem of wildlife sanctuaries. In-crease your songbird and cowbirdpopulations by one.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSTime to celebrate! The Guate-
mala Audubon Society recentlybought nearly 1,000 hectares oftropical forest. Increase your song-bird population by two and cowbirdpopulation by one.
SOUTHERN CONDITIONSNo privacy here! Increased
tourism has been hard on songbirdpopulations. Decrease your songbirdpopulation by two.
99a
FOWL PLAY 91
NESTING AREAS000011- Start distance apart at 6 foot -*I
6"
Move all cones in at increments of 6 inches
6"<-1
6" 6"
6" 6"
6" 6"
6" 6"F-->
6" 6"
6" 6"
6" 6"
6" 6"
6" 6"
6" 6"HH0000SUMMER HOME
W E
92 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
LEVEL: Grades 4-8
SUBJECTS: Science, Social
Studies.
PROCESS: Through becoming
advocates for endangered species
of plants or animals (creating
public relations campaign? on
behalf of these species), students
observe patterns of the diversity of
species on Earth.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Identify environmental factors
that can cause species to become
endangered.
2 Research the current status of
several endangered plants or
animals.
3. Present persuasive arguments
for the protection of a particular
plant or animal species and write a
report.
TIMEFRAME: Preparation:
Several days to gather information.
Activity: Part A: 45 minutes; Part
B: 50 minutes.
SKILLS: Analyzing, creating,
researching, synthesizing.
MATERIALS: Activity. large
sheets of colored construction or
copy paper, paper and pencils for
recording and reporting, copies of
Student Pages 1-3. Variation:
brown, white, and blue paper.
VOCABULARY: Blue whale,
bobcat, endangered species,
exploit, extinction, giant armadillo,
in-cubate, primate, rare species,
sol-itary, threatened species.
LIFE ON THE EDGEOVERVIEW: Fossil records
show us that the number and typeof species that live on the Earthhave changed regularly and con-tinuously through time. Therehave been several periods of massextinction in the Earth's history. Inthese events, individuals of aspecies were not able to adapt tolarge-scale changes such as climatechange. The geological recordshows that species extinction hasbeen nearly as common as speciesorigination. It is difficult to deter-mine if the extinction rate we areobserving today is normal or a signof a global problem. While weknow change is normal, somepeople think many of the changesbrought about by humans todayare causing larger numbers ofanimals to become extinct, and at afaster rate than is healthy for theplanet.
In most places where animalsare threatened with extinction, it isbecause of habitat destruction. Ahabitat is made up of both the
101
living and non-living factors onwhich an animal depends. Habitatloss is the single greatest obstacleto helping many endangered plantsand animals recover.
Scientists are working to findout more about how much habitateach species needs to survive, howwe can restore habitats that havealready been lost, and how we canbalance human needs with theneeds of other life on the planet.Ecosystem Managers have anawesome task.
Besides direct destruction ofhabitats by humans, other threatsto plants and animals and theirhabitats include air pollution,destroyed watersheds, herbicides,pesticides, as well as exotic speciesthat are introduced and that out-compete the native species. (Defi-nitions for Endangered, Threat-ened, and Rare Species are pro-vided on Student Page 1.) A lot ofattention is focused on endangeredanimals, but we should not over-
LIFE ON THE EDGE 93
look endangered plants. Plants form the basis ofecosystems, and people directly depend onplants for food, clothing, building materials,medicine, and much more. Most of the world'splant species have not yet been identified, orstudied to determine their usefulness to humans.
The welfare of one species of plant oranimal is likely to have a direct effect on otherspecies, as well as on the functioning of theentire ecosystem. Ecosystem Managers enterdata into computers, create graphs, and basemanagement decisions on carefully weighedfactors.
Many times, just removing the problem thatthreatens an endangered species allows it torecover on its own. But sometimes the survivalof an endangered species requires more exten-sive human intervention. Today these efforts arein the form of habitat protection in parks andpreserves, habitat restoration, and zoos andbotanical gardens that nurture and breed animalsand plants to preserve genetic diversity.
PROCEDURE:PRE -ACTIVITY:
PART A:
Have students tape construction papertogether to prepare four or five large papermats, each a different color. Variation: Cut two3" X 3" (7.6cm X 7.6cm) squares out of brown,blue, and white construction paper for eachperson in the group.
PART B:
Provide a list of locally endangered, threat-ened, and rare plant and animal species fromyour state natural resource agencies, the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department ofAgriculture, the Nature Conservancy, or theNational Wildlife Federation (see Resources).Outside the United States, contact the compa-rable agencies in your country. Have studentswrite letters to obtain some-of this information.Ask your local librarian to set aside books onsome of these endangered species. Make copiesof Student Pages 1-3 for each student.
ACTIVITY:
PART A HABITAT SCRAMBLE:
1. What happens to wildlife when ahabitat is altered, either naturally or by humans?94 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
Have each student assume the identity of ananimal (bird, fish, mammal, reptile, etc.). Placelarge colored paper mats on the ground andlabel them to represent different habitatsrainforest, deciduous forest, field, pond, tundra,ocean, and so on.
2. According to their animal identities,have students choose an appropriate habitat.(They must stand with at least one foot on themat. More than one animal can occupy a habi-tat mat.)
3. When everyone is in place, tell a briefstory describing the destruction or alteration of aparticular habitat (i.e., a wetland is drained tobuild a housing development or dries up in asevere drought). After the story, pull away thecolored mat representing that habitat. Theanimals that were standing there must scrambleto find a new habitat that is suitable and standwith one foot on it. If they cannot adapt toanother habitat, they do not survive and are outof the game.
4. Continue telling stories of habitatdestruction and removing habitat mats after eachone. As habitats disappear, students mustscramble to find another suitable habitat mat tostand on or they die. Crowding, tension, andaggressive behavior will result, mimicking whatoften occurs in nature. Stop the game whenmost animals have lost their habitat.
5. Afterward, discuss the principles thegame demonstrated. Focus on how habitatstudy and planning for development is importantfor wildlife and people. Also point out thatmany plants and animals can often adapt tochanges in their habitat.
VARIATION FOR PART A: EVERY SPECIES FOR ITSELF
Students simulate how animals and oftenentire species compete for their essential needs(food, water, and space).
1. Tell students to choose an endangeredanimal species they would like to portray. Theycan choose from the sample profiles of endan-gered animals on Student Page 2. Ask:
-Why did you choose the species youdid?
102
2. Give each student a sheet of coloredconstruction or copy paper. Have studentsstand about four feet (1.2m) apart on theirpapers. Students must keep one foot on thisspot at all times, since it represents their habitat.
3. Randomly scatter the colored squares(prepared earlier) on the floor around the stu-dents so they're about one to two feet (1.2-6.1m) apart.
4. Tell students they'll be playing a gamecalled "Every Species for Itself?" The object ofthe game is for each animal to gather as many ofthe squares as it can. Explain that each coloredsquare represents a necessity for species sur-vival. Brown squares represent food, whitesignify space, and blue symbolize water.
5. Give the signal to start the first round.Have the "animals" reach with their arms togather their requirements. Tell them they cannotstep off their mats (habitats) at any time.
6. Let students gather requirements forten seconds. Afterward, have the studentsrecord how many squares of each color theygathered. Discuss the results of the first round.Ask:
-How many requirements did eachanimal get?
-Are any animals lacking a particularrequirement?
-What might happen to an animal spe-cies that is lacking a requirement? (It mighteventually become extinct.)
7. Have students stand in groups of twoor three per habitat sheet. Gather the require-ments and spread them around the room again.Play another round and have students recordtheir results.
8. Compare the results of this round withthose of the first. In most cases, more studentswill be lacking essential requirements. Ask ifthey can come to any conclusions about whatmight happen when a species is crowded to-gether. (They are often in competition foressential requirements.) Ask if any of the "ani-
mals" "died" because they couldn't get a particu-lar requirement. (You can allow animals to falldown if they haven't received their basic needs.)
9. Ask:
-How might scientists use their knowl-edge of competition to help endangeredspecies survive?
10. Try several more rounds, comparingthe results each time. Here are suggestions forhow to set up additional rounds: (As before,students should record their results for eachround. Older students can later graph or chartthe results of each round and draw conclusions.)
-Have only half the class participate.
Use fewer water squares (representingdrought or water contamination).
Use fewer space squares (signifying asmaller habitat caused by human encroachmentor the introduction of a species not native to theregion).
Use fewer food squares (illustrating lessavailable food, whether caused by disease ornatural disaster).
11. Ask students to consider the endan-gered species they learned about. Which onesdo they think are more vulnerable to extinctionand why? (Ones that are naturally rare withinlimited habitat range; ones that require veryspecialized diets and several habitats that theymigrate to; ones that adapt very poorly to habitator environmental changes.)
PART B SPECIES SPECIFICATION
1. Discuss the definitions of endangered,threatened, and rare species on Student Page 1with your students. Provide students with ashort list of rare, threatened, or endangeredspecies. (Try to get a list of local endangered orthreatened species from the state department ofnatural resources.) Ask students to select aspecies to research from the list. Instruct themto gather as much information as they can fromencyclopedias and other resources, and puttogether a profile for that species. As studentsinvestigate, they consider the questions on
103 LIFE ON THE EDGE 95
Student Page 1. Sample species profiles areprovided on Student Pages 2 and 3.
2. Students then take the role of an advo-cate for the species they selected. They imaginethat they work for a public relations or advertis-ing firm that has been hired to communicate tothe public that the species is endangered andthe public needs to take action. Teams of stu-dents create a campaign that might includeslogans, posters, TV commercials, etc.
3. Teams present their campaigns to therest of the group.
ASSESSMENT:1. Have each team give a media presenta-
tion (skit, TV or radio commercial) that makes acase for protecting the endangered species theyresearched. They should be sure to include thebasic information outlined in the questions onStudent Page 1. They should also explain whycertain actions should be taken. Tell students tobe prepared to discuss trade-offs involved inpreserving this species in terms of land, re-sources, people, money, and so on.
2. Have students create "clue cards" aboutthe species they researched. Each card shouldhave about five descriptive statements of thespecies, from general to specific. The answergoes on the back of the card. Hold an endan-gered species "bee" (like a spelling bee) to seewho can identify the most species with thefewest clues. The following is an example:
I live in the tropical rainforest.-My fur looks green from algae that grows
on it.My kind gives birth to live young.I move very; very slowly.-My kind has three long toenails.
ANSWER: Three-toed sloth.
Evaluate the "animal clue cards" to assesstheir knowledge of the species and habitatcharacteristics.
EXTENSIONS: Have cooperative groupsdiscuss and present examples of each concept tothe other groups.96 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
Concept 1:Organisms change throughout their
lifetimes. Species of organisms change overlong periods of time.
Concept 2:Although species become extinct natu-
rally, the increasing number of extinctions inrecent history may be linked to the rapid in-crease in human population.
Concept 3:Increased public knowledge of the envi-
ronment and the need for conservation of natu-ral resources have resulted in lifestyle changes inmany cultures.
conserving resources and protecting environ-mental quality is beneficial to human health andthe well-being of other life forms.
RESOURCES:An Atlas of Planet Management, Norman
Myers (ed.), GAIA, 1984.*The Wilderness Home of the Giant Panda,
William G. Sheldon, Amherts, MA, University ofMassachusetts Press, 1975.
*The National Wildlife Federation, 1400 16thStreet, NW, Washington, DC 20036, publishesNational Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Your Big BackYard, NatureScope, International Wildlife, Con-servation Directory.
*The Nature Conservancy, 1815 North LynnStreet, Arlington, VA 22209, publishes The Con-servancy News.
*U.S. Department of Agriculture, 14th Streetand Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC20250.
*U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Departmentof the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, Roomm 3445,Washington, DC 20240 or 4401 North FairfaxDrive, Room 452, Arlington, VA 22203.
8. What are some ways in which peoplecan reduce or eliminate the threats to the sur-vival of this species?
ENDANGERED SPECIES A native speciesor subspecies that is in serious danger of becom-ing extinct throughout all, or a significant por-tion, of its range as a result of one or morecauses, including loss of habitat, over-exploita-tion, competition, or disease:
THREATENED SPECIES A native speciesthat, while not presently threatened with extinc-tion, is likely to become endangered in theforeseeable future if not given special protectionand management efforts.
RARE SPECIES A native species that,although not presently threatened with extinc-tion, exists in such small numbers throughout itsrange that it may become threatened if itspresent environmental conditions worsen.
Species name:
1. What is its status? (see above)
2. Where does it live?
3. What does it look like?
4. What is its habitat?
5. What is the current range of its popula-tion? Has its range changed over the course ofhistory?
6. Why is it endangered, threatened, orrare?
7. Are any current actions being taken toimprove its chances of survival? If so, describethem. If not, or if you do not know of any,what can you suggest?
9. What other species depend on it?
10. Give some reasons why it is importantthat this species survive.
11. How can you function as an ecosystemmanagement team?
105 LIFE ON THE EDGE 97
Student Page 2
Key DeerA subspecies of white-tailed deer, the Key
deer of the Florida Keys prefer the hardwood,pine, and mangrove forests by day, but ventureinto meadows at night to feed. This deer haslived in isolation from the continental UnitedStates for thousands of years and exhibits soli-tary behavior that contrasts sharply with otherwhite-tailed deer, which are communal in na-ture. About the size of a large dog, the Key deerbreeds from September to November when it isthree to five years old and usually has oneoffspring.
SPECIES PROFILES(samples)Giant PandaPandas live in the Himalayan range of
central Asia, generally at altitudes between 5,000and 10,000 feet (1,524 and 3,048 meters). It isbelieved that this territory is only a fraction oftheir former range. A few thousand years ago,giant pandas roamed throughout much of east-ern China. Their range was diminished largelyby the destruction of their natural habitat, thebamboo forests on steep mountain slopes.
The primary danger to the giant panda'shabitat is caused by development. According tosome maps, roads now penetrate the deepbamboo forests.
Bald EagleBald eagles once inhabited most of North
America. They frequent conifer forests locatednear water with abundant supplies of fish. Theyfeed on carrion, rodents, and other small mam-mals. Bald eagles migrate south in the fall androost in huge, communal nests they use yearafter year. Both parents incubate their usual twoeggs. The parents share the responsibilities infeeding and caring for the young until they areabout four years old.
The debilitating results of DDT poisoning(banned in the United States since 1972), poach-ing, and habitat loss have left a dwindling popu-lation. Bald eagles are endangered in most ofthe continental United States, except for thestable bald eagle population of 30,000 in Alaskaand the threatened population in Washington,Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.With gradual preservation and recovery effortsalong with the banning of certain pesticides, thebald eagle has been making a slow comeback.
10698 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
Motor traffic and loss of habitat caused byresort development have devastated the Keydeer population, reducing it to fewer than 300members. Strategies for strengthening the deerpopulation include extending the boundaries ofthe Key Deer Refuge and enforcing lower speedlimits at night.
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swamps of India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan,and Nepal, the 500-pound (226.5 kg) Bengaltiger subsists on a daily diet of about 60-80pounds (27.2-36.2 kg) of meat. Of the 40,000tigers found in India in 1900, fewer than 2,000 ofthese carnivores remained in 1973. Habitat loss
of both tigers and their prey and direct killingof tigers are the main causes in the reducingpopulation. So extensive is the loss of habitatthat the Bengal tiger often resorts to killinglivestock. Three of the eight subspecies of tigersare already considered extinct. With conserva-tion efforts that involve both preservation ofhabitat space and natural prey, the number ofBengal tigers has recently increased to about4,000.
JaguarundiWeighing 10-15 pounds (4.5-6.8 kg), this
wild cat is indigenous to the Americas, living inregions that vary from the tropical Central andSouth American forests to the deserts of Texas,Arizona, and Mexico. Unlike most wild cats, thejaguarundi actively hunts for its meals (usuallyrodents) during morning hours, instead of atnight. The jaguarundi abandons its solitaryexistence only to mate. This agile cat is endan-gered by habitat destruction and poaching.
Red Ruffed LemurAlthough resembling monkeys, the lemur
stands distinct from other primates because of itssmaller brain, pointed snout, comb-like teeth,and scent glands. Inhabiting the tropicalrainforests of eastern Madagascar, this endan-gered animal feeds on fruit and flowers duringthe day.
Separated from mainland Africa by nearly200 miles and for approximately 65 millionyears, Madagascar is home to plants and animalsthat are found no place else on Earth. Theprosimians, a primitive group of primates towhich red ruffed lemurs belong, is an example.Deforestation and hunting of these animalscontribute to dwindling populations. Fourteenspecies of prosimians are extinct.
107 LIFE ON THE EDGE 99
LEVEL: Grades 4-8
SUBJECTS: Science, Language
Arts, Art.
PROCESS: Through the const-
ruction of dioramas, students willdevelop the connection between
living in different rooms of their
homes with living in different
biomes (rooms) in the earth's
environment.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Construct the major biotic
units of plants and animals that
make up a community.
2. Compare the characteristics of
a room in a house with the charac-
teristic vegetative forms in the
different rooms (biomes) on the
earth.
3. Describe the distinctive veget-
ation of a living environment of a
particular region and the climate of
the area.
TIMEFRAME 1 hour 30 minutes.
SKILLS: Applying, classifying,
comparing similarities and differ-
ences, comprehending, describ-
ing, discussing, generalizing,
identifying, researching, under-
standing cause and effect.
MATERIALS: Shoeboxes (six),
construction paper, clay, glue,
paint, scissors, colored pencils,
crayons, reference books, "My
Home, Our Home" task cards one
per group (attached). Individual
and group assessment checklists
are printed on the back of the task
cards. Reference materials will
need to be available on tundra,
desert, grasslands, woodlands,
tropical forests, and marine
biomes.
VOCABULARY: Biome, desert,
grassland, marine, tropical forest,
tundra, woodland.
MY 0111AE, OUR omEOVERVIEW: Think of the
various rooms in your home. Eachof the rooms has its own design,and its own kind of furnishings tomeet the needs of that room. Inthe kitchen, for example, you'llfind a stove and a refrigerator forpreparing and saving food. In theliving room, you'll find a couch,chairs, and perhaps a televigion sofamily and friends can spend timerelaxing together. In the bed-rooms, you'll find beds for sleepingand places for storing clothes. Justlike the many rooms in your home,earth is filled with various rooms orecosystems.
Ecoregions (geographic areas)are unique combinations of cli-mate, topography and geology(characteristics). The specificcombination within an ecoregiondetermines the particular plantsand animals which grow and livethere.
Because of the many combina-tions of soil, flora, fauna, and
108
climate, different kinds of ecosys-tems have developed on earth.Each of these distinctive systems isknown as a biome. A biome is theset of characteristics. Like therooms in your home, biomes meetspecific purposes and are "fur-nished" with unique plants andanimals. These biomes are namedafter their dominant plants such aswoodland, tundra, tropical forest,desert, grassland, and marinebiomes.
PROCEDURE:1. Discuss with students the
kinds of furnishings found indifferent rooms of their homes.Make a chart on the chalkboardlisting the rooms in their homes inrows and a list of furnishings and/or appliances that are usuallyfound in each room. Use theexample below to get studentsstarted. Ask:
MY HOME, OUR HOME 101
BEDROOMbeddresserlamptableclothesetc.
LIVING ROOMsofachairlampcoffee tableetc.
KITCHENrefrigeratorstovemicrowavedishesetc.
BATH- ETC.mirrorshowervanitytoilettowelsetc.
-How is each room in your home differ-ent? How are they alike?
2. Divide participants into six groups, onefor each biome. Each group will complete atask card for the biome the students are inter-ested in. If there are duplicate groups for somebiomes and others aren't represented, havegroups draw numbers (1-6) from a box or hat.Highest number chooses first, etc.
Hand out the task cards to each group.Each task card outlines the activity each groupwill accomplish. Review the process for groupcooperation and explain the individual andgroup assessment checklist found on the back ofeach task card. The group should reach aconsensus on evaluating the criteria for eachindividual's participation in the activity.
3. Supply one shoebox to each group tomake a diorama of the biome the group haschosen. Construct the dominant species ofplants found in the biome from constructionpaper or other materials. (An example of alter-native materials may include dried weedspainted to look like the kinds of trees andshrubs in their biome and glued into the di-orama for a three-dimensional effect.) Studentswill check their task cards for the procedure toname plants in the biome. Discuss the followingquestions with students:
-What kinds of plants did you include inyour diorama?
102 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
-Why do your plants like living in thisbiome?
-Show me how your biome looks like atropical forest, a grassland, a woodland, etc.
4. Construct the predominate animalsfound in their biome from clay. Have the stu-dents glue the figures into a-place so that theyare found in the habitat types for that animal intheir diorama. Discuss the following questionswith each group:
-Why do these animals live here?
-What are some reasons you will findprairie dogs in grasslands and not in wood-lands?
5. The groups complete their task cardsand the cooperative group work checklists.Each task manager is then ready to report to theclass what was learned about the groups' biomeand places the biome shoebox in a centrallocation in the room. The biomes are stacked torepresent the rooms in our earth home as illus-trated below:
Our House = Ecoregion
DESERTS WOODLANDS
TROPICAL FOREST TUNDRA
GRASSLANDS MARINE
Ask:
-How is each of these rooms alike? Howare they different?
-If you were to choose an earth room(biome) to live in, which one would you liketo live in the most? The least? Why?
10-Which of the bionics in our earth home
best describes the biome in which we live?
-What are the predominate plants andanimals in our biome?
ASSESSMENT:Evaluate:
1. Group oral reports.
2. Description of the distinctive character-istics of each biome.
3. Completion of task cards.
4. Cooperative group work checklists.
EXTENSIONS:1. Have students construct biomes in an
aquarium with live plants to replicate the condi-tion of the different biomes. This will result invaried problems of climate control in the con-fines of an aquarium that may or may not beachievable depending on the resources at yourdisposal. The in-class observations of aquariumbiomes will create opportunities for problemsolving.
2. Have each student choose a biome andreport on the characteristic adaptations of plantsand animals in that biome. Students shouldinclude in their reports the environmental factorsthat are distinctive to the biomes like soil, water,climate, and geographical locations in the UnitedStates or the world. Encourage them to includein their reports how human populations haveadapted or how the environmental factors inbiomes have determined cultural differences.
RESOURCES: Reference materials onplants and animals in different locations of theUnited States and the world can be found inmost libraries.
MATERIALS: Playing field orgymnasium, cones, string, rope or
hula hoops to mark breeding
grounds, wintering grounds, and
staging areas, "Norther Cards,'
"Southern Cards," and "Staging
Area' cards (attached).
VOCABULARY: Aquatic habitat,
aquatic insects, body mass,
clutch, fat load, fledging, flyway,
foraging, invertebrates, juvenile,
migration, migratory route,
nesting, pesticide, pothole,
predator, probing, shorebird,
species, survivorship, territory,
wetlands, (amphipods, critical
habitat).
THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEYOVERVIEW: There are ap-
proximately 49 different species ofshorebirds throughout NorthAmerica. Shorebirds all have twocommon characteristics: longer legsand longer beaks than other birdspecies. Their body shapes, sizes,habitat uses, and foraging behav-iors (how they collect food) arequite varied. Shorebirds feed alongthe edges of ponds, lakes, wet-lands, coastal beaches, and anyother places that they can find foodin the mud and shallow waters.Many different sizes and shapes ofbeaks help them specialize in waysof eating. Some, like the Semipal-mated Sandpiper, have thin beaksfor probing in the mud; others,such as the Lesser Golden Plover,have shorter, thicker beaks forgleaning invertebrates from thesurface of mud and water. Stillothers have beaks for snatchingflying insects. The Wilson'sPhalarope is a unique shorebirdbecause it swims in deeper water,kicking up food with its feet.
112
Shorebirds have certain needsthat can only be met in very spe-cific habitats. They must live byshallow water and muddy shoresin order to find their food. Theyeat mostly freshwater worms(bloodworms = fly larvae),shoreflies, danceflies, craneflies,amphipods, and snails.
Most shorebirds spend theirsummers in the northern areas ofthe United States and in Canadaand Alaska. They migrate tosouthern United States, CentralAmerica, and South America tospend their winters in a warmerclimate. Countries south of theequator have the opposite seasonsto ours. When we are havingwinter, countries south of theequator are having summer.
The White-Rumped Sandpiperis one shorebird that has an espe-cially incredible migration. Eachyear it migrates from the ArcticCircle to the southernmost tip ofSouth America and back to the
THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY 105
Arctic Circle. This small (around 20 grams inweight) bird travels 20,000 miles every year!
Not all shorebirds migrate such long dis-tances. Some, like the American Avocet, haveshort migrations as they breed in the northernpart of the United States and winter in the south-ern part of the United States.
In North America three primary flyways areheavily used migration routes, connecting theshorebirds' breeding grounds in the north totheir wintering grounds in the south. One ofthese flyways follows the Pacific coast fromAlaska to the southern part of South America. Asecond flyway follows the Atlantic coast fromnorthwestern Canada to the very southern tip ofSouth America. The third flyway stretches fromnorth central Canada down through the centerof the United States into northern SouthAmerica. This is the route we will focus on inthis activity.
Shorebirds must prepare themselves physi-cally for their strenuous migrations. Beforeleaving their wintering grounds in the south,they must put on a fat load, which is mainlystored lipids (fats), but includes protein andwater. Shorebirds feed almost constantly for twoweeks, often doubling their weight for themigration to the north.
Some shorebirds fly non-stop to their desti-nation, but others make several stops along theway to replace their body fat. These stop-overareas along the migratory route are called 'stag-ing' areas. They are usually lowlands floodedfrom the spring snow melt and are very rich innewly hatched insects. Many shorebirds in-crease their body masses up to 100 percent atthese staging areas!
One of the most critical wetland stagingareas is the Prairie Pothole region. Located inthe northern Great Plains of the United Statesand southern Canada, it spreads across hundredsof miles forming many small wetlands. Tens ofthousands of shorebirds use this area as a feed-ing and resting place along their migration routeto or from the northern breeding grounds andthe southern wintering grounds.
Weather can be a factor in the shorebird's106 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
departure from the wintering ground. Poorweather may keep them from leaving, delayingthe journey until cold weather offers no threats.
Shorebirds usually fly in large flocks andmigrate at night. If a bird is left behind, it usu-ally waits for another flock to join. But while itis alone, it has less time to feed because it has tobe more watchful of predators.
Once the migration north begins, there isno time to waste. Semipalmated Sandpipermales for instance, usually migrate to the breed-ing grounds several days before the females toestablish territory for nesting. The males nor-mally reestablish the same territory they claimedthe previous year. When the females arrive andpair with mates, nest building begins. Four tosix days after pairing, egg laying begins. Incu-bation of the eggs is about 20 days. After hatch-ing, the juvenile shorebirds (young birds thathave not yet reached sexual maturity) must eatconstantly to become strong enough and put onenough fat to leave for the wintering grounds.Juvenile shorebirds often do not start theirsouthern migration until three to four weeksafter the adults have left.
Shorebirds travel over several differentcountries during their migration. That makes itdifficult to protect them. Shorebirds must con-tend with a number of problems.
During migration, Peregrin Falcons andMerlins often attack shorebirds in flight. Therecan be the impact of oil spills and agriculturalpesticides along the migration route as well,both contaminating shorebirds' food supplies.Agricultural pesticides are widely used through-out North America. DDT, a highly poisonouspesticide, was banned in the United States in1972, but continues to be produced in theUnited States and sold to Central American andSouth American countries for agricultural use.Shorebirds have died as a result of the applica-tion of DDT to agricultural fields.
Migratory staging areas and southern win-tering grounds are being impacted by increasedhuman development. Many wetlands have beendrained for agricultural or building purposes.The Prairie Pothole region has lost about 50% ofits wetlands with some areas having lost 90%.
113
The loss of wetlands has caused declines inshorebird populations of 60 80% in somespecies. The remaining birds must then com-pete for less food with more birds. If birdsusing the potholes as a staging area cannot getenough food to replenish their fat load, they willhave to make many more stops. They may notreach their breeding grounds in time to mateand hatch their young before returning south forthe winter.
Human recreation and hunting also affectnesting areas and some nests are deserted ordestroyed. In the late 1800's many shorebirdswere hunted in great numbers by market hunt-ers in Canada and the United States. These twocountries signed the Migratory Birds Conventionin 1916, agreeing to protect migratory birds.Some hunting still exists in northern SouthAmerica.
Efforts are being made to protect shore-birds. The Western Hemisphere ShorebirdReserve Network identifies important shorebirdsites and helps protect them. There is an in-creased awareness of the importance of wet-lands and the need to preserve them. Theseefforts will insure the shorebird populations amore secure future.
PROCEDURE:PRE-ACTIVITY:
1. Read "Overview" thoroughly. It isessential to your understanding of this activity:Read through the game cards as well to beaware of situations presented to students!
2. Using a playing field or a gymnasium,identify one end as the northern breedinggrounds and the other end as the southernwintering grounds.
3. Place a rope or other line across eachend of the playing field to mark the winteringgrounds and the breeding grounds. Then placethree circles spaced out between these grounds.(See diagram.) The circles represent the stagingareas.
4. Disperse the "staging area" cardsevenly among the three "staging" circles. Spreadthe "Northern Cards" in the breeding groundsarea and the "Southern Cards" in the wintering
grounds area.
5. Talk briefly about migration, stagingareas, breeding grounds, and wintering grounds.Explain that students will be playing the parts ofmigrating shorebirds.
ACHVITY1. Each player must pick up one card at
the wintering ground, each staging area, and thebreeding ground. They must follow directionswritten on the cards and return the cards to thepile before they continue their migration. Forexample, a card from the breeding grounds mayinstruct its holder to take a person that has beenlabeled "dead" by another card and return theminto the game as a young bird. Any player thatpicks up a card indicating death of the bird mustdrop out of the game and stand along the side-lines until an opportunity (eggs hatching in theNorth) arises to rejoin the game.
2. Select one or two players to representthe Peregrin Falcon and/or the Merlin as preda-tors in flight. Their job is to tag students as theymove among the staging areas. They mustescort each tagged victim to the edge of theplaying field before tagging another migratingstudent.
3. As the players run to the other side ofthe playing field, they must stop at each of thestaging areas to refuel (unless otherwise in-structed). They collect one card at each stagingarea and follow directions.
4. Players must make four completemigrations (that is from south to north and backto south). Each migration (in one direction) willbegin upon the teacher's signal.
AFTER THE GAME:
1. Plot the survival rate of each migration.
2. Locate the three main flyways on amap of North and South America. For purposesof this game, players are to imagine they havemigrated on the central flyway.
3. Ask players to share some of the unex-pected situations described on their cards. Dis-cuss how these things affect the migrating shore-birds.
114 THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY 107
4. Ask players to recall some causes ofthe birds' deaths. Have them categorize thecauses as "Natural" and "Human Caused." Theymay need to define the criteria for each of thesecategories before listing the causes. Write thelists on the chalkboard.
5. Discuss the list of "Human Caused" andevaluate the pros and cons of each of thesesituations. How do they affect other animalsand people? (i.e. DDT, outlawed in the UnitedStates for over twenty years, is very poisonousand is passed on from one animal to anotherpoisoning each. Yet it saves crops from infesta-tion of insects.)
ASSESSMENT:1. Have students locate the three main
flyways on a map of North America and SouthAmerica. Ask:
-What are some of the weather changesshorebirds experience during their migra-tion?
-What are some of the more predomi-nant wetlands, lakes, or coastal shores theypass during their migration?
Students draw their own maps and plotpossible staging areas on it.
2. Have students draw or design theperfect shorebird from junk and be ready toexplain the adaptations they have added to theirbirds.
EXTENSIONS:1. Working in small groups, students
research to learn more about specific shorebirdsin their local area. Have students report on itand trace its migration route.
2. Visit a wetland area near your commu-nity and list the different birds you find. Per-haps a person from the local Audubon Societyor State Wildlife Agency could accompany you.
3. Invite your local State Wildlife officer tospeak to the class about what impacts wildlife inyour community and how students can help tolessen the negative impacts.
108 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
4. Have students research the formaticiiiand history of the Prairie Pothole Region.
5. Have students create a role play/debatebetween a person in support of draining wet-lands for agricultural or urban building purposesand a person in support of saving wetlands formigratory shorebirds. Allow students time toprepare their arguments.
RESOURCES:Conservation Biology, Susan K. Skagen and
Fritz L. Knopf, "Toward Conservation ofMidcontinental Shorebird Migrations," 7(3)(September 1993): 533-541.
Shorebirds: an identification guide to wad-ers of the world, PJ. Marchant Hayman and T.Prater, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1986.
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THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
Northern BreedhsGrounds
LSTAGING
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Use tape,
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Southern WinteringGrounds
Use tape,
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0 THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY 109
THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
GAME CARDS
On these five pages cut out the following game cards:
10 - Northern Cards
10 - Southern Cards
14 - Staging Cards
NORTHERN CARD
Bad news! Unusually bad weather haslimited your feeding time. You are too weak
to make it to the first staging area. You die
and must go to the sideline.
NORTHERN CARD
Yeah! Good weather and only a fewpredators have made it a great nestingseason. Pick two people from the sidelines
to migrate with you.
NORTHERN CARD
Hurrah! Its been a warm, wet summer. You
have had an abundance of shore flies and
dance flies to feed on. Your nesting is
successful. Take one person from the
sidelines with you. Begin migration.
NORTHERN CARD
Great! You have successfully hatched and
fledged one of your young. Pick one person
to migrate with you.
NORTHERN CARD
Bummer! A large fox population this year
has increased fatalities. You are eaten. Go
to the sideline.
NORTHERN CARD
Yum! There is an abundance of amphipods
and snails this year. You have doubled your
body weight easily. You have had a
successful nest, take two people to migrate
with you. Begin migrating!
K-;4. 1. 6
110 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
GAME CARDS
NORTHERN CARD
You are young and are not able to put on asufficient fat load before migration begins.You are not as strong; Skip to the firststaging area.
NORTHERN CARD
Yipesl Its been a good year for weasels and
a bad year for eggs. You have no youngsurvive. Food was abundant. Begin
migration.
SOUTHERN CARD
How disappointing! You have had a roughnine months at your wintering grounds. Partof the wetlands you have always returnedto have been drained, causing more birdsto compete for less food. You are weak, hopon one foot to the first staging area.
NORTHERN CARD
Lost wetlands on the way to your breedinggrounds made you late on arrival time and
weak. You do not have time to reproduce.Craneflies and blood worms are abundant,
you double your weight. Begin yourmigration.
SOUTHERN CARD
Yipee! Its been a good winter! A newwetland reserve area has been added toyour winter grounds. There was plenty offood. Fly to your first staging area.
NORTHERN CARD
Continued severe weather in the Arctictundra caused you to not lay ea;.. You have
difficulty finding a sufficient supply ofinvertebrate prey (animals you eat). Youstruxle to keep up with the flock. Hopon one foot to your first staging area.
SOUTHERN CARD
Too bad! Agriculture is spreading on yourwintering grounds, and as a result so isDDT. You are poisoned by this lethal
igepesticide and die. Go to the sideline.
11THEINCREDBLE JOURNEY 111
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
GAME CARDS
SOUTHERN CARD
Oh nol More wetlands have been drainedand turned into agricultural areas. You areunable to find enough food and eventuallydie. Go to the sideline.
SOUTHERN CARD
Worms! Oodles of Freshwater worms! Itsbeen a great winter with lots of food. You
are easily able to increase your body weightfrom 20 grams to 40 grams for the long
migration to the Arctic tundra. Migrate tothe first staging area.
SOUTHERN CARD
Good Newsl Educating people about theneed to preserve wetlands has paid off. Youhave more wetlands and abundant food.You begin your next migration in goodhealth.
SOUTHERN CARD
Mool The cattle industry is booming inSouth America. Your winter habitat is
severely overgrazed making it difficult to eat
enough to put on an adequate fat load formigration. You must skip to your first stagingarea:
SOUTHERN CARD
Starvin' Arvin'! Overcrowding due to loss ofwetlands has increased, competition forwhat little food there is. You do not have anadequate fat load and your migration isdifficult. You may skip to your firststaging area.
SOUTHERN CARD
BANG! Hunting of shorebirds is still legal inSouth America. You are shot by a hungryhunter. Go to the sideline.
SOUTHERN CARD
Yuck! You are feeding on aquatic insectsthat have been contaminated with DDT inthe run off from agricultural landssurrounding your wetland habitat. You
become sick and die. Go to the sideline.
1 1 912 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
GAME CARDS
STAGING AREA
What!? Your usual staging ground is
swarming with people! A new recreationcenter has been opened at your stagingarea. Being around so many people makesfeeding difficult. You do not store enoughenergy. Walk to your next staging area.
STAGING AREA
Hooray! The Western HemisphereShorebird Reserve Network has done a
great deal to preserve important shorebirdsites along your migration route. You find a
surplus of food and quickly refuel for
your continued migration.
it STAGING AREA
Brrrr! Bad weather makes for a slowmigration! Side step to your next stagingarea.
STAGING AREA
Bad stuff! You find that this staging area hasbeen contaminated with pesticides fromsurrounding agricultural lands. You become
ill and die. Co to the sideline.
STAGING AREA
WHEEEEEEE! You've got a full stomach and
a tail wind pushing you on to your nextstaging area. A predator can't even catchyou! Arrive at your next staging area quickly
and safely.
STAGING AREA
Yikesl Your usual staging area has beendrained for farming. You must scrounge tofind enough food for the next leg of yourjourney. Hop on one foot to the nextstaging area.
STAGING AREA
Cobble, gobble! You have had warmweather and abundant food at this stagingarea. You have easily increased your weight
by 100%! Begin your migration again.
120THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY 113
THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
GAME CARDS
STAGING AREA
Bye, bye! You did not find enough food toreplenish your fat load and the flock youwere traveling with has left without you.You must wait one turn to continue on withanother flock.
STAGING AREA
This is unnerving! You are on the perimeter(outer edge) of the flock and mustconstantly be on the look out for predators.You do not eat enough to put on anadequate fat load. Hop to the next
staging area.
STAGING AREA
Gooey! You find one of your coastal stagingareas to be covered with the results of an.oil
spill. You become covered with the thickgoo and are unable to eat, fly, or maintainany body heat. You die. Go to the
sideline.
STAGING AREA
Ugh! You have run into a head wind (windblowing against you) and you are burningup a lot of energy. Take two steps forwardand one step back as you make your wayalong your migration.
STAGING AREA
Whoopeee! Education about wetlands hasgained public support for the restoration ofwetland areas. You have an abundance ofsnails and freshwater worms to feed onl You
begin your migration in good health.
STAGING AREA
ZAP! New radio towers have been builtacross your migration route. You are zappedand die. Go to the sideline.
STAGING AREA
You find yourself feeding in the safety of the
flock. Craneflies, danceflies and shorefliesare abundant. You double your weightieasily. Move on to the next staging area.
system, harvest, interior, lumbermill, niche, stand, tree harvester,
tree species.
ekkAtti AA
ON THE EDGE of G MGROVERVIEW: Forest ecosys-
tems are in a constant state ofchange. As trees live, grow, anddie, changes in the makeup of theforest occur.
This activity focuses on theecological changes that occur in amature forest when it is disturbed.Although the ecological conceptsportrayed in this activity couldapply to any mature coniferousforest, an even-aged stand oflodgepole pine probably is mostrepresentative. An even-aged standis a group of trees all the same age.
This forest ecosystem consistsof "interior trees" and "edge trees."Interior trees have grown up in acrowded and very competitiveenvironment. Individual treescompete for a finite amount ofwater, sun, and soil nutrients.Typically, the interior trees are thinand weak with poor root systems.The interior of the stand has itsown micro-climate: sunlight, mois-
122
ture, temperature, and other factorsthat are relatively constant.
Edge trees are typically bigger.Because they grow on the edge ofthe stand, they do not have suchintense competition for water, sun,and soil nutrients. Root systemsare more developed. In manyrespects, edge trees serve to pro-tect interior trees from wind, fluc-tuations in temperature, and somediseases.
When the edge trees aredisturbed by natural factors likefire or by human factors like log-ging, changes occur to the interiorof the stand. For example, if theedge trees on the windward side ofthe stand die or are removed, theinterior trees become vulnerable towind. Because of their weak rootsystems, newly exposed interiortrees "windfall" easily.
As windfall creates larger gapsin the interior forest, changes tothe micro-climate occur. Heat and
ON THE EDGE OF CHANGE 115
moisture are lost more easily during wintermonths as wind penetrates the forest. Duringthe summer months the sun's rays filter to theforest floor more easily. These changes maystress the remaining interior trees, making themmore susceptible to damage by existing insectsand disease. Sometimes openings in the edgealso allow easier access to the interior of theforest by certain animals or wind-borne parasitesand disease.
Clearings created in the interior of the standinvite new species to fill the new niches avail-able. The composition of both plant and animalspecies changes. Grasses and forbs grow wheresunlight now penetrates to the ground; rabbitsand big game species may move in to eat thoseplants.
How humans value these changes is amatter of perspective. To some people thesechanges may be viewed as bad. To others thesechanges may be good. Their value judgementsmay be determined by whether or not the forestchanges were natural or human-caused. Ineither case, forest ecosystems are never stagnant.Change is the rule.
PROCEDURE:PRE-ACTTVITY:
1. Prepare "Role Cards" as "Packet A."Each "Role Card" should be copied on stoutpaper and have a different identifying color.Lace the "Role Cards" on a string to hang aroundstudents' necks for visibility. The numbersbelow are for a class of 25 students. You mayneed to make adjustments for smaller or largerclass sizes. Add extra students as interior oredge trees. One or two students could act as"scientific observers" to watch how the forestecosystem changes throughout the course of theactivity.
Packet A: 25 "Role Cards"1 tree harvester1 bobcat (wears bandanna as headband)1 woodpecker (wears bandanna as
3. Preview each "Role Card" and "Dam-age Card" carefully.
ACTIVITY:
1. Discuss forest changes with the stu-dents and introduce vocabulary words. Youmight open with these questions:
-How has your neighborhood/schoolchanged over dine? Who or what caused thechange? Are these changes good or bad?
-What "natural changes" have there.been in the neighborhood/school?
-Do forest ecosystems change? If so,how? Who causes the change? Are thesechanges good or bad?
2. Explain the roles and rules of theactivity. Students are to become parts of achanging forest ecosystem. Encourage studentsto act out the behaviors when appropriate (forexample, rabbits hop). Make it clear that treesdon't move until harvested or their role changes.For safety reasons, have students WALK and notrun during this activity.
3. Take the class outside or to a gymna-sium-like area.
4. Distribute Packet A. Each studentreceives one "Role Card" to hang around his orher neck. Scatter Packet,B (the "DamageCards") 20 feet from the perimeter of the playingarea. Have the interior trees gather at the cen-ter. Edge trees surround the interior trees,facing out and holding hands. Living in theinterior of the forest are the bobcat, who eatsrabbits and porcupines, and the woodpecker,who eats insects. Be sure the bobcat and thewoodpecker have different colored bandannas.See attached diagram.
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5. The tree harvester begins the game byselecting and harvesting one edge tree. Theharvester first takes the edge tree's card, thenbrings the edge tree to the "Damage Card" pile.Next the harvester brings the edge tree's card tothe lumbermill (teacher). At the mill, the har-vester describes what he or she plans to do withthe wood. The teacher tallies points collected(they are on the edge tree's card).
1 point builds a kitchen table3 points supplies a school with paper for
one day5 points builds a small house.
Before harvesting another edge tree, thetree harvester walks around the forest standthree times to find the best edge tree to cut.The harvester continues until he or she gathersenough points to produce one of the abovewood products. The tree harvester does not cutdown interior trees.
6. Meanwhile, the edge tree that was cutpicks up- and reads one of the scattered "Dam-age Cards" and assumes the new role describedon the card. This student brings the "DamageCard" to one of the interior trees. This studentmay only access the interior trees through aplace where an edge tree has been removed,however. In other words, damage enters theinterior forest through a break in the forest edge..The student returns for another "Damage Card."Continue until activity is over.
7. When an interior tree collects anycombination of five "Damage Cards," it dies andis not considered to be a harvestable resource.When an interior tree dies it must drop its "RoleCard" (with string attached) and move outside tothe "Damage Card" pile. There, the interior treedisperses the five "Damage Cards" in his or herhands. Then, the interior tree picks up a new"Damage Card" and assumes a new role.
8. Some special "Damage Cards" givestudents unique directions. Encourage thistouch of drama if your groups age and person-alities are conducive to it.
If a Rabbit Damage Card is selected, thestudent hops to the interior trees. Rabbits cause118 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
forest damage by eating young trees. Careful,bobcats love to eat rabbits! If the bobcat catchesthe rabbit before it delivers the "Damage Card,"the rabbit becomes an interior tree by pickingup any dropped interior tree card. This signifiesthat the rabbit has enriched the soil, allowing asapling to grow. If no dropped interior treecards are available, the rabbit remains dead untilone becomes available. The bobcat returns therabbit card to the "Damage Card" pile and thengoes back to the interior of the forest to hunt.The bobcat may only prey on rabbits when theyare in the interior of the.forest.
If a Porcupine Damage Card is selected,the student crawls (or pretends to crawl) to theinterior trees. Porcupines eat the bark of treesand can kill them. Again, watch out for thebobcat! The bobcat can only catch you if ittouches your underside (front waist - belt bucklearea). Porcupines can protect their undersidesby bunching up into tight balls. (Predators canusually kill porcupines only by attacking theirundersides.) If the bobcat catches the porcupinebefore it delivers the "Damage Card," the porcu-pine becomes an interior tree by picking up anydropped interior tree card. Other rules apply, asabove.
If an Insect Damage Card is selected, thestudent flies into the interior forest by flappinghis or her arms. Some insects or the diseasesthey carry can kill trees. Watch out for thewoodpecker! The woodpecker may only catchyou when it has one arm touching any interiortree. This signifies the woodpecker perched ona tree trunk. If the woodpecker catches theinsect before it delivers the "Damage Card," theinsect becomes an interior tree by picking upany dropped interior tree card. The wood-pecker returns the insect card to the "DamageCard" pile and then goes back to the interiorforest to hunt. Other rules apply, as above.
9. The game continues until:
the tree harvester has collected enoughpoints for his or her wood product, or
- there is an obvious change in the forestecosystem, or
the forest chaos is too much!
10. Post-activity discussion:a. Tally the types of trees remaining (edge
trees, interior trees without damage, interiortrees with damage). Hypothesize why theseresults occurred.
b. Discuss the experiences of the differentroles. Be sure to:
-have the tree harvester share how manypoints he or she acquired and the plans for theuse of the trees.
-have the interior trees discuss what killedthem. Was it one kind of damage or many kindsof damage working together? Which "DamageCard" was most common?
c. Have students describe the changesthat took place in the forest. Have the scientificobservers discuss their observations.
d. Why do some foresters advocate cut-ting small interior areas as a means of harvestingwood, rather than edge trees? Based on whatyou learned about the lumber quality of interiortrees, when might this practice not be accept-able?
e. What are some other ways forestecosystems can change? How would thesechanges affect the ecosystem? Are thesechanges good or bad?
f. Sometimes humans cause change to aforest ecosystem. Sometimes natural forces causethese changes. Which is better? Why do youfeel this way?
g. How does timber harvesting affectforest ecosystems? How and when do treeharvesters reforest areas after cutting trees?
h. Do old, mature forests (old-growthforests) have value if they are left unharvested?When? Why?
i. In the Pacific Northwest, the SpottedOwl requires old-growth forests to survive. Treeharvesters need to cut large, old trees to providelumber and maintain loCal jobs. Some peoplesay it's a battle between two species (owls vs.,
humans). Others say the owl symbolizes anecosystem in trouble. What do you think?
j. Emphasize the fact that the use ofnatural resources is necessary. Knowledge ofthe effects of resource extraction and use leadsto better forest management.
ASSESSMENT: Have students evaluate thecauses and results of five changes to the forestecosystem as a result of the tree harvestingdescribed in this activity. Observe their evalua-tions for overall understanding of the lessoncontent.
EXTENSIONS:1. Have students hypothesize the situation
if a beaver or a fire, instead of a human, were tochange the forest ecosystem.
2. Dig a little deeper into ecosystemdebates. For example, use newspapers andother periodicals to follow the debate about"old-growth forests." What species may dependon undisturbed old forests?
RESOURCES: Managing Forested Lands forWildlife, Colorado Division of Wildlife, 1987.
care about the past, and for manydifferent reasons. Sites and artifacts(human-made objects) providemeaning on several levels. Usingthe example of Stonehenge inEngland, we can list some valuespeople hold toward the past.Archaeologists (people who studyhistory through items left by earlierpeoples) value Stonehenge for itsscientific potential. Many peopleappreciate its aesthetic (beauty)value. Druids, even today, believeStonehenge has spiritual or reli-gious significance. British peoplegather there every year to makesocial and political statements. Theconcessionaires and businessesaround Stonehenge value it for itscommercial and economic value.To some people, Stonehenge hasan intrinsic value, that is, it hasvalue just because it exists. Tomany Britons, Stonehenge alsoholds heritage or historical values.
We can examine these mean-ings by placing them in one of two
1
categories: consumptive and non-consumptive. Consumptive usesare those that "use up" or depletethe past-sites, artifacts, and theopportunity for knowing aboutother people and other times.Non-consumptive uses are thosethat do not deplete sites, artifacts,or the knowledge base.
To some people, places andthings of the past are tangiblereminders of their heritage andhistory. If a person explores thesite by observation they are actingin a non-consumptive way. Thething or place will be there forthem to experience again and forothers to experience. If a persontakes an arrowhead, pottery shard,or old bottle, or writes a name onthe wall of a historic cabin or rockart panel, it is consuming the pastand removing parts of it fromothers' experience.
Other consumptive actionsinclude collecting artifacts to sell ortrade and construction projects,
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD 125
which include the destruction of the site byplowing and erecting buildings.
Non-consumptive uses include aesthetic,scientific, spiritual, or religious values. Sites andartifacts, when studied where they were left bytheir owners, provide data and scientific insightto archaeologists.
In a gray area between non-consumptiveand consumptive use is site excavation by aqualified archaeologist. The use of the site isconsumptive, since physically the site is nolonger intact. It is non-consumptive in the sensethat information gained from the site is throughscientific excavation and becomes public knowl-edge.
Archaeology is a rapidly changing field.New scientific techniques are developed everyyear that allow us to learn more from sites andartifacts. Archaeologists have adopted the ethicof conservation, and laws concerning culturalresources also recognize that we need to wiselyuse sites in order to conserve them. There willnot be any more of them, and an archaeologisthas to have a good reason to "consume" a siteby excavation.
Archaeologists and managers who makedecisions about projects on public lands spend alot of time and energy analyzing how sites andartifacts are to be conserved. The issues sur-rounding use of the past are complex and oftenstrike at the core of personal values. Respon-sible citizenship means being knowledgeableabout these issues and taking informed andthoughtful actions.
PROCEDURE:PRE-AC7TVITY:
Photocopy "The Road Showdown" for eachstudent.
ACTIVITY:
1. People often have conflicting ideasabout what is the best use of a resource, andsome uses prevent others. Ask:
-What are some examples of land usesthat conflict with one another if done on ornear the same property? (Possibilities includewildlife (hunters versus wildlife watchers), rivers126 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
(dams and energy versus river running and fishhabitat), and fields (farming or housing develop-ment).)
These same kinds of conflicts affect ar-chaeological and historic sites and artifacts aswell.
2. Divide the students into four groups:archaeologists, American Indians, businessowners, and recreationists.
3. Distribute "The Road Showdown"copies to students. Ask them to read the storythrough the eyes of their assigned roles to adoptthe viewpoint of that interest group. They willbe arguing for their viewpoint to a manager whowill make the final decision about the project.The manager can be the teacher, a student, or apanel of students.
4. Give students 10 to 15 minutes fordiscussion in their groups. Each group appointsa spokesperson to present their arguments.They propose solutions to the problem that theybelieve could meet the concerns of all parties, aswell as their own.
5. Call a "town meeting" to order andestablish two ground rules: (a) no interruptinganother person, and (b) be brief and to thepoint with your arguments. Set a time limit onpresentations.
6. Each group presents their desiredoutcome to the manager(s), supporting theirgoal with solid reasons. General discussion andrebuttal follows.
7. Summarize the discussions by askingeach group to choose one or two words thatdescribe the value with which their group ismost concerned. Examples may be science,heritage, religion, money, progress, fun.
8. Discuss how each of these values andconcerns has validity, and that there is no abso-lute right or wrong answer to the problem.Point out that being a responsible citizen meansunderstanding all the viewpoints about an issuebefore making a decision or taking an action.The manager now decides what to do about theproblems presented. Challenge the students to
134
think of other solutions to the problem thatcould meet everyone's concerns.
To CONCLUDE:
Students abandon their assigned roles andwrite what they would personally decide if theywere the land manager, and why.
ASSESSMENT:1. While in their groups, students list the
societal values that their group holds towardsthe hypothetical archaeological site. Groupsshould also determine whether their desireduse(s) of the site are consumptive or non-con-sumptive.
2. To assess the debate and the decision-making process, evaluate students on participa-tion in their groups, the clarity and reasoning oftheir arguments, and the reasoning skill exhib-ited in their written decisions.
EXTENSION: Alter the scenario and inter-est groups to fit a local situation. Students writeabout the viewpoint of each of the interestgroups.
CREDIT: Adapted from the "The RoadShowdown," Intrigue of the Past, Bureau of LandManagement.
135THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD 127
THE ROAD SHOWDOWN
The highway department is building aroad connecting your town to a new reservoir.Archaeologists are excavating a site that willthen be destroyed because it is directly in thepath of the new highway. They have used upall the money the highway department bud-geted for the excavation, but the site is muchlarger and more complex than they could tellwhen they first started. They say that the site isof tremendous scientific value and could helpanswer many questions about your state's past.They need $50,000 to finish the excavations.
Last week, the archaeologists uncoveredsome human burials. Following the law, theystopped excavating immediately and notified thenearby Indian tribe. Tribal leaders visited thesite and told the archaeologists that the siteincluded a cemetery of their ancestors and thatit had significant religious and heritage values tothe tribe. Their wishes are that the site becovered up and left in peace no further. exca-vation, no road over the site.
The local business owners are veryconcerned that the road will be delayed or notbuilt at all. This affects their income signifi-candy. If motorists aren't traveling through thetown on their way to the reservoir, they won'tbe buying gasoline, food, or lodging.
Recreationists are also very concerned.Fishermen and women, motorboat enthusiasts,and water-skiers all have been waiting for yearsfor the chance to use the new reservoir. Somehave even bought expensive new boats andfishing tackle. They will have to travel 60 extramiles on a dirt road to get to the reservoir if thenew highway isn't built.
128 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS 136
LEVEL: Grades 4-12
SUBJECTS: Social Studies,
Language Arts, Speech.
PROCESS: Through analyzingand discussing dilemmas, stu-
dents examine their own values
and beliefs about archaeological
site protection.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. State the conduct required by
the Archaeological Resources Pro-
tection Act of 1979.
2 Evaluate possible actions they
might take regarding site and art-
ifact protection.
TIMEFRAM One to three 45-minute periods.
SKILLS: Analyzing, applying,
decision making, debating, dis-
cussing, (drawing), evaluating,
interpreting, listening, problem
solving, public speaking, reading,
synthesizing, valuing, working in
small groups, writing.
MATERIALS: Pens or pencils,
writing paper, Dilemma Cards"(attached).
VOCABULARY: Archaeological
site, archaeological resource,
archaeologist, artifact.
DO YOU DIG IT?OVERVIEW: (See overview
for "Long and Winding Road")Federal and state laws demand
severe penalties for those whodisturb and destroy sites more than100 years old. The ArchaeologicalResources Protection Act (ARPA)was passed in 1979 and prohibitsunauthorized digging and collect-ing of archaeological resources,including pottery, basketry, bottles,coins, arrowheads, tools, structures,pithouses, rock art, graves, andhuman skeletons. No person maysell or buy any archaeologicalresource that was illegally acquired.Penalties for those convicted ofviolating ARPA are:
-First Offense: $100,000 fineand one year in jail. If the cost ofrepairing the damage exceeds$500, the offender may receive afine of $250,000 and spend twoyears in jail.
-Second Offense: $250,000 fineand five years in jail.
137
-Vehicles and other equipmentused in breaking this law may beconfiscated.
ARPA offers rewards to peoplewho supply information leading tothe arrest and conviction of ARPAviolators.
ARPA applies to all publiclands, including those administeredby the U.S. Forest Service, Bureauof Land Management, the military,Fish and Wildlife Service, and theNational Park Service.
Statutes similar to ARPA havebeen passed in most states andapply to most state lands. Statelaws often also apply to the dig-ging of archaeological sites onprivate lands. People shouldcheck with state government todetermine what laws apply to stateand private lands where they live.Archaeologists conducting ap-proved field work are grantedpermits by federal and state agen-cies.
DO YOU DIG IT? 129
People recreating in the out-of-doors fre-quently discover an archaeological site or arti-fact. By law, the artifact is to be left in place,and the site left undisturbed. Discoveries of rareor remarkable artifacts and sites should bereported to the land managing agency, or, in thecase of private lands, to a local agency archae-ologist or state agency.
Some people collecting artifacts and exca-vating sites are engaged in an illegal market, arearmed with weapons, and must be considereddangerous. Students should never approachsomeone they see collecting' artifacts or excavat-ing sites. The best thing to do is to recordinformation about the people: their physicaldescriptions, their activities, the license numbersof their vehicles. This information should beimmediately reported to law enforcement.
PROCEDURE:PRE ACTIVITY::
1. Photocopy the "DilemMa Cards" andglue each dilemma on an index card. Otherdilemmas could be written that are more specificto problems in your area. (Students could alsocreate "Dilemma Cards," with each studentresponsible for one dilemma.) You may want tolaminate your cards.
2. Ask:
-Have you ever been in a situation whenyou were not sure of the right way to behaveor respond? For example, your best friendhas his or her hair cut in a style you think isvery unattractive. What do you tell yourfriend when he or she asks if you like theway it looks? Or, your best friend showsyou a video game he or she has stolen fromanother friend's house. What do you say toyour friend? Do you report the incident tosomeone? If so, whom?
Explain that the following activity willrequire decision making about difficult situa-tions. As they share solutions to the followingdilemmas, students should be prepared to givereasons for their decisions.
ACTIVITY
1. Read one of the "Dilemma Cards"aloud to the class. Without group discussit)38130 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
ask the class to write a paragraph or two abouthow they feel about the dilemma, and what theywould do about it. Have them keep their pa-pers for their own values clarification. (Oftenvalues change once there is group discussionand other perspectives are introduced).
Another approach to this activity is to havethe students turn in their papers (without names)and write several of their dilemma solutions onthe blackboard until you have listed many strate-gies and viewpoints.
2. Have students discuss the pros andcons of each solution and perhaps come to aclass consensus. This activity can help studentsclarify their values while demonstrating thatthere are many perspectives on any issue. Askthe students to reconsider what they had origi-nally written. Have their values changed afterlistening to other viewpoints?
3. Now, divide the class into groups offour to five students and give each group one ofthe "Dilemma Cards." Have the students discussthe dilemma as a group and decide how theywould solve the problem. If students create asolution they think is better than the ones listed,allow them to share this solution. Allow about15 minutes for their discussion. Choose aspokesperson for each group to report to theclass the group's decision and their reasons fortaking the actions or positions they did. Werethey able to all agree on what they would do?
4. Ask the students if they felt they hadenough information upon which to base theirdecisions. Ask them if their opinions changedonce they heard different points of view.
To CONCLUDE:
5. Ask the students to share their overallposition concerning the protection of archaeo-logical resources. Or, ask them to create asymbol, story, poem, drawing, or song thatsummarizes their opinion.
ASSESSMENT: Each student is assigned adilemma. They each write a short paragraph onthe positive and negative effects of all the op-tions listed for that dilemma, indicating whatadditional information, if any, is needed in orderto make a responsible and informed decision.
Finally, students identify which decision is themost appropriate and responsible, explainingtheir reasoning.
EXTENSIONS:1. Divide the students into groups as
above, but this time give each group the samedilemma. Discuss the ways the different groupsaddressed the same issue.
2. Use the "Dilemma Cards" for a debate.
3. Ask students to role play one of the"Dilemma Cards" and their solution to the di-lemma.
CREDIT: Modified from "Artifact Ethics,"Intrigue of the Past, Bureau of Land Manage-ment.
rDilemma 1You are on a camping trip in a national
park with some of your friends and yourfamily. Your parents stop the car in theparking lot to visit a famous rock art site.You and your friends are walking up to therock art when you pass a man and a womancarrying a large bag. As you continue walk-ing, you can see the large sandstone wallcovered with rock art. You look closer, andsee that there are fresh red spray paint signa-tures covering several of the rock art figures.The paint is still dripping down the wall asyou arrive. What do you do?
3.
Run back to the man and woman andtell them it is against the law to damage rockart.
-Do nothing; mind your own business.
Get their license plate number, descrip-tion of the car and the people. Then reportthem immediately to the national park ranger.
Use some of the wet paint to write yourname too. After all, the settlers and NativeAmericans wrote their names and symbols onrocks.
-Call the police back home.
Have your parents make a citizen'sarrest of the man and the woman.
-Other:
139
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DO YOU DIG IT? 131
1Dilemma 2
u You are on a scouting trip to a nationalorest to visit an old historic ghost town. Yourcout leader takes you into an old building
.where there are a lot of relics laying aroundincluding bits and pieces of pottery. Yourteacher has informed you that historic placesFre protected by the law and that you shouldlake nothing, but your scout leader is pickinglip several pieces of pottery and some of theIpther artifacts. Several of the scouts are doingthe same thing. When you tell the leader whatyour teacher said about not taking artifacts, theleader answers by saying, "Taking little thingslike broken pottery doesn't count." What doou do?
Act as though you saw nothing; let themtake the pottery pieces home.
Pick up just one piece of pottery as asouvenir.
Do nothing, knowing that you wereobeying the law by not taking anything.
Find another scout troop.
-Ask your parents to report the scoutleader to the Forest Service.
-Ask a professional archaeologist to comeand talk to your scout troop.
-Other:
132 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
Dilemma 3You are a judge on a case where a man
has been charged with pothunting and sellingAnasazi artifacts through an illegal market.He has been unemployed and is using themoney to buy food for his family. What doyou do?
Put him in prison for nine months.
-Fine him $5,000.
-Release him with a warning.
-Inform him that there are social servicesto help him support his family, so that hedoes not have to destroy the irreplaceablepast. Also fine him.
Sentence him to 100 hours of commu-nity service, requiring him to give talks toschools about the importance of protectingarchaeological sites.
140
-Other:
rDilemma 4You are an archaeologist excavating sites
in an area that is going to be the site of ahazardous waste incinerator. Your excavationteam has just started uncovering what appearsto be a large American Indian burial site. Youknow that local Indian tribes would be upsetto learn that the graves of their ancestors arebeing disturbed. They may want to halt orattempt to delay construction of the incinera-tor. What do you and your team do?
Decide to break the law and continue todig the site. Then wait until the site is exca-vated to tell the Indian tribes about the buri-als.
Stop excavating immediately and reportthe site to the local tribe.
-Continue excavating but ignore theburials and don't record them.
Stop the excavation and recommend thatthe site somehow be preserved.
-Resign so you won't have to get in-volved.
Other:
L
Dilemma 5You are an amateur archaeologist aware
that the reservoir from construction of a largedam will eventually cover an entire canyoncontaining many Fremont Indian sites. Oneof your friends asks you if you want to go tothe canyon and retrieve just a few artifactsbecause, after all, if you don't, the artifactswill just be buried under water. What do youdo?
Go and get just one or two artifacts inthe canyon. Maybe the law does not apply toareas that are going to be destroyed anyway.
-Don't go with your friend, and if yourfriend goes, anonymously report him or herto the law.
Refuse to go and tell your friend that itis against the law.
-Let him or her go and get a few thingsfor you.
Organize a local group of amateurarchaeologists to work with professionalarchaeologists so that more information canbe recovered before the reservoir is flooded.
Other:
141
J
DO YOU DIG IT? 133
..... ......Dilemma 6You are a county sheriff and live in a
small town. You suspect several people arepothunting on federal land and are illegallyselling artifacts. These people claim that theyfound the artifacts on their own property,and that it is legal to sell them. What do youdo?
Try to follow these people and catchthem in the act.
Call in federal agents from another townto investigate these people because many ofthem are your neighbors.
Don't do anything unless you catchthem in the act because it is your hunchagainst their word.
Try and get them involved in amateurarchaeology organizations and classes so theywill understand the importance of preservingsites on private and public lands.
r-Other:
Dilemma 7You are hiking in a remote section of a
BLM wilderness area and discover a largeAnasazi pot that is wedged in between tworocks. What do you do?
Try to remove the pot and take it backto the BLM office.
Leave the pot where you found it,photograph it, carefully record on a mapwhere you found it, and turn your informa-tion over to BLM.
Leave the pot there, and don't tellanyone about it or its location.
Remove the pot, hide it in your car, andtake it home.
U
1.134 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
11 ler :
Dilemma 8You are visiting a state park that is a
historic ranch site with several rock buildingspartially intact. There is a large sign by theruins saying: "These walls are very fragile!Do not take anything, and do not walk on orgo into the ruins." You are eating your lunchwhen a family arrives and ignores the sign.Kids are walking on top of the ruins and arepicking up glass fragments and old nails andputting them in their pockets. What do youdo?
Ask the family politely if they have readthe sign.
Ignore them; it is really none of yourbusiness.
Tell them they are breaking the law.
Say nothing and try to hike out first tofind a ranger and report them.
Other:
142
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LEVEL: Grades 5-8
SUBJECTS: EnvironmentalEducation, Science, Language
Arts.
PROCESS: Through role playing
various wildlife species or hu-
mans, students make decisions
about the use of natural resources
within an ecosystem.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Describe food and habitat
needs for specific species of
wildlife and humans.
2. Discuss what makes up an
ecosystem.
3. Discuss effects of different
land use choices on the
environment and other life forms.
4. Identify land uses that are
considered good (compatible)
versus those that are considered
harmful or less desirable
(conflicting).
5. Demonstrate how land use
conflicts are solved.
6. Demonstrate cooperative
problem-solving and decision-
making skills.
TIMEFRAME: 1 hour 30 minutes.
SKILLS: Analyzing, applying,
comparing similarities and dif-
ferences, comprehending, de-
scribing, discussing, drawing,
evaluating, interpreting, listening,
map reading, problem solving,
reading, reporting, role playing,
understanding cause and effect,
valuing, working in small groups.
MATERIALS: Writing materials,
"The Ecosystem" drawing, Role
Cards" (attached). Optional:
Overhead projector, overhead
transparencies, dry erase markers.
VOCABULARY: Amphibian,
aquatic, compatible, conflicting,
decaying, decision making, eco-
system, environmentalist, fresh-
water, global, habitat, mammal,
natural resources, nymph, pre-
dator, problem solving, reptile,
terrestrial, wildlife, woodland.
A/A
IF You OWNEDTHE EGes4f1TEM
OVERVIEW: Ecosystems areinteracting systems of living thingsand their non-living physical envi-ronments. The word ecosystem isalso used to describe the placewhere these interactions (relation-ships) occur. Ecosystems can be assmall as a tiny pond or as large asan ocean, forest, or desert.
We call the living parts of anecosystem the biological compo-nent. The variety of the livingspecies in an ecosystem is knownas biological diversity orbiodiversity. The non-living partsof the ecosystem are referred to asphysical components, and includesuch things as topography, mois-ture, soil types, and climate.
The biological and physicalcomponents of an ecosysteminteract naturally in give-and-take,interdependent ways. In a healthyecosystem, the native biodiversityis intact and the system operates inways to maintain that diversity.Some ecosystems aret,very resilient,
143
absorbing much change and im-pact. Some ecosystems are veryfragile. For every change, there isan effect. The loss of one speciesor the change in one physicalfactor can make a huge difference.It can even determine whether ornot the entire ecosystem can func-tion and survive.
In addition to the stresses puton ecosystems through forces ofnature, today's growing humanpopulation continues to need andwant more and different things.Most human needs (food, clothing,shelter, space, etc.) involves theuse of natural resources. Thatmeans ecosystems are directlyaffected.
Sometimes, the ways we usenatural resources and impactecosystems are compatible or notdestructive to one another. Othertimes, the ways we decide to useresources conflict, and what's goodfor one part of the ecosystem isnot good for another.
IF YOU OWNED THE ECOSYSTEM 135
In this activity, students work in smallgroups to decide whether or not to makechanges to an ecosystem. The changes will bebased on a specific wildlife, human, or specialinterest group they represent. Each group needsto consider what they eat, where they live, whatmaterials they need to build homes or otherstructures, what they need for protection, howlong the changes will last, or how the changeswill affect the other groups. Students discoverthat different groups need many of the samenatural resources. Some of the natural resourceuses will be compatible and others will not becompatible. Each group has a right to presentits members' needs. They must listen to theneeds of others, and together make a decision asto the best use of the resources.
PROCEDURE:PRE ACTIVITY ::
1. Photocopy one ecosystem drawing forevery two to three students and one class copyof both role description pages and role pictures.If possible, photocopy the pages back-to-back.Make sure to match the appropriate pages! Youcan also glue the two pages together. You maywant to cover the cards with clear contact paperor laminate them so they can be used again.Option: Provide each group with an ecosystemdrawing on an overhead transparency. They usedry erase markers to mark their changes. Thetransparency can also be used to make a presen-tation back to the class.
2. Cut the role cards apart.
Aa7V17Y:
1. Ask:
-What is an ecosystem?
See Overview for more information. Stu-dents must understand that for every change inan ecosystem there is an effect. Everything in anecosystem is connected at some level.
Discuss "compatible use" with students.What examples can they think of in their per-sonal lives of a common space that is run ormanaged with many different interests in mind?Have students briefly explain the space and howit is managed. The school building is an excel-lent -ex-ample of compatible use 11 students need136 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
assistance. Others are a community center,park, gymnasium, or sports complex.
2. Divide students into small groups oftwo to three members. There needs to be atleast eight groups, each of which represents adifferent viewpoint: farmers, students, environ-mentalists, ecosystem managers, and at leastinsects, reptiles, fishes, and birds. Additionalgroups can represent other wildlife species.
3. Give each group a copy of "The Eco-system" and explain that this is the commonspace about which they will make decisions.Distribute a role card to each group.
4. Have students read the role descriptionon the back of their group's card. They defineor look up any vocabulary words that may beunfamiliar, and then answer the following ques-tions in their groups:
-What do you eat?
-Where do you live?
-What are your habits or what do youlike to do?
-What kinds of materials do you need tobuild a home or shelter?
-Where will you get the materials?
-What do you need protection from?(Predators.)
5. Each group talks about the kind ofadjustments or changes they would like to maketo the ecosystem. The changes are made fromthe point of view of the wildlife or human rolesthey represent. Changes can include planting,building, removing things, and other actions thatwill make their life better. They consider howlong the changes will last, they are permanent ortemporary, and what effect the change will haveon the other groups.
6. "The Ecosystem" can be used to makea rough copy of the changes.
7. Each group presents its changes to theecosystem to the class, including who is being
X44
represented and pertinent information from therole card. They also define for the group anyvocabulary words that come up in their groupand may not be familiar to the class. (See Vo-cabulary section of this lesson.)
8. After all presentations have been made,the class works to reach a consensus on changesthey will make to the ecosystem.
Ask each group to identify:
A. Who would be affected by theirchanges.
B. How the ecosystem would be affectedby their changes.
C. Which changes are compatible; whichare not compatible.
9. Summarize by asking:
-What was the most interesting part ofthis activity? Least interesting?
-What was the hardest part? Easiestpart?
-How can what you learned in thisactivity help you in the future?
ASSESSMENT:1. Evaluate students' participation in the
group processes.
2. Have each group give reasons for thechanges they made to the ecosystem.
3. If there is no consensus on change(s),have students identify reasons why consensuswas not possible. What could have made con-sensus possible?
EXTENSIONS:1. Have students do research to learn
more about each of the birds, fish, and otherwildlife described on the cards. For example,find out how they protect themselves frompredators (enemies), find an interesting fact (i.e.,the importance of a squirrel's tail), etc.
2. Use this activity to lead into a discus-
sion of the food web. Is anything missing fromthis ecosystem?
3. Have students add different animals tothe ecosystem and prepare additional cards. Dothe activity again with the new animals.
4. Have students create different land usescenarios. For example, the farmer has decidedto sell her land to a developer who wants tobuild a shopping mall.
5. Individually or in small groups, havestudents design ecosystems of their own. Whatanimals, land uses, etc., would be included?Include any local land-use controversies near theschool or within the community.
6. Explore and use different consensus-building techniques.
RESOURCES:Helping Wildlife: Working With Nature,
Delwin E. Benson, Wildlife Management Insti-tute, 1977.
North American Wildlife, Susan J. Wernert,Editor, The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.,1982.
Lynn Almer, Beth Boaz, and Pat Mangancontributed to development.
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145IF YOU OWNED THE ECOSYSTEM 137
DRAGON FLY (insect): Drag-onflies are most often seen flyingalong the edges of lakes andstreams. The larvae, commonlycalled nymphs, live almost entirely infreshwater. Some species burrow insand or mud while others cling tovegetation. Nymphs eat microscopic(very tiny) animals, but as they growthey eat mosquitoes, other insectlarvae, and small worms. Dragon-flies are beneficial insects eatingmany other pest insects. Birds,frogs, spiders, and fish eat nymphsand adult dragonflies.
GRASSHOPPER (insect): Grass-hoppers are generally green orbrown. They have long slenderbodies with large powerful back legsfor jumping. They eat the leaves,stems, or young shoots of plants,often feeding on grass, clover, andother plants. Females lay their eggsin the soil and sometimes in rottingwood. Grasshoppers are found ingrasslands, fields, deserts, gardens,lawns, woods, and brushy areas.Frogs and skunks eat grasshoppers.
t38 EIMSYSTEM MATTERS
ROLE CARDS
1 4 6
FROG (amphibian): In theearly stages of growth, frogs arecalled tadpoles. Tadpoles have tails,live mostly in the water and havegills so they can breathe. Frogs donot have tails. Some frogs live inthe water, some live on land, andsome live in trees. Frogs eat lots ofinsects, including grasshoppers.Frogs in turn are eaten by birds,mammals, reptiles (especiallysnakes), and humans (frog legs).
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TURTLE (reptile): Some turtleslive in the water and some live onland, but all lay their eggs on land.The eggs are usually buried in sand,mud, or decaying vegetation. Someturtles eat mostly plants while otherseat only living or dead animals.Turtles have no teeth. The eggs andyoung turtles may be eaten by otheranimals.
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LIZARD (reptile): Lizards arethe most abundant of all reptiles.They are found in many habitats inthe warmer parts of the world. Most,if not all, lizards can swim. Mostlizards eat insects; some of the largerlizards eat vegetation. Lizards can befound in many places: in or underfallen Jogs, hiding under bill. sh andpiles of leaves, on rocky slopes,canyon walls, patches of sandy soil,and deserted buildings. Coyotes,foxes, bobcats, domestic cats anddogs, hawks, snakes, crows, andravens eat lizards.
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SUNFISH (fish): This fish livesin warm, shallow, weedy ponds andwarm, mud-bottomed or rockystreams. They may be in areas ofheavy vegetation or under overhang-ing tree limbs. They eat aquaticinsects and terrestrial insects thatland on the water. Otters, mink,herons, turtles, water snakes, andother fish eat the sunfish.
RAINBOW TROUT (fish):Trout are found in cold, clear lakesand streams, especially where thewater is moving rapidly. They areoften found in the shadow createdby overhanging banks and treelimbs. Eggs are laid in the fall orspring and in a stream or on thestream materials (sand, gravel).They eat aquatic insects and terres-trial insects that land on the water.Otters, mink, herons, other trout,and humans eat rainbow trout.
FOX SQUIRREL (mammal):The fox squirrel uses trees to build anest, to hide from enemies, and forfood. It eats the fruit, buds, and thebark of twigs and often buriesgathered food. They sometimes eatbirds. Coyotes, foxes, bobcats,domestic cats and dogs, hawks,snakes, crows, and ravens eat squir-rel.
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1 4- -rinTolFrablffiricTSYST M i 39
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DEER (mammal): Deer can befound in a variety of habitatsthroughout the world: They feed ongrass, leaves, buds, and twigs ofwoody bushes. Deer have longbeen used by humans as a source ofmeat and hides. Coyotes, mountainlions, and domestic dogs eat deer.
ROBIN (bird): The Americanrobin lives in open forests, farm-lands, parks, and suburbs. Theygenerally build their nests onbranches, in forks of trees, or onhouses or barns where there areledges. Mud, twigs, roots, grass, andpaper are used to make the nest.They eat berries, worms, and insects.Coyotes, foxes, bobcats, domesticcats and dogs, hawks, snakes, crows,and ravens eat robins and their eggs.
1.40 reacRthriArrTE RS
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MALLARD (bird): Mallards livein marshes, shallow freshwaterponds and coastal waters. They gettheir food by dipping their bills andheads into the water looking forseeds, aquatic vegetation, and smallfish. They also eat grains and veg-etation. Their nest is hidden in veg-etation near the water's edge. Coy-otes, foxes, bobcats, domestic catsand dogs, hawks, snakes, crows, andravens eat mallards and their eggs.
RED-TAILED HAWK (bird):This hawk is usually found in openwoodland areas. Nests are built intrees and sometimes in cliffs andhuman-made structures like tallbuildings. The nest is usually largeand made of sticks, lined with grassand green leaves. These hawksgenerally hunt for live animals duringthe day. They eat mice, rabbits,squirrels, beavers, prairie dogs, andsnakes. Coyotes, foxes, bobcats,domestic cats and dogs, other hawks,snakes, crows, and ravens eat thered-tailed hawk.
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COMMODITY USER(FARMER): In our community, thisagricultural producer is growingwinter wheat on about 1,000 acresof land. No fertilizers or pesticidesare being used. Every two-threeyears, the wheat crop is rotated witha soybean crop. This crop rotationpractice helps maintain good soilquality. A machine called a com-bine is used to harvest the wheat.Soybean plants return nitrogen tothe soil, which helps other plantsgrow.
STUDENT: You can createyour own role. Think about whatyou do at home, in school, andoutdoors. Prepare your self-descrip-tion based on: what you eat, whereyou live, your habitats or what youlike to do, materials needed to builda home or shelter, where you willget the materials, and from what youneed protection.
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ENVIRONMENTALIST: Thisperson cares about the environment,everything from the air we breatheto the water we drink. Most believewe all can do something to helpprotect our environment, whether itis recycling or walking to school orwork whenever possible. Mostbelieve it is important to balancehuman needs with the needs ofanimals and vegetation. This personmay be concerned with issues rang-ing from local government to theglobal (world) environment. Actionstaken by this person vary fromwriting letters to Congress to clean-ing up rivers.
ECOSYSTEM MANAGER: Thisperson is interested in balancinghuman needs with the needs ofanimals and vegetation. The Ecosys-tem Manager's career requires thatmost of his/her time is spent work-ing with a specific ecosystem. Forexample, this person might be re-sponsible for taking care of thenatural resources (air, water, land,soil, plants, animals) at a wildliferefuge, national park or forest, etc.
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IF YOU OWNED THE ECOSYSTEM 145
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LEVEL: Grades 5-12
SUBJECTS: English, Social
Studies, Drama.
PROCESS: Through a parable,
students learn that ecosystems are
valued in diverse ways.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Recognize the values held by
various groups and individuals
regarding an ecosystem.
2. Evaluate their own personal
values related to an ecosystem.
3. Listen to and respect the
rights of others to maintain dif-
ferent values.
TIMEFRAME 30 minutes to 2
hours.
SKILLS: Acting, creative writing,
debating, discussing, researching.
MATERIALS: Parables (one en-
closed), writing materials, props
for student-developed skits.
VOCABULARY: None.
ar E BLIND MENAND T E EGoSYSTEM
OVERVIEW: Ecosystems aremade of many parts, all interactingwith each other. Plants, animals,bacteria, fungi, water, air, and soilare all parts of whole dynamicecosystems. People are part ofecosystems too! We interact withall the other parts of our ecosystemevery day, though we may notrealize it.
Sometimes people only "see"one part of an ecosystem. That is,they become keenly aware of onlythe one part of the ecosystem that'smost important to them. Fre-quently, they assume that everyoneelse sees and values -- the eco-system in the same way they do.Of course, this isn't true. Peoplehave different perspectives aboutecosystems and their management.
In the management of ecosys-tems, whether forest, desert, orwatershed, conflicts are inevitable.But by understanding the variousperspectives and the values behindthose perspectives, sometimes
160
people can avoid or mitigate thoseconflicts.
In this activity, students takethe old Indian parable, "The BlindMen and the Elephant," analyze itsmessage, research the perspectivesof various "blind people" in anecosystem management conflict,and rewrite the parable as, "TheBlind Persons and the Ecosystem."They may choose to write andperform a skit or melodrama.
PROCEDURE:1. Read the story of the
"Blind Men and the Elephant" anddiscuss its message. (Story isattached.)
2. Ask:
-How can this message beapplied to an ecosystem man-agement conflict?
Have students research anecosystem management conflictand determine the various perspec-
THE BLIND MEN AND THE ECOSYSTEM 147
tives of the people involved. Often students willonly identify two opposing sides to a conflict.Usually there are many more than two sides.
3. Rewrite the parable or perfoim it as askit. (See attached as an example.)
4. Leave ample time for discussion.
ASSESSMENT:1. Have students list the "blind persons"
involved with an ecosystem management con-flict. What are their perspectives? Why do theyhave those perspectives?
2. Have students write two or threeparagraphs describing:
-In what ways are you "blind" to otherperspectives of an ecosystem managementconflict?
-How can you improve your eyesight?
3. Evaluate students' contributions as theydiscuss some of the purposes of parables.
EXTENSION: Find other parables andrewrite them to emphasize an environmentallesson.
-1 61148 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
The "Blind" Men and the Elephant
Once upon a time, six blind men livedtogether in India. They had often heard aboutelephants, but because they were blind, theyhad never seen one. The Rajah had manyelephants. So, the blind men went to the Rajah'spalace to "see" an elephant first-hand. Theytraveled together, walking one behind the other,communicating with each other so they wouldn'tfall down. Each man put his hand on the shoul-der of the man in front.
An elephant was standing in the court-yard of the palace. The blind men touched theelephant with their hands.
The first blind man touched the side ofthe elephant. "An elephant is like a wall," hesaid.
The second blind man touched the trunkof the elephant and jumped back. "An elephantis like a snake!" he said.
The third blind man reached out andtouched the tusk. "Sharp! An elephant is like aspear," he said.
The fourth blind man grasped the leg ofthe elephant. "How thick and tall," he said. "Anelephant is like a tree."
The fifth blind man touched the ear ofthe elephant. "An elephant is like a fan," hesaid.
The sixth blind man reached out anttouched the tail of the elephant. "It is thin andtough. An elephant is like a rope."
The blind men were tired and sat downto talk about the elephant. "An elephant is likea wall," said the first blind man.
"What? A wall? You're wrong," said thesecond blind man. "An elephant is like asnake."
"A snake? You're wrong," said the thirdblind man. "An elephant is like a spear."
"A spear? You're wrong," said the fourthblind man. "An elephant is like a tree."
"A tree? You're wrong," said the fifthblind man. "An elephant is like a fan."
"A fan? You're wrong," said the sixthblind man. "An elephant is like a rope."
The blind men could not agree. Theyshouted and argued! Their argument got louderand louder!
The Rajah was awakened by the shout-ing. He called out his palace window, "Stop!"
The blind men stopped arguing. TheRajah said, "The elephant is a very big animal.Each man only touched one part. You must putall the parts together to find out what an el-ephant really is like."
The blind men listened. They restedunder a cool tree and talked quietly. "TheRajah is a very wise man. Each one of usknows only a part. To find out the whole truth,we must put all the parts together," said oneblind man. And they did.
They left the courtyard traveling together,walking one behind the other, communicatingwith each other so they would not fall down.Each man put his hand on the shoulder of theman in front.
X62THE BLIND MEN AND THE ECOSYSTEM 149
The "Blind" Persons and the Watershed
Once upon a time, seven blind personsfrom the Land of Stereotypes came to the BigRiver Watershed. They all marvelled at the richnatural resources the area had to offer. Becausethey had on blinders they could not see well,they traveled together, walking one behind theother, communicating with each other so theywould not fall down.
Soon they came to a tributary stream andfollowed it downhill. Eventually, the groupswere at the banks of the Big River.
The first person was a miner. He felt thegeologic formations nearby and decided theyheld gold, silver, and other minerals that theworld needed to make important things. To getthe minerals from the mountains and to dissipatemining's waste, he needed water from the river."This river was made for mining," he said.
The second person was a farmer. Shenoticed all the level land in the valley andnearby plains, and thought, "This is a good placeto grow food for the people of the world. Toobad it doesn't rain much around here." She thendecided to divert water out of the river to waterher crops. As she began to dig the ditch, shesaid, "This river was made for agriculture."
The third person was a fisherman. Hefelt the splash of the river and a mayfly tickle hisarm. This is a good place for the people of theworld to catch fish, he thought. He prepared forthe first cast and said, "This river was made forfishing."
The fourth person was a city mayor. Heknelt down and tasted the river; it was good todrink. "But my city is so far away," he said. "Iwill ask my engineers to divert this water to mycity; then it will grow and prosper. It will be agreat city of the world." The mayor was pleasedand said, "This river was made for cities."
The fifth person was a rafter. She said,"Wow! The holes in this river are awesome.Class four or five, for sure." This is a great placefor the people of the world to scream, laugh,and get an adrenaline rush, she thought. As shestrapped on her life jacket, she said, "This riverwas made for rafting."
. The sixth person was an environmental-ist. He thought, this watershed is so fresh andclean. "Back in the land where I came fromeverything is so polluted and scarred. I can't let
150 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
that happen here," he said. "I must savethe river for the world. This river should be leftalone."
The seventh person was a bureaucrat.With all these people competing for the use ofthe river, they will need my help, she thought. Iwill have to regulate all of them. I can show theworld how effective government works. As shemade her budget request to Congress, shethought, "This river was made for regulating."
At the end of the day, the blind personswere tired. They began to talk about the BigRiver Watershed.
"This river was made for mining," said thefirst person.
"What? You're wrong. This river wasmade for farming," said the second.
"Whoa," said the third person. "This riveris for fishing."
"You're wrong. This river is for cities,"said the fourth.
"NOT!" said the fifth person. "This riveris for rafting."
"Rafting?" said the sixth. "This rivershould be left natural."
"I am with the government," said the last."I am here to help you."
The group could not agree. Each personshouted louder and louder and called his orher lawyer.
Finally, a voice from the watershed said,"Stop!"
The seven people stopped shouting."The Big River Watershed is a very big ecosys-tem. Each person has only considered one part.You must put all the parts together to under-stand what the watershed really is," said thevoice.
The seven people listened. They satdown together and talked quietly. Althoughthey did not agree on everything, they listenedto each other sincerely.
Afterwards, they took off their blindersand saw more than they did before. And eventhough they were no longer visually impared,they travelled together, one beside the other,communicating with each other, so they wouldnot fall down.
163
The "Blind" Persons and the Watershed
A Parable of the Big River (or your ownlocal) watershed
Props for Cast:Narrator: Large Story Book (with title on
cover)
Persons carry clothing "props" in day packs.
Person #1 -sunglasses, day pack, mininghard hat, geologists hammer or gold pan, longwhite stick.
Person #2 -sunglasses, day pack, cowboyhat, irrigation boots, bandanna, shovel.
Person #3 -sunglasses, day pack, fishingvest, waders, fly rod.
Person #4 -sunglasses, day pack, drinkingglass and pitcher.
Person #5 -sunglasses, day pack, shorts,"teva" sandles, lifejacket, paddle.
Person #6 -sunglasses, day pack, Earth-dayt-shirt.
Person #7 -sunglasses, day pack, tie andsportcoat, clipboard.
NARRATOR: (read slowly, as if telling anancient story)
Once upon a time, seven blind personsfrom the Land of Stereotypes came to the BigRiver.
(From the rear of the auditorium enters theline of "blind" persons comically shuffling downthe center aisle, each with one hand on theshoulder of the person in front.)
They all marveled at the rich natural re-sources the area had to offer.
(Group stops, pause, "look around.")
(in unison) O00000! Eeeeee! Ahhhhh!
(Group then continues shuffling forward.)
164
NARRATOR: Because they were wearingblinders, they travelled together, walking onebehind the other, talking and communicatingwith each other so they would not fall down.
PERSON #1: Whoa! Say, there's a log here.Be careful. Take a big step.
(One person at a time, in sequence, helpeach other over the log. "Be careful," "Let mehelp you," etc. Keep shuffling along.)
NARRATOR: Soon they came to a tributarystream...
PERSON #1: Whoa! Hey, there's a littlecreek here...
PERSON #2: (Putting a toe in the creek.)Oh, yeah, it's nice and cool.
PERSON #3: Hey, let's follow it down-stream.
PERSON #4: Good idea!
NARRATOR: And so they did. More tribu-taries joined it, and eventually the blind personswere at the banks of the Upper Arkansas River.They all marvelled at the river....
ALL PERSONS: O00000! Eeeeee! Ahhhhh!
(Group begins to explore the river withtheir hands, etc....)
Person #1 notices a 'rock in the river andbites it. Its gold! He getS\ excited! Repeat.
Person #2 notices the river but is also hun-gry. Notices how hot and dry and flat the land-scape is. Repeat.
Person #3 notices a mayfly land on him.Tries to catch it. Finally does and examines it.Repeat.
Person #4 notices the cool, good taste ofthe river water. Gets out drinking glass, fills itand drinks. Repeat.
THE BLIND MEN AND THE ECOSYSTEM 151
Person #5 notices the splashing waves; getsvery excited about the waves. Repeat.
Person #6 notices the river smells andswishes hand in the river. Picks a flower. Re-peat.
Person #7 notices what the other blindpersons are doing and begins to take notes.Repeat.
(Then the groups take off backpacks andbegin to dress in appropriate attire. When alldressed, be still as narrator discusses each per-son.)
NARRATOR: The first person found gold,silver, and other precious metals near the river.He was a miner and mined ores that all theworld would need to make important things. Toget the minerals from the mountains, to processthe ore, and to dissipate the waste, he wouldneed water from the river.
PERSON #1: This river is made for mining!
NARRATOR: The second person noticed allthe level land in the valley and the nearby plainsand thought...
PERSON #2: This is a good place to growfood for all the people of the world but, it suredoesn't rain much around here.
NARRATOR: Then she had an idea. Shecould dig a ditch to divert water out of the riverto water crops. A reservoir cold store springrun-off water for when she needed it in latesummer. As she began to dig the ditch, shesaid...
PERSON #2: This river is made for agricul-tore!
NARRATOR: The third person was a fisher-man. He noticed a mayfly flit nearby and saw atrout jump for it. He scrambled for a fly rod inexcitement. This is a good place for the peopleof the world to catch fish, he thought. And ashe readied for the first cast, he said...
PERSON #3: This river is made for fishing!
152 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
NARRATOR: The fourth person was a citymayor. He knelt down and tasted the river andthought...
PERSON #4: My, this is good tasting water.My people would like to drink this water anduse it in their homes. Too bad my city is so faraway. If only I could get this water to my city, itwould grow and prosper.
NARRATOR: And his city could be a greatcity of the world. Suddenly, the mayor had anidea! He would hire an engineer to build a damto hold the river water and pipe it to his city.He was pleased and said...
PERSON #4: This river is made for cities!
NARRATOR: The fifth person was a rafter...
PERSON #5: Whoa, dude! This river is liketotally awesome. The holes are like class four orfive, for sure.
NARRATOR: This person thought the riveris a great place for the people of the world toscream, laugh, and get an adrenalin rush. Asshe strapped on her life jacket, she said...
PERSON #5: This river is made for rafting!
NARRATOR: The sixth person was anenvironmentalist. He thought this watershed isso fresh and clean.
PERSON #6: Back where I come from, thatis...the land of stereotypes, everything is sopolluted and scarred with so many people, Ican't let that happen here.
NARRATOR: The person thought that hemust save this river for the future generations ofthe world. As he pondered the meaning of lifewhile eating a granola bar, he said...
PERSON #6: This river should be left alone!
NARRATOR: The last person was a govern-ment bureaucrat. Therefore she wasn't reallyblind, just visually impaired. With all thesepeople competing for the use of the river, shethought, they will need my help.
165
PERSON #7: I will have to regulate all ofthem. I can show the world how effectivegovernment works.
NARRATOR: And as she made her budgetrequest to Congress, she thought...
PERSON #7: This river is made for regulat-ing!
NARRATOR: At the end of the day, thepeople were tired. They came together andbegan to talk about the (your local) watershed.
PERSON #1: Boy, I had a great day. Foundlots of gold and silver. This river is made formining. Don't you think so?
PERSON #2: Maybe it can help you withmining, but this river really is made for irrigatingfarmland. Yes, this river is made for farming!
PERSON #3: Whoa! Wait a minute. Thisriver is made for fishing. That's what's impor-tant!
PERSON #4: You're wrong. People areimportant. This river is for cities!
PERSON #5: NOT!! Hey man, this river ismade for rafting!
PERSON #6: Rafting? Cities? Farming?Mining? Fishing? That will all ruin this river.This river should be left natural!
PERSON #7: Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute.I, am with the government. I, am here to helpyou.
(The group argues and fights, repeatingtheir claims.)
NARRATOR: The people could not agree.They could not listen. Each person shoutedlouder and louder....and called his or her lawyer.
(In unison, blind persons pick up phone."Hello?")
NARRATOR: Finally a voice from the water-shed said...
(The group stops fighting immediately andlook around/up.)
WATERSHED VOICE: (your local) Water-shed is a very big ecosystem. Each person hasonly considered one part. You must put all theparts together in order to understand what thewatershed really is.
ALL PERSONS: O00000! Eeeeee! Ahhhhh!
NARRATOR: The seven people listened tothe watershed voice. They sat down togetherand talked quietly. And although they did notagree on everything, they listened to each othersincerely.
Afterwards, the group takes off their blind-ing glasses and see more than they did before.
(Persons take off glasses. Look around inamazement. They line up to leave down centeraisle. Begin walking more confidently, no handon shoulders.)
NARRATOR: And even though they wereno longer visually impaired, they travelled to-gether, one beside the other, never to return tothe Land of Stereotypes. They still talked andcommunicated with each other, so they wouldnot fall down.
(Group leaves. Helping each other walkback over the log.)
OBJECTIVES: The student will:1. Demonstrate the human
impact on natural environments.
2. Demonstrate the connections
of humans to natural systems.
3. Gain an appreciation for Aldo
Leopold's 'The Land Ethic' in hisbook, A Sand County Almanac.
TIMEFRAME: 1 hour 30 minutes.
SKILLS: Communicating,
comprehending, critical thinking,
discussing, drawing, gathering
and using information, identifying,
inferring, interpreting, reading,
researching, understanding cause
and effect, working in small
groups.
MATERIALS: Mirror, butcherpaper (approximately an eight to
ten foot piece), crayons, paint and/
or colored pencils, construction
paper, scissors, glue or tape, "The
Land Ethic° in A Sand County
Almanac, Aldo Leopold.
VOCABULARY: Biotic
community, ecosystem, ethic,
phenomena.
MURAL, MURALOVERVIEW: When you look
in the mirror, you see your reflec-tion in much the same way otherssee you. Look at what else is inthe mirror, however. In the back-ground you will see other images,such as the sun, trees, or grass.Now consider what else is a part ofthe reflection that you cannot see.Think of air, water, and energy.What you are seeing is what scien-tists call an ecosystem: the connec-tion of the physical environmentwith living organisms in a specificarea.
Since all living organismsrequire energy to live, energy isone important link that ties thevarious components in an ecosys-tem together. Plants, called pro-ducers, are the first link. Theytransform the sun's energy intofood for other organisms, storingextra energy in structures likeleaves, seeds, stems, roots, andflowers. Since omnivores orherbivors cannot directly transformthe sun's power into energy, they
167
N THE WALLconsume food from the plants.
Energy is continually trans-formed for a variety of needs inorder to sustain a diversity of livingorganisms. This transformation ofenergy is best understood if youthink of a food chain. For ex-ample, the clover stores extraenergy from the sun in its leaves.A rabbit eats clover, transformingthe energy to carry out its basic lifefunctions. A predator such as thehawk, preys on the rabbit, furthertransforming the energy for itsneeds. Finally, at the top level ofthe food chain are the decompos-ers that turn remaining matter intousable raw materials for the soil soplants may again begin the cycle.Even though energy is consumedat each of these levels, less energybecomes available the further wemove up the food chain.
Visually this process of trans-forming energy in a natural envi-ronment takes the shape of apyramid. Imagine the energy
MURAL, MURAL OH THE WALL 155
pyramid as a model for energy flow. Each levelrepresents the transformation of energy andsuggests the amount of energy available for thenext level of living organisms. The direction ofenergy flow is based on the structure of theecosystem and on who is next in the food line.It is illustrated in the following model:
The Energy Pyramid - Food Chain
2nd levelCarnivoresOmnivores
1st Level
Herbivores
Baderia
f
f
Sun
Hawk
Rabbit
Clover
4
FLOW OF ENERGY
The area at the bottom of the pyramidrepresents the greatest amount of energy in thesystem. As the energy passes from producers todecomposers, the areas of the triangle becomesmaller, reflecting the decreased energy at thatlevel. This, of course, represents a simplifiedecosystem. In natural systems there is muchmore complexity.
Humans are part of the energy pyramid.Since humans do not receive energy directlyfrom the sun, we are primarily omnivores whoare dependent upon the energy produced byplants. We are consumers who form links in thefood chain along with other plants and animals.Therefore, we are interconnected with otherorganisms in this complex ecosystem. Ratherthan just a "reflection in the mirror" and separatefrom our physical environment, we are an inte-gral part of the system.
According to Aldo Leopold in "The LandiSit ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
Ethic" (A Sand County Almanac), the under-standing and valuing of the natural environmentis a moral issue, a matter of right and wrong."The Land Ethic" places humans as citizens ofthe "land community" and implies that humansmust value their place in their physical environ-ment. We must consider future generations inthe biotic communities. According to Leopold,the harmony between human populations andthe land is an intrinsic value that influences thelifestyles and actions of humans to conserve forfuture generations.
The impact of human development can bequantified and qualified to include the totalhuman experience, helping us make personalday-to-day decisions about the use of naturalresources. These personal choices of individualsimpact natural environments more than anyother physical or biological phenomena. Hu-man choices today influence the sustainability oflifestyles in the years to come as human popula-tions increase.
PROCEDURE:1. Have one student hold up a large
mirror at arm's length and describe what he/shesees in the reflection. (Many students willdescribe themselves, but not what is in thebackground of the reflection.) This part of theactivity could be done outdoors to have a part ofthe natural surroundings reflected in the mirror.Ask:
-What do you see?
-What else is in the reflection?
Have students make the connection be-tween their reflections in the mirror and thereflection of the natural environment.
2. Have students identify the changesover time that have occurred in their region ofthe United States. This can be a discussion ofthe geological and climatic changes that haveoccurred over thousands of years. Determinethe components that were present in one or twoof the biotic communities in the area beforesettlement of human populations in NorthAmerica. Ask:
1 L"4.- U
-What kinds of trees, shrubs, and ani-mals were present? (If reference materialsaren't available to answer this question, studentscan make inferences.)
-Were there human influences on natu-ral environments? When did they occur?What kinds of impacts were there? (A time-line of human impacts leading to the settlementof your area will give your students the perspec-tive of time and of human impact after settle-ment.)
3. Divide the group into two. Ask onegroup to draw and color a mural of a naturalenvironment, preferably with local qualities, onan eight-to-ten foot piece of butcher paper.Discuss with the group the changes that haveoccurred in the past and include drawings of asmany wildlife and plant species as possible.(Research materials will need to be readilyavailable.) What wildlife and plant species didyou include in your mural? What are some ofthe connections between them? Describe a foodweb from the drawing you are making. De-scribe how energy flows in one of the foodchains depicted in your drawing. (Drawing andtracing the landscape on the butcher paper takestime. You will want to give this group as muchtime as it needs to draw and color because itwill better represent the concept of geologicaltime as the activity progresses. Don't forget toinclude the physical environment. Water, air,and soil are essential in establishing the types ofbiotic communities in your region:) How havethe climatic changes in geologic time determinedthe presence, absence, or distribution of naturalresources in the physical environment, likewater or soil? Predict what would happen toyour natural environment after a fire.
4. Ask the other group to secretly drawand cut from construction paper human "stuff,"including buildings, roads, cars, motorcycles,parking lots, power lines, etc. What are some ofthe raw materials needed to produce the prod-ucts we use? Where do these raw materialscome from?
5. Come together as one group, tape thenatural environment mural to the wall, and thenask the second group to tape the human "stuff"on the mural. Describe the human settlement
that has occurred in your area in comparison togeological time. Discuss the reactions of eachgroup as well as the impacts made on the land.(Collectively, this includes plants, animals, water,soil, air, use of natural resources, etc.) What isthe impact on the natural environment when weadd human "stuff" to the mural? Can you deter-mine the influences on a food chain, food web,uses of natural resources like soil and water, andon the flow of energy? Summarize in your ownwords the impact of human development onnatural environments. Discuss the reactions ofeach group as well as the impact made on theland. How is human impact different than theimpacts of other natural phenomena, like fire ordrought, in a natural environment?
6. Read Aldo Leopold's "The Land Ethic"from his book A Sand County Almanac to yourgroup. Discuss with your students the value ofconservation. Encourage voluntary testimony ofindividual actions that have minimized humanimpact on the natural environment. What indi-vidual actions at school and at home minimizethe impact and influences of human develop-ment on natural environments? What else canbe done?
ASSESSMENT:1. Have students describe a food chain,
food web, and ecosystem.
2. In writing, have students describe theirreactions to taping human "stuff" on the muralof a natural environment. Relate this to AldoLeopold's "The Land Ethic" in his book, A SandCounty Almanac.
169 MURAL, MURAL ON THE WALL 157
EXTENSIONS:1. In writing, have students summarize
the meaning of "The Land Ethic."
2. Build a classroom model of an energypyramid from another biotic community in yourregion, in another region, or another part of theworld. Construct a diorama or an aquarium torepresent an ecosystem of your choice.
3. Write reports that combine the social,cultural, economic, and political influences fromyour region with other regions of the world.Compare the similarities and differences inunderstanding and valuing of the "land" andconservation for future generations. What arethe significant ramifications for developing aregional or world wide "land ethic?"
RESOURCES:A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold,
"The Land Ethic," First Ballantine Books Edition,New York, 1966.
Local reference materials on natural re-sources including plants, animals, history ofsettlement, and information about natural re-sources can be obtained through several naturalresource management agencies in your area.
sible citizen requires knowledge,involvement, and the ability to takeaction. Being well informed isimportant for a citizen in order totake effective action. Citizens havea voice that can be exercised and isheard when elected officials re-ceive letters from constituents.Public opinion is also important tomost businesses and organizations.
Controversial issues are rarelysimple or limited to two sides.When issues involve the interrela-tionships of ecosystems and humanpopulations, they can become verycomplex and often emotional.(Please see the activity "The BlindMen and the Ecosystem" for moreinformation on seeing many sidesof an issue.) In examining a con-troversial issue, it is critical thatstudents are able to identify factualinformation, opinionated informa-tion, and information that is opin-ionated, but stated as if it is factual.Facts are neutral statements andcan be proven to be true. Opin-
171
ions, on the other hand, are pointsof view, judgements, or conclu-sions. Generally, opinions aredrawn from facts, but that does notmake them facts.
When gathering informationand researching issues, it is alsoimportant for students to under-stand that different techniques areused in the discussion of contro-versial subjects. Issues can besidestepped rather than directlyaddressed. Sometimes, responsesare designed to have a certainemotional appeal that may make itdifficult to find resolutions basedon factual information.
Letter writing is an effectivetool for expressing an opinion andmaking an individual's voice heard.Letters from constituents do havean impact on elected officials andtheir voting. Most governmentoffices at the local level, businessesand organizations are concernedabout the opinions of their custom-ers and members as well.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN 159
Some suggestions for effective letter writinginclude:
Write a personal letter in your own wordsrather than using a form letter.
-State the issue early in the letter.
Be constructive and polite, not insulting orsarcastic.
Say what needs to be said in one page.
-Limit your letter to one topic.
-Send letters about different issues in sepa-rate envelopes.
-Ask for a response and to be informed ofpossible action regarding the issue.
Some important addresses include:
1. Dear PresidentHouse, Washington, D.C. 20501.
The White
2. Dear Senator , U.S. Sen-ate, Washington, D.C. 20510.
3. Dear Representative , U.S.House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.20515.
Other addresses can be found in the phonebook or at your local library. The United Na-tions, United Nations Plaza, New York, NY10017 can help you find the address of a worldleader. Write to the person's embassy in care ofthe above address.
PROCEDURE:PRE-AC77VI7Y:
Photocopy the "Issue Investigation," "IssueFacts and Opinions," "Their Point of View," and"My Point of View" sheets (attached) for eachstudent or pairs of students.
Anwar:SESSION ONE: Issue Investigation
1. Survey the class to discover whichcurrent issues involving ecosystems, people,and/or their interrelationships students are aware-of. Brainstorm some issues and list them on the160 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
board. Have students classify these issues ac-cording to whether they are local, statewide,national, or international issues. Some issuesmay fit in all the categories.
2. Ask students to rank the issues accord-ing to HOW MUCH they personally know about anissue. In a separate ranking, ask them to list theissues according to their OWN LEVEL OF CONCERN orinterest about each one.
3. Compile the ranking information forboth categories using the top three issues fromeach student's list. Decide as a class whichissue(s) to investigate for a class action project.Explain that students will be conducting researchand gathering information to better understandan issue. Ultimately, they each will form theirown opinion about the issue and write a letterexpressing it.
In choosing, an issue, take into accountwhich issues are the best understood by stu-dents, easiest to research, and generate the mostinterest. For older students, each student canchoose an issue and work individually. Anotheroption is to have students work in pairs or havethose who share an interest in the same issuework together in small groups.
4. Have students begin collecting andreading sources of information about the issue(s)for session three. Discuss possible sources ofinformation (newspapers, radio, magazines,interviews, council meetings, newsletters, bro-chures, television, etc.). Distribute the "IssuesInvestigation" sheet to students to completeduring their research. Explain your expectationsfor completeness.
SESSION TWO: Issue Facts and Opinilons1. Discuss briefly with students the infor-
mation they have gathered on their "Issue Inves-tigation" sheet. They can continually add to thissheet as they collect information about theirissue.
2. Assess students' knowledge of factsand opinions. Define and discuss the differ-ences. Facts are neutral statements that can beproven. Opinions are points of view, judge-ments, or conclusions. Opinions are sometimesautlx,u aa ictLta, L)UL that L J 111.Lt 11141 c uiciii
172
facts. For example:Fact: Many groups use fresh water.
Opinion: I think agricultural producers(farmers) should be able to use as much wateras they need.
Opinion stated as fact: It is more importantfor urban areas to have priority in water usedecisions.
3. With older students, discuss the use ofthe techniques of sidestepping and emotionalappeal. An example of sidestepping is talkingabout increased pollution levels of water ingeneral, when the issue is prioritizing who willget the use of a state's fresh water.
An example of emotional appeal is present-ing an agricultural producer who had a mentalbreakdown when he lost his great-grandfather'sfarm due to receiving no water. The issue isprioritization in the distribution of water.
4. Distribute the "Issue Facts and Opin-ions" sheet to students to complete. Have themgive personal examples of a fact, opinion, andopinion stated as a fact about their issue. Ashomework, students can gather and record moreexamples. Explain your expectations for com-pleteness.
SESSION THREE: Points of View 11. Discuss briefly with students the infor-
mation recorded on their "Issue Facts and Opin-ions" sheets.
2. Help students understand that there areoften many sides or positions about an issue.Have them use their "Issue Investigation" sheetsand ask:
-Are there more than two sides to yourissue? How many positions are there?
-What are some of the different posi-tions of your issue?
-What areas of agreement exist betweenthe different positions of your issue?
-Exactly what are the differences aboutwhich individuals or groups find it hard to
reach an agreement?
3. Students may need assistance identify-ing individuals, groups, and organizations in-volved in their issue. It may not be critical forthem to identify all the parties involved in theissue, however at least two parties are essential.Make sure students take the necessary time todo their research and understand the historyleading up to the controversy.
SESSION FOUR: Points of View 21. Distribute the "Their Point of View"
and "My Point of View" sheets to students.Have them use their "issue" and "fact and opin-ion" sheets to assist in identifying and stating atleast two different positions held by others aboutthe issue for the "Their Point of View" sheet.Explain to students that it is important for themto understand, as fully as possible, other pointsof view to better be able to form their opinionabout the issue. Explain your expectations forcompleteness.
2. Encourage students to begin formingtheir own opinion about the issue, if not alreadyformed, for the "My Point of View" sheet.
SESSION FIVE: Points of View 31. Discuss briefly with students the infor-
mation recorded on their "Their Point of View"sheets.
2. Have students complete their "My Pointof View" sheets in preparation for writing theirletter. Students' opinions may be similar to or acombination of another point of view. Students'opinions may be original, however. Explainyour expectations for completeness.
SESSION SDC: Letter Writing1. Have students compose a draft letter
expressing their opinion about the issue. Theletter can be addressed to a public official,group, or organization holding a similar oropposing point of view. The letter may also beaddressed to an uninvolved public official,group, or organization in order to bring the issueto their attention and/or to ask what their posi-tion is on the issue. Ask students what theythink effective letter writing techniques are andintroduce any important points they didn't cover.(See Overview.) You may want to record the
173 TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN 161
techniques in a visible place for easy reference.2. Have students peer edit the draft letters
first for clear understanding, a statement ofopinion or resolution, good letter writing tech-niques, punctuation, grammar, sentence struc-ture, etc.
SESSION SEVEN: Summarize1. When the editing process is complete,
have students write the final drafts of theirletters. Mail the letters and wait for a response.Encourage students to share letter responseswith the rest of the class and continue to trackthe progress of their issues.
2. Ask:
-What is the most useful thing youlearned researching your issue? Least use-ful?
-What is the most interesting thing youlearned conducting your research? Leastinteresting?
-What surprised you the most?
-How can what you learned conductingyour research help you get involved in otherissues?
-What other issues interest you?
-In what other ways can you get in-volved in issues besides writing letters?
-Is writing letters an effective way to getinvolved in issues? Why or why not?
ASSESSMENT:1. Evaluate students' four activity sheets
for understanding and completeness. Notestudents' level of participation during the discus-sions.
2. Evaluate the students' letters. Establishpredetermined criteria for students such as:being concise, polite, position identified andclearly stated, explanation of personal concern,demonstration of research and understanding ofissue, resolution offered, etc.
162 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
EXTENSIONS:1. Make a bulletin board DISPLAY by
posting all the gathered research information.Also, post copies of the students' letters and theresponses they receive.
2. Have students write letters every quar-ter about issues that concern them.
3. Have students gather the names andaddresses of public officials at the local, county,state, and national levels. Publish a directory forany future letter writing to be completed by thestudents, their families, other students. Put acopy of the directory in the school library.
4. Invite an elected official or his or herrepresentative to speak to the students about theimportance and influence of citizen voices in thepublic decision-making process.
5. Videotape a debate of students repre-senting various sides of a controversial issue.Based on assigned roles, students research,clearly state their positions, and offer a resolu-tion.
6. Give students some basic informationabout a real or imaginary controversy. Havethem write two newspaper articles, one factualand one slanted or opinionated. Discuss thedifferences.
7. Research an issue in history that wasdecided based on the influence of a vocal,mobilized, and informed citizenry.
CREDIT: Used with permission fromProject Food, Land & People.
174
91.
"%'e"...44 4
.
..4.0 \.; ti.,; 60"
THEIR POIIVT OF VIEW
Name:
Issue I am researching:
Date:
The position ofis:
The position ofis:
The position ofis:
175TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN 163
176
Nam
e:
Issu
e In
vest
igat
ion
Dat
e:
Issu
e I a
m r
esea
rchi
ng:
Wha
t I p
erso
nally
know
abo
ut th
isis
sue:
My
sour
ces
ofin
form
atio
n fo
rre
sear
ch:
Indi
vidu
als
and
grou
psin
volv
edin
this
issu
e:
Who
or
wha
t thi
sis
sue
affe
cts:
His
tory
of t
his
issu
e:
MY POINT OF VIEWDate:
Name:
Issue I am researching:
My opinions about this issue are:
My opinions are based on the following facts:
178TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN 165
179
Issu
e F
acts
and
Opi
nion
sN
ame:
Dat
e:
Issu
e I a
m r
esea
rchi
ng:
Fac
ts a
bout
this
issu
e:(n
eutr
al s
tate
men
tsth
at c
an b
e pr
oven
)
Opi
nion
s ab
out t
his
issu
e:(p
oint
s of
vie
w, j
udge
men
ts,
conc
lusi
ons,
etc
.)
Opi
nion
s st
ated
as
fact
sab
out t
his
issu
e:
180
Ghost towns' revival hauntingA "Sample" Controversial Issue Involving Ecosystem Management: Development of Abandoned Platted
Townships in Gunnison County, Colorado.
By Ian OlgeirsonSpecial to The Denver Post
CRESTED BUTTE - A century after it wascarved into a wooded hillside in the rarefied air aboveCrested Butte, the town of Irwin is gearing up for asecond boom.
It's one of several Gunnison County ghost towns,vanquished to disrepair and decay after the mining boomof the 1890s, that is coming back to life.
And the towns are haunting government officialsin the process.
Irwin - which once boasted 5,000 residents, twodozen saloons, the county's busiest post office and a red-light district - was almost wiped out when the silvermarket crashed nearly 100 years ago.
The brothels and hotels probably won't bereturning, but the people are.
Platted in dense blocksVirtually empty town sites such as Irwin, Schofield
and Floresta were platted during the silver rush in densecity blocks and were home to thousands of people.
A century later, the development rush and subse-quent housing crisis is making the remote sites attractiveto owners of second homes, as well as the localworkforce.
Irwin poses the most immediate problem.Gunnison businessman Jim Stratman is behind
plans to revive the high-mountain spread, much to thedismay of environmentalists and county officials who arehorrified by the prospects of uncontrolled growth in thefragile alpine area.
"There are a number of areas in the county whereland has been platted into towns. While they are nolonger incorporated, you 'still have a township platted intolittle lots," said County Manager Gary Tomsic.
Stratman recently bought 180 lots and plans tosqueeze in as many as 50 home sites, all using septicsystems and pit toilets.
His project has spurred county officials to begindeveloping a strategy to deal with the resurgence ofabandoned towns. But they have come up with fewsolutions, County Planner Joanne Williams said.
Three years ago, nobody lived in Irwin year-round. But with the population boom of the 1990s andthe exhaustive search for affordable housing, as many as30 people now live up the unplowed road, commuting bysnowmobile.
181
Potential 'pseudo-town'"Its potential for turning into a whole new pseudo-
town is a possibility," Williams said.The more isolated but equally beautiful Schofield
is also ripe for development. Two men recently bought 13full blocks and six partial blocks, or more than 500 lots,in the ghost town between Crested Butte and Carbondaleon the Crystal River.
Hans Peter Hansen, of Carbondale, and Christo-pher Smith, of Aspen, plan to sell 20 lots for summercabins on nearly 60 acres.
Hansen said the cabins won't have running waterbut will use outhouses and vaults.
They plan to begin selling lots this summer,regardless of county approval.
"We don't need it," he said. "This isn't a subdivi-sion. These lots are already plotted town lots."
Floresta, vacated shortly after the coal mine of thesame name closed, is owned by the Wilson MargaretScarbrough Trust of Austin, Texas.
A gate blocks entrance to the town, but itspotential for development still poses a problem, Williamssaid, because it has easier access than the other ghosttowns.
The crux of the county's dilemma is lack ofcontrol over these developers.
"They have to be treated differently than someonewho comes in with a brand new subdivision proposalbecause the property is already divided," Tomsic said.
The problems in Irwin are exacerbated by itsprominence in Crested Butte's watershed and the effluentthat can be expected with a new population.
"In the worst of my dreams, I see it all runningdownhill into whatever," Williams said.
The town of Crested Butte also has been watchingthe project and is working on contingency plans to protectits water supply.
New subdivisions in Gunnison County must beeither tied to a central septic system or provide lots largerthan an acre.
But the tightly platted abandoned townshipsthreaten to put individual septic systems on lots muchsmaller than an acre.
(Reprinted with permission: The Denver Post, articlefirst printed Monday, May 30, 1994 in The Denver Post)
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN 167
Issu
e In
vest
igat
ion
Nam
e:D
ate:
Issu
e I a
m r
esea
rchi
ng: D
evel
opm
ent o
f aba
ndon
ed p
lotte
d to
wns
hips
in C
olor
ado
Wha
t I p
erso
nally
know
abo
ut th
isis
sue:
My
sour
ces
ofin
form
atio
n fo
rre
sear
ch:
Indi
vidu
als
and
grou
ps in
volv
edin
this
issu
e:
Who
or
wha
t thi
sis
sue
affe
cts:
His
tory
of t
his
issu
e:
Bec
ause
of
a cu
rren
tho
usin
g sh
orta
ge a
ndla
ck o
f af
ford
able
hous
ing,
ther
e ar
epl
ans
to p
ut h
omes
on to
wns
hips
of
form
er g
host
tow
ns.
Thr
ee to
wns
inC
olor
ado
wer
em
entio
ned:
Irw
in,
Scho
fiel
d, a
ndFl
ores
ta. T
hey
wer
eto
wns
dur
ing
the
silv
er r
ush.
The
old
tow
nsite
s ar
e no
tsu
bjes
t to
the
sam
ede
velo
pmen
t rul
es a
sne
w to
wns
ites.
Env
iron
men
talis
tsan
d co
unty
off
icia
lsar
e w
orri
ed a
bout
the
effe
cts
on th
ew
ater
shed
and
the
envi
ronm
ent.
The
Den
ver
Post
artic
le:
I ca
n co
ntac
t the
deve
lope
rs a
ndco
unty
off
icia
lsm
entio
ned
in th
ear
ticle
for
mor
ein
form
atio
n. I
can
cont
act t
he e
xist
ing
tow
ns o
f C
rest
edB
utte
and
Car
bond
ale
and
see
if th
ey h
ave
publ
ishe
d ar
ticle
s in
thei
r lo
cal p
aper
.
.
Cou
nty
offi
cial
s
Cou
nty
Man
ager
Gar
yT
omsi
c
Cou
nty
Plan
ner
Joan
ne W
illia
ms
Env
iron
men
talis
ts
Dev
elop
ers:
-Gun
niso
nB
usin
essm
an J
imSt
ratm
an-H
ans
Pete
r H
anse
nof
Car
bond
ale
-Chr
isto
pher
Sm
ith o
fA
spen
Exi
stin
g to
wns
:C
rest
ed B
utte
Car
bond
ale
Peop
le n
eedi
ngaf
ford
able
hou
sing
-Peo
ple
who
wor
k in
coun
ty w
ho n
eed
affo
rdab
le h
ousi
ng.
-Cre
sted
But
te, a
tow
n th
at n
eeds
tom
aint
ain
a cl
ean
wat
er s
uppl
y.
-Bus
ines
smen
see
king
to m
ake
a pr
ofit.
-Eco
syst
ems
that
will
be h
arm
ed b
yun
cont
rolle
d gr
owth
.
A c
entr
y ag
o, th
egh
ost t
owns
wer
eth
rivi
ng d
urin
g th
esi
lver
boo
m. T
hey
wer
e tig
htly
pac
ked
with
peo
ple.
The
tow
ns w
ere
aban
done
d bu
t the
tow
n lo
ts a
re s
till o
nre
cord
as
alre
ady
plot
ted.
Any
one
who
has
the
mon
ey to
deve
lop
thes
e si
tes
can
do s
o w
ithou
t the
inte
rfer
ence
of
curr
ent d
evel
opm
ent
rule
s. M
ost o
f th
ese
new
dev
elop
men
tsw
ill n
ot h
ave
adeq
uate
sew
age
trea
tmen
t, w
hich
can
harm
the
wat
ersh
edan
d af
fect
the
wat
ersu
pply
of
exis
ting
tow
ns.
183
182
Issu
e F
acts
and
Opi
nion
sN
ame:
Dat
e:Is
sue
I am
res
earc
hing
: Dev
elop
men
t of a
band
oned
plo
tted
tow
nshi
ps in
Col
orad
o
Fad
s ab
out t
his
issu
e:(n
eutr
al s
tate
men
tsth
at c
an b
e pr
oven
)
Opi
nion
s ab
out t
his
issu
e:(p
oint
s of
vie
w, j
udge
men
ts,
conc
lusi
ons,
etc
.)
Opi
nion
s st
ated
as
fads
abou
t thi
s is
sue
are:
Vir
tual
ly e
mpt
y to
wn
site
s su
ch a
s"I
n th
e w
orst
of
my
drea
ms,
I s
ee it
The
tight
lypl
otte
d ab
ando
ned
Irw
in, S
chof
ield
, and
Flo
rest
a w
ere
(sew
age)
all
runn
ing
dow
nhill
into
tow
nshi
ps th
reat
en to
put
indi
vidu
alpl
otte
d du
ring
the
silv
er r
ush
inw
hate
ver,
" W
illia
ms
said
.se
ptic
sys
tem
s on
lots
muc
h sm
alle
rde
nse
city
blo
cks
and
wer
e ho
mes
toth
ousa
nds
of p
eopl
e.th
an a
n ac
re.
Gun
niso
n B
usin
essm
an J
im S
trat
man
plan
s to
rev
ive
Irw
in.
34
THEIR POINT OF VIEW
Name:
Issue I am researching:Development of abandoned plotted townships in Colorado
The position of county officials is: they lack control over the developers. They are worriedabout the effects on the watershed and the fragile alpine area. They believe the septic systems andouthouses at the new development will be inadequate to deal with the waste.
The position of the developers is: they do not need county approval to begin selling lots anddeveloping the subdivision. They will proceed with their plans because people desire housing thatthey can provide and on which they (developers) will make a profit.
The position of local workforce is: affordable housing is hard to find.
The position of town of Crested Butte is: they are worried about keeping their water supplyclean.
186170 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
LEVEL: Grades 7 -6
SUBJECTS: Science, Math,
Social Studies.
PROCESS: Through playing the
roles of managers of a 400-acre(162-hectare) piece of public
forest, students begin to under-
stand the complex considerations
that influence management de-
cisions about forest lands.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Create a management plan for
a hypothetical piece of public
forest land, taking into account
factors such as ecosystem
stability, income or costs, wildlife,
water, and visitors.
2. Experience the decision-
making process that goes into
ecosystem management of forest
lands.
TIMEFRAME Preparation: 60minutes. Activity: 3 to 5 50-
minute periods.
SKILLS: Analyzing, identifying
main ideas, solving problems.
MATERIALS: Copies of student
pages (attached), a yellow or other
light-colored marker, butcher,
newsprint, or poster paper, color-
ed markers, calculators (optional),
masking tape, transparencies and
overhead projector (optional).
VOCABULARY: Biological di-
versity, compatible, consensus,
environmental impact, habitat, in-
compatible, intangible, intrinsic,
requirements, revenue, species
indicator.
400 ACRE WOODOVERVIEW: Public and
private forests cover nearly one-third of our nation's land. Theseforests provide both habitat formany species of plants and ani-mals, and vital resources forpeople. People use forests inmany ways such as harvestingtimber, camping, hiking, hunting,and fishing. Cattle and sheep grazein forest meadows and grasslands.
The Multiple Use and Sus-tained Yield Act of 1960 requiresthat national forests be managed"in a manner to provide the maxi-mum benefit for the general pub-lic." Multiple use management ofpublic lands mean forest ecosystemmanagers must consider values forfish and wildlife, soil, water, tim-ber, and recreation. Private forestsare often managed for those samevalues.
In our society, many publicpolicies and legislative decisionsare made in terms of costs, ben-efits, and environmental impacts.
187
Forest ecosystem managers mustconsider the economic effects oftheir decisions about forest lands.But they must also consider theforest's intangible elements such asrecreation, water, soil, and wildlifevalues, even though those itemsare harder to evaluate. One wayto consider the value of a forest forrecreational use is to comparecosts and benefits (for example,the cost of developing a camp-ground versus the income fromfees charged). Another way is tocalculate the number and type ofvisitors a specific attraction oractivity will bring to the forest in ayear.
One way to determine thevalue of wildlife is to measure itscontribution to the forest's eco-nomic value. Calculate this valueby finding out the species of wild-life that live in the forest and ifthose animals consist of game(hunted) species like deer, turkey,or quail. Then determine theincome generated from hunters.
400 ACRE WOOD 171
through licenses, guns, equipment, lodging, andtravel. Wildlife's economic value increasinglyincludes other uses related to watchable wildlife
such as photography and bird watching thatgenerate income.
Another way to determine the importanceof wildlife is to realize that it has intrinsic value,regardless of its economic value. With thiSapproach, ecosystem managers view the forestas a complex ecosystem in which every part ofthe system is important to every other part. Ifecosystem managers maintain each componentof the ecosystem, the result will be healthy andassorted wildlife and plant communities orbiological diversity. To figure out how a specificaction or nonaction might affect biologicaldiversity, forest managers look at the effects ofan action on several wildlife species with differ-ent habitat needs. Sometimes, the decline of acertain species serves as an early indicator that awhole community or ecosystem is changing.Ecosystem management decisions are madeaccordingly.
PROCEDURE:PRE -ACTIVITY:
Photocopy student pages 1-4 for eachstudent. Using a light-colored marker, draw a20" X 20" (50.8cm X 50.8cm) grid map of 400Acre Wood on a piece of butcher paper for eachteam of four or five students. (Teams can alsomake their own.) The grid should have 400 1" X1" (2.5cm X 2.5cm) squares, each representing 1acre (.4047 hectare). On another piece ofbutcher or poster paper, make an identical, butlarger, grid to use in group discussion. If youhave an overhead projector, you may want toinstead prepare a transparency of the grid.
ACTIVITY:
1. Introduce the activity by explainingthat students will look at several complex issuesthat face forest ecosystem managers. Helpstudents brainstorm a list of activities that takeplace on forest land. List their ideas on thechalkboard. Include uses like hiking, fishing,hunting, collecting firewood, camping, rockclimbing, skiing, snowmobiling, logging, grazing,or mining. Ask the class to look at the list anddecide if any activities conflict with each other ifdone on the same piece of land.
172 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
2. Discuss:
-Which activities cost the most to pro-vide on forest lands?
-Which bring the most visitors?
-Which have the greatest impact on theforest ecosystem? On the wildlife there?Would this effect be permanent or tempo-rary?
-Which provide for society's most criti-cal needs?
3. Have students read student pages 1-3"If You Were the Boss." Divide the group intoteams of four or five, and explain that each teamwill decide the best use (or uses) of 400-AcreWood, which has been donated to the commu-nity. Each team will develop a land manage-ment plan that serves the best interests of theentire community. Make sure students under-stand that their team can use the entire 400 acres(162 ha) for one use or for multiple uses. Forexample, they may devote 200 acres (81 ha) towilderness and hiking, 80 acres (32 ha) to acampground, and 120 acres (49 ha) for harvest-ing timber or hunting.
4. Before students begin, ask:
-Which forest uses in "If You Were theBoss" are compatible with other uses? (Forexample, building a campground and hikingtrail together.)
-Which might be incompatible witheach other? (Hunting at a campground, etc.)
-What could you learn by figuring outthe costs, revenues, wildlife populations,and number of visitors for each manage-ment plan? (How the plan affects differentforest values.)
-Are owls, wood rats, and salamandersthe only wildlife in the forest? (No.) Whatcould you learn about the forest ecosystemby analyzing the populations of these threespecies? (By looking at three animals withdifferent habitat requirements, you get an idea ofthe general health of the forest ecosystem.)
188
5. Give each team a map (grid) of 400Acre Wood and a copy of "What's The Score?"on student page 4. (You might need to explainhow to use these.) Each team discusses variousstrategies for managing the forest. When theteam arrives at a consensus on how the landshould be managed, direct members to use"What's The Score?" for a cost and benefit analy-sis of their plan. They discuss what impact theirplan would have in terms of cost, income,timber, wildlife, visitors, and ecological balance.
6. When the teams have completed theirmanagement plans, they use crayons or coloredmarkers to illustrate their plans on the grids.Remind them to include a key showing whatdifferent colors and symbols mean.
7. Ask teams to present their plans to theentire group, making clear how they decided ontheir plans. Have them report the findings oftheir cost analysis worksheets. Post the mapsaround the room.
8. Use the large grid map to lead a groupdiscussion of different plans. Ask:
-Which plan enables the most people toenjoy the forest? What is the monetary costin attracting the most visitors? Are thereany other costs besides money?
-Which plan does the most to preservethe forest in its original state? What are thecosts of this plan?
-Which plan has the most impact onwildlife?
-Which animals are sensitive to humandisturbance? Why should we care if oneanimal species leaves the forest?
-Which plan seems to provide the bestbalance of money, trees, wildlife, and visi-tors?
-How do you think your plan should bepaid for? If your plan makes a profit, whatshould happen with the money?
-Which do you think is most important:having the most trees, the most wildlife, or
the most visitors? What makes you thinkso?
-Which do you think is most important -1) an activity's cost or income; or 2) theactivity's effects on trees, wildlife, and visi-tors? Give an example.
-What will be the long-term effects ofeach plan? How will costs or incomechange in the next year? Will the number oftrees, wildlife, or visitors change?
ASSESSMENT:1. Imagine that 400 acres (162 ha) of
forest land has been given to the community touse however people please. Several differentgroups are competing to have their proposalsaccepted. A Community Council (made up ofstudents) will hear arguments for each proposaland make a decision. Each team (from Step 3 ofthe activity) prepares a five-minute presentationexplaining why its plan should be accepted.Teams can say how much money they wouldpay for land and what revenues or other benefits(recreation, wildlife, products) their proposalwould bring to the community.
When teams have prepared their arguments,select a member from each team to sit on animpartial council (or invite another class to serveas the council). After each team presents itsargument, give the council time to make itsdecision. If the council members cannot reach aconsensus, they choose the proposal with themost support. Use this exercise to assess howwell students understand the pros and cons oftheir proposals.
2. Discuss and reinforce the followingconcepts:
Resource management and technologicalsystems help societies to meet, within limits, theneeds of a growing human population.
Conservation technology enables humans tomaintain and extend the productivity of vitalresources.
Natural beauty, as experienced in forestsand other habitats, enhances the quality ofhuman life by providing artistic and spiritual
189 400 ACRE WOOD 173
inspiration, as well as recreational and intellec-tual opportunities.
EXTENSIONS:1. Repeat the activity by having each team
1) extend its management plan into the nextyear and 2) figure out the effect on money,trees, wildlife, and visitors for the second year.
2. Contact the local Forest Service officeor forestry agency, and invite a forest managerto talk to your class about how his or her orga-nization makes land-use decisions. Encouragestudents to ask questions based on what theylearned in the activity: For example, how doforest managers weigh the effects of an actionon trees, people, and animals in a forested area?
RESOURCES: Statistical Abstract of theUnited States, 1987, Washington, DC, U.S. De-partment of Commerce, 1986.
What effect will your plan have on theforest environment? How will it affect the num-ber and types of trees and other plants?Imagine that you and a group of class-
mates are given the job of managing a piece offorest land donated to your community. Theforest is called "400-Acre Wood" and is locatedjust outside town. As you might have guessed,it contains 400 acres (162 hectares) of forest,mostly pine. (An acre is 43,560 square feet or208.7 feet by 208.7 feet. 400 acres is little lessthan 1 square mile. A hectare is about 2.471acres. A hectare is 10,000 square meters.) Ap-proximately 150 pine trees of commercial valueare on each acre. Should you decide to buildpaths or roads through the forest, calculate thatone mile (1.6km) of a 4 ft. (1.2m) path or trailwill occupy 6 acres (2.4 ha). Therefore, an 8'wide path would occupy 12 acres/mi and a 16'wide road would occupy 24 acres/mi.
Because the forest currently has no roadsor trails, few people use or visit the land. How-ever, 400-Acre Wood is alive with wildlife suchas owls, deer, bear, woodpeckers, wood rats,and woodland salamanders. Wildlife biologistsestimate two barred owls per 100 acres (40 ha)of forest, one wood rat per acre, and 25 wood
land salamanders per acre.Your team's job is to develop a manage-
ment plan for the forest. You may decide to domore than one thing on the same piece of land.Or, you may want to divide the forest and dodifferent things in different areas. Your goal isto find what you think is the best balance be-tween 1) money, plant, and animal species; and2) visitor enjoyment.
To balance their management plans, youas forest managers need to analyze the followingfactors:
-What effect will your plan have in terms ofmoney? Can you pay for it? Would it makemoney? How much?
191
What effect will your plan have on animalpopulations in the area? By studying severalanimals that have different habitat needs, forestmanagers can predict the effect their actionsmight have on all wildlife in the forest
- What effects will your plan have on visi-tors? Would certain land-use decisions enable orrestrict recreational use of the forest?
Following are some different managementstrategies you might consider. The chart titled"What's the Score?" summarizes each strategy'seffect on money, trees, wildlife, and visitors -and will help you balance your plan.
400 ACRE WOOD 175
Student Page 2Action - Create a Wilderness PreserveThis area will have no roads or graded
paths and will not attract a large number ofvisitors. We will set the forest aside for wildlifeand plants to exist without human interference.Designating some or all of the woods as a wil-derness preserve will cost about $100.00 peracre per year to manage. Without trails orcampsites, the area will not be easily accessibleto many people, however. Probably five peopleper acre per year will visit the forest, each pay-ing a $2.00 fee.
Action - Create Hiking and Biking TrailsPaved or grated hiking and biking trails will
allow many different types of visitors to enjoy400-Acre Wood, including walkers, cyclists,families with strollers, and people in wheel-chairs. The trees removed per acre of trail canbe sold for lumber at $10.00 per tree. A gradedwood chip trail will cost about $100.00 per acre(.4ha); a paved trail will cost $200.00 per acre.After the trails are built, management will costabout $150.00 per acre (.4ha) each year. Thetrails should not affect the wood rat population.The presence of people could disturb the owlsand cause them to leave, however. And trailswill be dangerous for woodland salamanders asthey migrate to pools of water during breedingseason. About 50 people per acre per year willuse the trials, each paying a $2.00 fee.
Action - Create a CampgroundOur campground will have four campsites
per acre, plus picnic tables, parking spaces,fireplaces, and bathrooms. Providing a camp-ground would enable weekend and overnightvisitors to enjoy the woods. To build a camp-ground, we will need to build a road so thatpeople can drive to their campsites. A 16' widedirt road will cost $600.00 per acre, and a 16'wide paved road will cost $1,000.00 per acre.The trees removed to build the road can be soldfor $10.00 a piece. Management will cost about
$200.00 per acre each year. Buildingrestrooms with plumbing and electricity will costabout $1,000.00 per campsite. We can chargecampers a fee of $10.00 per night to use thecampsite. About 50 campers per acre will be
176 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
able to use the campsites each year. Acampground will disturb the owls, wood rats,and salamanders that live in the area.
Action - Allow Hunting and FishingOur plan will encourage hunters of deer,
turkey, and quail to visit the area. Hunters mayneed a road into the forest (use the informationin the section above to figure the cost of a road).You can sell the trees you remove to build theroad for $10.00 apiece. If we decide to allowlogging ($10.00 per tree) in the woods, loggerscan use the same road. Management will costabout $150.00 per acre each year. Huntinglicenses will provide $50.00 per hunter each
year. Each acre designated for hunting willbring about 10 hunters each year. Fishinglicenses will provide $25.00 per angler per year.Each acre designated for fishing will attractabout 20 anglers per year. Hunters and anglerswill patronize local businesses for equipment,food, and lodging. We will regulate hunting andfishing to manage fish and wildlife populations,and the presence of hunters and anglers shouldnot have a great impact on other animal popula-tions.
Action - Timber Harvest or RemovalIf we log all or part of the forest and sell
the wood for lumber, we must choose betweencutting all or several of the trees per acre. Cut-ting all trees (a clear cut) will provide the mostimmediate income ($10.00 profit per tree).Management will cost $150.00 per acre per yearwhich includes the cost of planting and caringfor new trees. Keep in mind that people maynot want to camp or hike in an area that hasbeen clear cut.
Cutting some trees and leaving the rest togrow for later use (a partial or selection cut)means less immediate income, but will have aless noticeable impact.
In either case, loggers will need a roadfor removing trees. Calculate the cost of theroad using the information in the previoussections.
1 O.414-Q
WHAT'S THE SCORE?
Student Page 3
ESTIMATED FACTORS
1. After your team has developed a man-agement plan count the number of acres youhave set aside for each action. Write thosenumbers in the appropriate spaces on the fol-lowing chart. Make sure they add up to 400acres.*
2. Multiply the number of acres by theestimated factors in each box.
3. Add (or if negative, subtract) the num-bers in each column to estimate the costs andbenefits in terms of money, trees, wildlife, andvisitors of your management plan..
193
Money [cost (-) or profit (+)]$100 per acre of woodchip trail-$200 per acre of paved trail$600 per acre of dirt road$1000 per acre of paved road$100 per acre to manage preserve$150 per acre to manage timber$250 per acre to manage campground$150 per acre to manage hunting area+$2 per visitor+$10 per tree+$10 per camper+$25 per angler+$50 per hunter
Trees (mature pines) (+) or (-)150 trees per acre
Wildlife (3 species) (+) or (-)2 owls per 100 acres1 wood rat per acre25 salamanders per acre
*To convert acres to hectares multiplyby .4047.
400 ACRE WOOD 177
LEVEL: Grades 7-9
SUBJECTS: Science, Environ-
mental Education.
PROCESS: Through visiting
places where habitats overlap,
students explore the concept of
ecotones.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Identify the characteristics of
ecotones or overlapping ecosys-
tems in wildlife habitat in or near
their communities.2. Describe why plants and
animals are generally more di-
verse in acetones than in separate
ecosystems.
TIMEFRAME 1 hour 30 minutes.
SKILLS: Analyzing, classifying,comparing similarities and diff-
erences, computing, describing,
discussing, drawing, estimating,
identifying, inferring, interpreting,
listing, measuring, observing, pre-
dicting, synthesizing, visualizing,
working in small groups, writing.
MATERIALS: Poster paints orwater colors, pencils, paper, long
rope or string for marking one-
foot segments, clipboards, poster
paper or chalkboard.
VOCABULARY: Diversity, eco-
system, ecotone, edge effect, scat.
Web
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COMMON GROUNDOVERVIEW: The idea of
edges is an exciting concept. Itbrings an image of exploration toour minds. It is a powerful meta-phor in our culture. The cuttingedge, the growing edge, the lead-ing edge, the, edge of space are allcommonplace expressions, reflect-ing our fascination with "edges."
The edges of ecosystems areexciting as well. They are placeswhere evidence of differences ismost present. The real action inecosystems often takes place whereedges meet and overlap. Whereedges come together and overlapare the places "where the actionis."
Ecology is the study of theinteractions between living thingsand their environments. Ecologycomes from the Greek word oikos,which means home. The wordecosystem refers to the system ofinteractions between living andnon-living things. Ecosystems aresometimes described in terms of
194
the interactions and sometimes interms of the area where interac-tions occur. This second definitionis no longer as widely accepted asit once was. Newer ecosystemdefinitions emphasize the conceptof interaction.
For teachers, an example fromschool might help to illustrate thesimilarities and differences be-tween these definitions. Whenstudents do seventh grade work,they are called seventh graders.Seventh grade work is a system ofinteractions in many subjects andbetween many people. This is likeviewing an ecosystem in terms ofits interactions.
A classroom that housesseventh grade students is a place.It may or may not house studentsthat are doing seventh grade work.As the "traditional" seventh gradeclassroom however, it may becalled the seventh grade room.This is like viewing an ecosystemas an area.
COMMON GROUND 179
An ecotone is a zone where two ecosystemsoverlap. It is in this zone of overlap that muchof the action that biologists enjoy takes place.Many biologists call this action in an ecotone the"edge effect." See the drawing on page 4.
Traditionally, an ecotone is defined as theplace where two plant communities come to-gether. Here we will use a more expandeddefinition and include all organisms (plants andanimals) as well as non-living substances likerocks and soil. This activity explores ecotones.
In local communities there are many edgesand overlaps of edges. The most accessibleedge in your community may be the edge of theschool ground. Other edges such as streambanks, lake shores, and marsh edges are withinwalking distance of many schools. Althoughexploring only the edges of ecosystems focuseson small parts of the system, it provides oppor-tunities for understanding the dynamics ofchange that take place in wildlife habitats. Inecotones, direct and indirect evidence of theinfluence of dominant ecosystems is readilyfound. The area where two ecosystems overlaptends to be more complex than any ecosystemby itself. For example, where a forest and amarsh overlap, it is common to find forest plantsgrowing within the marsh. Often the forestplants are deformed or stunted due to theamount of water in the marsh.
Ecotones often have a diversity of wildlifebecause animals common to both overlappingecosystems are brought together. Even thoughyou may not see the animals themselves, theyleave behind a lot of indirect evidence. Foot-prints, scat (droppings), and feathers are allcommon evidence. Ecotones where healthyecosystems overlap usually show diversity, anddiversity means more forms of wildlife. Theabsence of diversity in ecotones is often a cluethat there are problems in the ecosystems thatoverlap.
Edges also attract humans. Lake shores,streambanks, ocean beaches, and forest mead-ows are examples of some of our favorite spots.In such places there is the possibility that hu-mans will change the ecotone with damagingconsequences for wildlife and plants. For ex-ample, marshes are often draineci or filled for180 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
195
construction or agriculture. Natural forests nearour homes are often cut down for lawns andgardens. Streams are frequently dammed ordiverted. Rivers are channelized for flood con-trol, and to allow boating or shipping.
Human litter and other refuse on alakeshore or streambank is often an indicator ofother human-created problems. Fish kills andprolonged absence of waterfowl in an area mayindicate contaminated water or loss of wetlands.
Individuals can take action to make a differ-ence. Particularly beginning with small ecosys-tems, efforts can be made to enhance the likeli-hood of meeting animals' needs for survival.
The major purpose of this activity is forstudents to increase their understanding of theconcept of ecotones and edges in overlappingecosystems.
PROCEDURE:1. Ask the students to paint two large
spots one each of two different colors on asingle piece of paper. Make sure the paints arequite wet to insure blending. Blue and yelloware good choices. Ask students to enlarge thespots until they "touch," but do not overlap.Have them note what happens when the wetpaints touch. Ask,them to repeat the process ona separate sheet of paper so that the colorsactually overlap. With blue and yellow theoverlap produces green and is thus highly vis-ible.
Paint Spots Touch Paint Spots Overlap
2. Tell students you are soon going to takethem to a natural setting where there are placesthat overlap like their paintings did. They aregoing to investigate these places, including theareas where there is some kind of overlap. Theimages in their simple paintings are a metaphorfor an important biological concept ecotonesin nature.
3. As further background for the tripoutside, draw two large overlapping circles onthe chalkboard. Put a large number of smallsquares and triangles in one circle. Do not drawin the overlapping segment. In the secondcircle, draw many small circles and stars; againavoid the overlap area. Ask students to predictthe kinds of things they would expect to find inthe overlapping circles. Draw circles, squares,triangles, and stars in the overlapping segment.
Ask students where the greatest diversityexists. Label the overlapping segment the eco-tone. (This is the area of greatest diversity.)Label the original two circles as Ecosystem 1 andEcosystem 2. Ask the students to point out theedges of the overlap. These are the placeswhere the two ecosystems come together andinteract. The process and results of this comingtogether or interaction are called the "edge.effect."
4. Now take the students outside to theschool grounds to study the edge effect. Choosea place where plants are invading a parking lotor playing field or where the edge of the lawnmeets a sidewalk. Have students consider theseminiature ecosystems. Ask them to work inteams of two or three to list the things they findon either side of the edge. Each team shouldexamine two different ecosystems withoutlooking at the interactions in the ecotone yet.They can list different kinds of plants and ani-mals they observe and tally what they find,including direct and indirect evidence of life.
Ask them to discuss similarities and differ-ences and to keep notes about their observa-tions. Next ask them to carefully examine theedge. Have them try to determine how wide thezone of shared characteristics is. Point out thatthis is a miniature ecotone. The students mighttry to estimate the size of the ecotone, as well asthe diversity of species within the ecotone. Askthem to try to compare the diversity of plants
and animals within the ecotone with that of theplants and animals they found in the two sepa-rate ecosystems compare what's inside theecotone with what is outside it. NOTE: It mayhelp students organize observations more sys-tematically by stretching a length of rope orstring from one ecosystem to another. Have thestudents make and record observations in one-foot intervals along the line. It helps to markthe string or rope at one-foot intervals beforeyou begin the activity. For example:
/ Clearly mark the rope or string with a black marker every 12" interval
students describe two ecosystems and an associ-ated ecotone.
EXTENSIONS:1. Have students continue the quest for
edges! Create an ecosystem map or model ofyour community. Indicate the location of theprincipal ecotones.
2. Help students visualize the diversityedges can bring. Take a piece of paper andmeasure the edges. Cut the paper into fourequal pieces and measure the edges again.Repeat this twice again, measuring the edgeseach time. Support the idea that each newrectangle is a suitable habitat for some aquaticorganism and discuss how diversity is related toedges.
3. Working in small groups, assess theoverall health of any ecotones that seem particu-larly important to the quality of life for aquaticspecies in your community. Take action toprotect any aquatic habitats in danger of beingdamaged, degraded, or lost.
4. On your next field trip, have studentsbring cameras and take pictures of the edges.Remember, edges also occur in urban areas. Forexample, road meets park, or skyscraper meetssidewalk, or garden (in park) meets pond.
5. Invite a wildlife biologist or districtwildlife manager to talk to the class or showslides on ecotones.
CREDIT: Modified and Used with permis-sion from Aquatic Project Wild.
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LEVEL: Grades 7-12
SUBJECTS: Mathematics,
Science (Biology, Life Science),
Social Studies.
PROCESS: Through a physically-
active process of role playing
"herds" of animals seeking food,
students are introduced to the
concept of carrying capacity.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Formulate and test hypo-
theses related to wildlife
populations and carrying capacity.
2. Describe the significance of
carrying capacity.
TIMEFRAME 45 minutes orlonger.
SKILLS: Analyzing, comparing
similarities and differences, des-
cribing, evaluating, generalizing,
hypothesizing, listing, observing.
MATERIALS: One bag of dried
beans, kitchen timer.
VOCABULARY: Carrying cap-
acity, habitat, limiting factor, man-
agement, population.
CARRYING CAPACITYOVERVIEW: Carrying capac-
ity affects all living things, includ-ing humans. The term is usuallythought to mean the number ofanimals of a given type that can besupported in a given area.
Carrying capacity is also inter-preted more broadly as the numberof living things plants as well asanimals an area of land or watercan support at any one time. Dif-ferent life forms have differentcarrying capacities within the samearea. Different ecosystems haveplants and wildlife with differentcarrying capacities.
Carrying capacity is usuallylimited by some aspect of a spe-cies' habitat requirements. Theserequirements include the quantityand quality of available food,water, shelter, space, and thesuitability of their arrangement.Different factors are important ineach case. Natural and humancauses both affect carrying capac-ity. Effects may be short or long
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term. Ecosystem managers have tobalance the different factors, calledlimiting factors.
Carrying capacity for manyspecies is in a constant state ofchange, both seasonally and fromyear to year. For example, it istypically most limited for terrestrialanimals in the winter season whenfood supplies are reduced. Year-to-year variations may result fromfactors such as natural disasters,changes in rainfall and temperaturepatterns, or human interventions.Factors affecting plant growthaffect animals since they eitherdirectly (as herbivores or omni-vores) or indirectly (as carnivores)depend on plants.
Populations of living thingstend to fluctuate naturally aroundsome levels. Carrying capacity isthat level. A population may bebelow carrying capacity in thespring following a hard winter, ortemporarily above it after a goodsummer. When the population is
CARRYING CAPACITY 185
too high, there is inevitably a decline due to avariety of natural limiting factors, e.g., mortality,disease, emigration, and lowered reproductionrate. The carrying capacity of any area is af-fected and adjusted by such natural factors aswell as by human intervention.
A population tends to fluctuate naturallywith carrying capacity, with or without humanintervention. Humans may not always be will-ing to accept the consequences of natural eventslike starvation. Exdmples of intentional humanintervention are reintroducing predators, winterfeeding, constructing nesting boxes, plantingadditional vegetation suitable for food, relocatinganimals, and hunting. Human intervention canreduce a population or prevent its expansion tomeet an expected natural reduction in carryingcapacity. Such an intervention may result in ahigher survival rate.
Altering of habitat quality or quantity mayincrease or decrease carrying capacity. Environ-mental degradation may reduce it for affectedspecies. Activities such as development orpollution are not aimed at intentionally reducingcarrying capacity, but often have this impact.
Intentional intervention may be based on aparticular management philosophy or practice.Ecosystem Management of an area of land orwater in relation to its carrying capacity forcertain species can be open to question andcontroversy. Whether and/or how is appropri-ate for humans to intervene in natural systems issometimes a part of such questions and contro-versy. Management may be defined as inten-tional choice based on human goals and objec-tives. Such goals and objectives are alwaysopen to question by other groups and individu-als.
The major purpose of this activity is toprovide students with a general introduction tothe concept of carrying capacity.
PROCEDURE:PRE ACTIVITY.'
Count out enough beans so there are fiveper student. Spread the beans on a table out-doors or in a cleared area of the classroom. Thisarrangement of the beans represents a foodsupply that has been fixed by the end of a186 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
growing season.
AC7TVITY:
1. Divide the class into "herds" of fivestudents each, and have them all gather on theperiphery of the cleared area.
2. Act as a timekeeper and set the timerto ring at intervals of one minute or less. (Thetime interval you use per round depends on thesize of the physical area you use for the activityas well as the size of your group. For the pur-poses of this activity, all students should not getenough food to survive.)
3. One member at a time, each "herd"comes up to the table during each interval("feeding time"). Each student in each herdattempts to take one piece of food per turn,simulating the animal's need-to eat reasonablyregularly. When you start, all the first peoplefrom each herd will move at once to get food.Then (relay-fashion) they each tag the nextperson in their herd who moves to get food,who then tags the next person, and so on. Thiscontinues long enough so some students don'tget to the food supply before the timer rings andthe round ends. Any member of a herd goingfor three rounds without getting any food dies.
4. The food will run out before the nextgrowing season begins and a significant percent-age of the animals will die, depending upon thesize of the "herd." Define carrying capacity andlimiting factors with the students what could bedone or might happen to allow more of thepopulation to live through the "winter" on thefood available. Management options may in-clude reducing the population in various ways tomatch the carrying capacity for example, byredistributing some of the population to anotherarea, or introducing or increasing natural preda-tors. Options to increase the carrying capacitycould include bringing in or planting more"food" for the "herds." Another option is noaction in the form of human intervention. Eachof these options involves costs as well as ben-efits, and each may be controversial.
5. Repeat the activity two more times,incorporating two different options the studentshave discussed. What happens to the number ofsurvivors that live to reproduce the next year?
201
6. Repeat the activity one more time,incorporating one of the options used above,and also include five or six young animals bornthe previous spring. This can be done by desig-nating one student in each "herd" to take foodfor themselves and an offspring. How does thisannual increase affect the population? Whatmust now happen to re-establish the herd sizewithin carrying capacity?
7. Record the number of "survivors" thatresult from the various manipulations of carryingcapacity on the chalkboard. What can belearned from this numerical representation?Which manipulation was the most successful?What criteria did you use for success? What areexamples of both cultural and natural influenceson carrying capacity?
8. Ask for a summary of some of the mostimportant things the students feel they havelearned about the concept of carrying capacity.
ASSESSMENT: It is the early 1900s, andyou are a scientist. You have just learned of thefollowing situation: All the natural predators ofdeer in the Kiabab Plateau in Arizona wereremoved from the area. Within a few years, thedeer population had increased tremendouslyand within another few years, the populationhad collapsed to a very small number. Formu-late a hypothesis that might explain the increaseand decrease of the deer population related tocarrying capacity. Explain how you would testthis hypothesis.
A
202
LEVEL: Grades 8-12
SUBJECTS: Science, Biology,
Ecology, Environmental Edu-
cation, Communication, Social
Studies.
PROCESS: Through group com-
munication, students solve an
ecological mystery.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:
1. Analyze information and solve
a mystery.
2. Diagram the solution.
3. Create alternative plans to
prevent the combined conditions
from reoccurring.
TIMEFRAME 45 minutes to 1
hour.
SKILLS: Analyzing, debating,
discussing, evaluating, listening,
problem solving, public speaking,
reading, synthesizing, working in
small groups.
MATERIALS: Writing materials,
dictionaries, encyclopedias, re-
source books with information
about bighom sheep, 'Mystery
Story,' "Mystery Questions," and
"Mystery Fact Cards° sheets
(attached).
VOCABULARY: Alpine, ewe,
fetus, kid, larval stage (larvae),
lifecycle, parasites, placenta,
pneumonia, public land, ram.
MURDER EWE WROTEOVERVIEW: Bighorn sheep,
Ovis canadensis, live in the ruggedterrain of the Rocky Mountains.They are tan-to-brown color, weighabout 75-200 pounds and standabout two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half feet tall. Adult males arecalled rams, adult females arecalled ewes (pronounced like"you"), and young are called lambs.They eat grasses and similar plantsin high mountain meadows androcky cliff areas. They are usuallyfound in herds numbering 10 to100. Rams are very muscular andknown for their large curling hornswhich they use in dramatic colli-sions with other rams duringbreeding season. Ewes have smallhorns that don't curl very much.Bighorn sheep should not beconfused with the Rocky Mountaingoat, its shaggy, white, small-horned cousin.
The overall population ofbighorn sheep has reboundedsomewhat from destruction bymarket hunters in the late 1800s.
203
Limited hunting is now allowedunder strict regulations. Through-out recorded history, bighornsheep herds were known forprecipitous die-offs. The reasonsfor these population crashes haveremained a mystery and onlyrecently have they been thoroughlyinvestigated. Die-offs still occurtoday, but with proper wildlife andecosystem management tech-niques, they are less severe.
The bighorn sheep die-offexample used in this activity isfictional, but it is based on severalcase studies of bighorn populationcrashes in the west.
Students will solve an ecologi-cal mystery using the informationprovided, thinking and problemsolving skills, and perhaps someresource books.
MURDER EWE WROTE 189
PROCEDURE:PRE ACTIVITY::
Photocopy one copy of "Mystery FactCards" to be cut apart, and a photocopy of the"Mystery Story" and "Mystery Questions" foreach group of four to five students.
AC7TVITY:
1. Ask students to share what they knowabout bighorn sheep. Discuss any additionalbackground information about bighorn sheepwith students (see Overview). Tell students theywill be solving a mystery about bighorn sheepas a class using fact cards. They will also have acopy of a story and questions in their smallgroup for reference.
2. Divide into groups of four to fivestudents. Distribute the "Mystery Story" to eachgroup. Have them read the story as a class or intheir small groups.
3. Share the following guidelines withstudents: Using the story and 24 fact cards, wewill solve this ecosystem mystery. Once you aregiven a fact card, you may not pass or trade itwith others. Only as a group, using good com-munication skills, can we solve the mystery.The fact cards will be read to the rest of theclass one at a time and in order.
As the facts are read aloud, we will begin topiece together the solution to the mystery. Itwill be helpful to focus on the "cause,""weapon," and "motive," as well as previewingthe questions.
4. Distribute a set of "Mystery Questions"to each group, so students can preview them.
5. Distribute one fact card to each stu-dent. Remind students they may not trade factcards or give them to someone else!
Have students read their fact cards one ata time in order. As fact cards are read, let stu-dents decide how best to organize the informa-tion and begin to solve the mystery. Studentsmay struggle at first with the wealth of informa-tion, but that is part of the process. A possiblestrategy is to designate students as recorders ofspecific information for the class.
190 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
Good group communication and participa-tion are critical. Beware of letting a few stu-dents dominate the activity. It may be helpfulfor you to preview the questions and answers.
6. Discuss the questions as a class or havestudents address them in their small groups.Leave ample time for thorough discussion ofmystery questions nine and ten.
Mystery Questions and Answers:
The overall message in this activity is thatnumerous factors, not one or two, lead to thepopulation crash.
1. How many bighorn sheep died be-tween the summer and February 5? (Approxi-mately 202 sheep died.)
2. What unusual wildlife behavior couldhave been an early clue that something waswrong with the herd? (On January 18, touristswere getting very close to the bighorns. Wildanimals very rarely let humans approach them.)
3. Why did so many of the herd die insuch a short period of time (January throughFebruary 5)? (Once the disease established itselfin the unhealthy herd, deaths occurred quickly.)
4. Why did the rams die earlier than theewes? (Rams were tired and worn out as a resultof fighting during the breeding season.)
5. Why were there only a few kids inDecember, though there were many in thesummer? (The lungworm is passed from theewe's body through the placenta and into thefetus' body. Kids are more likely to eventuallysuccumb to an infection of lungworm.)
6. How do bighorn sheep get lungworms?What is the lifecycle of the lungworm? (Bighornsheep accidentally eat small snails while theygraze. These snails are a host for lungwormlarvae. The larvae penetrate the intestinal walland travel to the lungs where they become adults.Lungworms lay eggs in the lungs. The eggs hatchand the young larvae enter the air passageswhere they are coughed up and swallowed by thebighorns. The lungworm larvae are excreted infecal pellets and seek the host snail.)
204
7. Why don't all bighorn sheep die ofpneumonia/lungworm? (Many bighorn herdsare infected with both lungworm and bacteria.Healthy herds are usually able to cope with thesedisease-causers. Unhealthy herds cannot.)
8. What is the relationship between thepneumonia bacteria and the lungworm? (Inweakened, stressed, or young bighorn, the lung-worm lesions provide suitable sites for the pneu-monia-causing bacteria to grow.)
9. Who or what caused the die-off of thebighorns? (No one intended to harm the bighornsheep. Numerous factors working togethercaused the population crash. These factorsinclude:
A. Presence of lungworm and pneumo-nia-causing bacteria.
B. Extreme weather caused bighorns toexpend more energy than usual and this weak-ened them. Crowding caused by deep snowsallowed the diseases to transmit from one animalto another easily.
C. Heavy grazing by cattle in the valleybottoms during the summer left little for winter-ing bighorns.
D. Stresses caused by the breeding sea-son.
E. Stress caused by elk hunters ridingsnowmobiles nearby.
F. Habitat loss of critical winter grazingareas by real estate development.)
10. As a class or in small groups, assumethe role of an ecosystem manager. Discuss and/or write a management plan about how you willprevent such a die-off in the future. What willbe the best management practice(s)? What willbe the least expensive management practice(s)?How will privately-owned land affect your plan?How will you include others in your planningefforts? If you don't have suggestions for thepreceding questions, how can you learn more soyou can form an opinion? (Numerous possibili-ties. Be sure to include the issue of private andpublic lands in the management proposal.)
7. To summarize the activity, ask:
-What was the hardest part of this activ-ity? The easiest?
-What Information was the most help-ful? Why? Least helpful? Why?
-What was the best way for you to orga-nize all the information? Why?
-How did you find your mind workingwhen you knew you were trying to solve amystery?
-What is something you learned that youwill share with others?
-How can what you learned doing thisactivity help you in the future?
ASSESSMENT:1. Have students list the various factors
that lead to the bighorn sheep population crash.
2. Using the factors on their lists, theycreate diagrams to show how the factors areconnected.
3. Have students create a diagram show-ing the lifecycle of the lungworm from theinformation given.
EXTENSIONS:1. Have students research other parasitic
lifecycles. Other animal species, includinghumans, have had dramatic population crashesas the result of parasites. What were the para-sites, why, and how were they eventually con-trolled?
2. Working in small groups, ask studentsto research and report about the techniquesused by wildlife agencies to trap and medicallytreat bighorn sheep for diseases. Ask eachgroup to also report how they decided where togo for the information they were seeking.
RESOURCES:Bighorn Sheep Mortality in the Taylor River-
Almont Area, Feverstein, Schmidt, Hibler, andRutherford, 1978-1979: A case study. 1980.
205 MURDER EWE WROTE 191
MYSTERY STORY
The Taylor Canyon bighorn sheep herdlives in a typical Rocky Mountain ecosystemcharacterized by rugged mountains, canyons,and small grassy valleys. Valley bottoms areprivately owned; most of the other higher terrainis public land.
During the summer months, wildlife biolo-gists estimated the bighorn sheep herd to num-ber 250. This was the largest herd size in manyyears. Numerous ewes with kids were sightedin alpine meadows and scattered bands of ramswere noted at higher elevations.
Late-season (December) elk hunters in thearea reported lots of bighorns. All appearedhealthy, although there seemed to be few kids.Many male rams were observed fighting othermale rams for females with whom to mate.
January brought heavy snows and coldweather. Snow depths were up to five feet andmid-day temperatures were as low as -20 de-grees (F).
On January 18, wildlife biologists noted skitourists pulled off the highway taking pictures ofthe bighorn sheep. One tourist came within tenfeet of a ram. Bitter cold and deep snowspersisted.
Ranchers noted that many of the bighornsappeared to be tired, ragged, and weak. Thebighorns staggered and mucous discharge wasobserved coming from their mouths and noses.Many bighorns were coughing. On January 21,one rancher notified wildlife officials.
Two days later, wildlife officers found eightdead rams and two extremely sick ewes. Twodead bighorns were sent to a university labwhere autopsies were performed to determinethe cause of death.
On February 5, ground surveys and aerialfly overs found only 48 bighorn sheep alive.Some. of the remaining bighorn sheep werenetted and medically treated. Food was broughtin. No more deaths occurred.
What caused this dramatic population crash?192 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
MYSTERY QUESTIONS
1. How many bighorn sheep died be-tween the summer and February 5?
2. What unusual wildlife behavior couldhave been an early clue that something waswrong with the herd?
3. Why did so many of the herd die insuch a short period of time (January throughFebruary 5)?
4. Why did the rams die earlier than theewes?
5. Why were there only a few kids inDecember, though there were many in thesummer?
6. How do bighorn sheep get lungworms?What is the lifecycle of the lungworm?
7. Why don't all bighorn sheep die ofpneumonia/lungworm?
8. What is the relationship between thepneumonia bacteria and the lungworm?
9. Who or what caused the die-off of thebighorns?
10. From the role of an ecosystem man-ager, discuss and/or write a management planabout how you will prevent such a die-off in thefuture. What will be the best managementpractice(s)? What will be the least expensivemanagement practice(s)? How will privately-owned land affect your plan? How will youinclude others in your planning efforts? If youdon't have suggestions for the preceding ques-tions, how can you learn more so you can forman opinion?
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Mystery Fact Cards:
(Cut the facts apart on dotted lines andgive one to each student.)
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Fact #1The autopsies revealed that the deadbighorns had pneumonia-causing bacteria.
Fact #2Autopsies revealed dead bighorn were foundto have parasites called lungworms.
Fact #3The elk hunters were riding snowmobiles.Bighorn are easily spooked by the presenceof these noisy machines. They get nervous.
Fact #4Heavy snows make travel difficult forbighorn. Herds begin to congregate on thefew pieces of bare ground (or shallow snowaccumulation areas) available.
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Fact #5When grazing, bighorn sometimes eat smallland snails by accident.
Fact #6The lungworm larvae can move across theplacenta from the pregnant ewe into itsfetus.
Fact #7Lungworms form open sores in the lungs.
Fact #8During cold weather, bighorn sheep spendlots of energy trying to stay warm. Theircaloric needs increase.
Fact #9Young lungworm larvae are excreted inbighorn sheep fecal pellets.
-1
aMURDER EWE WROTE 193
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Fact #10During the summer, bighorn sheep stay athigh elevations on public lands eatingnutritious alpine plants. When winter snowsarrive, they typically move down ontoprivate lands in the valleys and canyons.
Fact #11Pneumonia causes bighorn sheeps' lungs tofill up with mucous. They try to cough it out.
Fact #12During winter bighorn paw through thesnow to eat grass. This is tiring.
Fact #13Even healthy bighorn sheep have thebacteria that causes pneumonia.
Fact #14The larval stage of the lungworm is found insmall land snails.
194 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
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Fact #75The breeding season for bighorn sheep isNovember and December. Rams activelyfight for the right to breed ewes.
Fact # 16The larval stage of the lungworm travelsfrom the bighorn's stomach to its lungs.
Fact #17Diseases spread easily among herds incrowded conditions.
Fact #18Generally speaking, only unhealthy wildanimals allow humans to get close.
Fact # 19Bacteria that cause pneumonia can onlycause this disease if it finds open sores inthe lungs.
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Fact #20Healthy bighorn sheep rarely get diseases.Young or physically stressed animals aremore likely to succumb to diseases.
Fact #21Ranchers grazed large numbers of cattle ontheir private lands in canyon/valley bottomsduring the summer.
Fact #22Once in the lungs, the lungworms mate andlay eggs. When the eggs hatch, the younglarvae are coughed up and swallowed.
Fact #23High activity levels tire and stress bighorns.
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Fact #24During the summer, one rancher sold someof her valley land to a real estate developer.A few homes were built that summer. A fewmore are planned.
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209MURDER EWE WROTE 195
LEVEL: Grades 9-12
SUBJECTS: Career Education,
Earth Science, Environmental
Education, Science, Sociology.
PROCESS: Through role playing
various career persons and
community residents, students
embark on a challenging
simulation in which they develop
solutions that must balance water
needs, environmental issues,
economics, and other societal
values.
OBJECTIVES: The student will:1. Identify factors that impact
water-use decisions.
2 Role play various water-
resource careers.
3. Identify the interaction nec-
essary between the disciplines to
make water-resource decisions.
4. Identify additional information
needed to make a water-resource
decision.
5. Recognize the difficulty in
making resource decisions for a
community.
TIMEFRAME Two to three 45-
minute sessions.
SKILLS: Analyzing, applying,
comprehending, debating, des-
cribing, discussing, evaluating,
listening, listing, problem solving,
role playing, understanding cause
and effect, valuing.
MATERIALS: Poster paper,
markers, calculators, "Blue La-
goon Island Fact Sheet" (att-
ached), specific career information
(attached), "Background Notes:
The Maldive Islands° (attached),
maps of the island for general
public (attached).
VOCABULARY: Archaeology,
desalting plant, fault, hydrology,
limnology, scouring, spawning.
MAYHEM IN THE MALDIVESOVERVIEW: Water is a lim-
ited and precious natural resource.All living organisms depend on it.Decisions regarding water re-sources for a community are com-plex and require expertise in manydifferent technical disciplines.Some factors to consider include:
1. The location from whichwater will come.
tion.
2. The amount needed.
3. The quality of the water.
4. The method of transporta-
5. The users of the water.
In addition to technical disci-plines, public interest must beconsidered in making decisions.Professional and public groupsmust work together to find the bestsolutions based on their resourcesand priorities. Solutions mustbalance water needs, environmen-
2 1
tal issues, economics, and othersocietal values, such as how thesolution affects the current way oflife.
In this activity students engagein a simulation about water usedecisions. Every student or groupof students role plays a specificwater-resource career and is givenat least one piece of informationthat no one else has. Studentsneed to take into account specificfactors such as endangered plantsand fish, faults, archaeologicalsites, economics, and changes totheir lifestyles as they make deci-sions regarding this water usesituation. Some of the backgroundinformation for this simulation isbased on the Republic of theMaldives, a chain of islands in theIndian Ocean.
PROCEDURE:PRE-ACTIV1TY:
1. Photocopy the maps,background information on theMaldive Islands, and the informa-
MAYHEM IN THE MALDIVES 197
tion for each of the careers.
2. Cut apart the pages with two careers soeach career person or pair is given only onecareer.
ACTIVITY:
1. Read the following instructions to allstudents:
You and Your classmates live on BlueLagoon Island, a fictional island located in.theMaldive Islands. The Maldive Islands are locatedin the Indian Ocean, southwest of India. Someof you are members of the Blue Lagoon IslandVillage Council. At this week's Council meeting,the manager for the fish cannery is presenting aproposal that involves the expansion of thecannery. The expansion requires the cannery touse a larger percentage of the island's domesticwater supply. In addition to many villagers andelders in attendance, there are also representa-tives who are employed on the island, includingan archaeologist, fishery biologist, general biolo-gist, civil engineer, economist, farmer, geologist,hydraulic engineer, hydrologist, limnologist,mechanical engineer, social science analyst,tourist board member, and water treatment plantmanager. Each person has been invited tospeak and assist the Council in making a deci-sion that is in the best interest of Blue LagoonIsland.
After hearing all the concerns, the Councilworks to reach a consensus on the cannery'sproposal. Each member of the Council has onevote.
2. Choose one student (or a pair of stu-dents, if the group is large) to represent each ofthe career roles listed in number 1. Choose onestudent to represent the fish cannery manager,two or three students to represent the villageelders, two to three students to represent theyoung villagers, five to seven students to repre-sent the Council members, and a Council leader.
3. Give each student or pair of students amap of the island, background notes on theMaldive Islands, and information on their spe-cific roles. Note the archaeologist and geologisteach have a different map than the general mapof the island.198 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
4. Give students time to read the materialsand prepare for the Council meeting. Havestudents prepare name plates for their roles somembers of the Council know their job titles orareas of interest.
A. CAREE1? ROLES, THE FISH CANNERY MANAGER AND
VILLAGERS should make strong cases for theirpositions concerning this water issue.
B. COUNCIL LEADER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
Council members review all the informa-tion, list the questions they may have about theproject, and decide on a process for making adecision about the proposed expansion of thefish cannery. Each Council member should havea copy of the questions and be prepared to askpresenters about their concerns.
5. The Council leader asks the fish can-nery manager to make a presentation to thegroup first.
6. The Council leader asks Council mem-bers to identify possible solutions or alternativesto get extra water to the cannery.
7. The Council leader calls on each careerperson to make a presentation at the Councilmeeting. Each career person has informationthat none of the other careers has and has aconcern to present. The Council leader lists theadvantages and disadvantages of each position,writing them down as the career person speaks.
8. Village elders and youth are invited tospeak about the issue from their own perspec-tives.
9. After all, the Council leaders have madetheir presentations, the Council members takethe issue back into their own hands to discuss,evaluate pros and cons, and decide whether toaccept, reject, or modify the fish manager'sproposal. The Council leader announces thedecision.
10. If there is no consensus on a decision,identify the reasons why consensus was notpossible.
11. What additional information wasneeded to make a decision and how w^-1,1 that
211
information be obtained?
POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES
1. Build a dam at the lake and install apipeline to convey the water to the cannery.
2. Build a dam at the lake and build acanal to convey the water to the cannery.
3. Build a desalting plant and conveyancesystem next to the cannery and use the desaltedwater at the cannery.
4. Automate the cannery equipment.
5. Utilize the water supply from the BlueRiver Water Treatment Plant and convey to thecannery via pipeline or canal.
6. Reject the cannery manager's proposal-no action to be taken.
ASSESSMENT:1. Have students identify with whom
(discipline) they needed to interact in order toaddress their concerns. For example, the fisherybiologist needed to work with the hydraulicengineer and civil engineer to take care of thespawning concern.
2. Have students each write a paragraphstating what his or her own decision would havebeen in regard to the cannery request and why.
EXTENSIONS:1. Have the students diagram the interac-
tion using lines or arrows to show (1) informa-tion needed between disciplines; (2) disciplinesin agreement; and (3) disciplines in disagree-ment.
RESOURCES:Working in Reclamation. Saving the Water,
Saving the Land for the People, U.S. Departmentof the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, brochure.
Engineering Careers, U.S. Department ofthe Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, brochure.
CREDIT: US Bureau of Reclamation andthe Denver Earth Science Project contributed tothis lesson.
tr.`7
tts,,111
2. Add additional players, such as govern-ment agencies, that would be involved in en-forcing environmental laws. ti
11
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3. Ask students to identify one of thecareers that appealed to them as a potentialcareer. Have them bring in a speaker to expandon their career or ask them to research educa-tional requirements and/or where a person withthis career might find employment.
212
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BLUE LAGOON ISLAND FACT SHEETGeneral Information for each Person at
the Council MeetingBlue Lagoon Island has been inhabited for
the past 300 years by a small group of peoplewho originally came from the mainland. Thevillagers have a simple lifestyle. Many of themhave never left the island. Historically, thevillagers have farmed and/or fished for food.
The island has recently become an ideal sitefor small business ventures. Over two yearsago, a hotel franchise built a small resort. A fishcannery was established on the island five yearsago.
o Current population of the island is 1,000.
o 600 people are unemployed and they areeither over 65 or under 18 years of age.
o 400 people are employable with 360currently employed.
o 200 of those employed work at the fishcannery. The other 160 people work at theresort or the water treatment plants.
o If the expansion of the cannery is ap-proved, 40 unemployed villagers could be hiredat the cannery. An additional 160 people fromthe mainland could be employed.
BACKGROUND NOTES: THE MALDIVEISLANDS
(Modified from the United States Depart-ment of State, Bureau of Public Affairs Bulletin,Background Notes: Maldives, February 1990.)
(100 inches) in the north; 281 centimeters (150inches) in the south
Absence of potable water in mostplaces
PEOPLE:
Population: 52,000Ancient religion: Buddhism
- Official religion today: Islam- Official language: Dhivehi (Indo-Euro-
pean language related to Sinhala, the languageof Sri Lanka)
Writing system: right to left (like Arabic)
213
ARCHAEOLOGISTYou are a scientist who studies the life
and culture of past (ancient) peoples throughexcavations; artifacts, etc. Though BlueLagoon Island is small and has a relativelysmall population even today, it has beeninhabited during various time periods for thepast few hundred years.
During the past few years, you havebegun to excavate various sites where an-cient peoples inhabited the island. You havealready excavated a number of dwellings andworship sites from the 12th-century Buddhistcivilization. You and your teammates havefound pottery (broken pieces and a fewentire pots), tools, pieces of fabric, Buddhistworship idols, and wood and stone frag-ments that outline the ancient dwellings usedby the previous inhabitants.
CONCERN
The 12th-century Buddhist artifacts arelocated immediately south of the village (seemap). Expanding the village southward toaccommodate the additional cannery work-ers would destroy these relics. You areopposed to the expansion of the cannery.
0
FISHERY BIOLOGISTYou are a scientist who investigates
fisheries-related problems, including fishhabitat improvement, fisheries protection,and enhancement measures. You work withboth native and non-native fish.
CONCERN
An endangered fish spawns in the SouthRiver. These fish require clean materials(gravel, rock, cobble) for spawning (repro-duction). Sediment collects on the materialsthrough the year but is flushed out with therainy season flows, keeping the river bottomclean. The minimum flushing flow is 80,000gallons a day for two weeks. If this flow isnot achieved, spawning will not be success-ful for that year. Constructing a dam to anelevation of 80 feet would reduce or stopthe flows that provide this scouring action.As a result, the substrate would becomeclogged with silt, and the fish would haveno area in which to lay their eggs.
You are also concerned about thechange in water temperature and dissolvedoxygen content since these changes affectthe endangered fish and the other nativefish.
Fishery protection would be needed inareas where canals or pipelines withdrawwater from the lake or from the rivers. Thatprotection could consist of screens on theintake structures or barriers of some type toprevent the fish from getting out of thewaters where they naturally occur. In addi-tion, young fish may be at risk of beingeaten by other species (predators) that residearound the pump intake structures. Thesepredators eat enough of some species tothreaten their already depressed population.
214 MAYHEM IN THE MALDIVES 201
GENERAL BIOLOGISTYou are a scientist that deals with the
origin, history, physical characteristics, lifeprocesses, and habits of plants and animals.You are concerned with the impact to theenvironment when the natural surroundingsare changed.
CONCERN
A rare plant that grows around the lakeat an elevation of 40 feet is on the endan-gered species list. If a dam were built at thelake to store more water, the plants would beflooded and die. In addition, wetlands arelocated along the South River, and you wantto see them protected.
COUNCIL MEMBERSYou have been elected to the Blue
Lagoon Island Village Council because youare perceived to be a fair and wise memberof the community. Your job is to representall people (present and future) and do whatis in the best interest of the island.
CONCERN
You must be open minded and giveeach person a chance to present his or herviewpoint on the proposed fish canneryexpansion. Keep in mind that potable wateris a scarce and valuable resource on yourisland. Your main task is to look over theinformation about the island and decide whatelse you need to know to make a good
LIJIL/11.
202 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
CIVIL ENGINEERCivil engineering is the branch of engi-
neering that deals with the design and con-struction of dams, highways, bridges, tun-nels, waterworks, structures, etc. Beforethese structures can be built, survey crewsdetermine the geologic structure in the area.Raw materials needed for construction, suchas gravel and sand to make concrete, areordered and delivered to the constructionsite. Land owners in the vicinity of the newconstruction are contacted for permission toallow workers on or near their land. If thestructure is to be built on land not owned bythe government, purchase of the land isrequired before construction can begin.
CONCERN
As a civil engineer, you know that allraw materials for the cannery expansionmust be imported to the island. Sand andgravel, averaging $8 per ton, can be broughtto the island. You estimate that 3,500 tons ofsand and gravel will be needed to expandthe cannery.
All of the heavy construction equipmentmust also be brought to the island. This notonly adds considerable cost to the project,but it could also damage the roads that theheavy equipment and supplies must bedriven over. The roads were not built tocarry heavy loads.
For the dam alternative, an outlet workswould have to be designed that would meetthe flushing flow requirement of 80,000gallons a day so the fish can spawn.
The canal and pipeline alternativeswould require construction of fish screens tokeep the fish out of the pump intake struc-ture.
a is
ECONOMISTYou are a specialist in the science that
deals with the production, distribution, andconsumption of wealth, and with the variousrelated problems of labor, finance, andtaxation. You help companies predict whatproducts are wanted by the people, and helpestablish production and distribution systemsthat will get the products to the consumers.You help companies look at the costs of rawmaterials, labor, buildings, and taxes. Youadvise them on how to spend and investtheir profits.
CONCERN
The cost to build either a pipeline orcanal to the cannery from the treatment plantor the lake is about $1 million a mile. Thecost for fish screens would have to be addedto this cost. The stronger the pump intakestructures, the greater the cost for the fishscreens.
The cost of building a dam at the lake toan elevation of 80 feet would be $5 million.
Desalting sea water is about $3.50 per1000 gallons. 50,000 gallons per day wouldcost $175 a day or $63,875 a year. The costto convey the desalted water is 1% of theproject cost. It would cost about $10 pergallon to build the desalting plant.
21 6
FARMERYou represent the agricultural commu-
nity for the island. Dominant crops includefruit trees and coconut palms.
CONCERN
Agriculture provides 11% of the incometo the island. You do not want to see watertaken away from agriculture in order toprovide water for the expansion of thecannery. As far as you are concerned, agri-culture is just as important as the cannery.
You and the other farmers are willing tosupport expansion of the cannery as long asthe water does not come from agriculture.
MAYHEM IN THE MALDIVES 203
GEOLOGISTYou are a specialist in the science that
deals with the physical nature and history ofthe earth. This includes the structure anddevelopment of its crust, the composition ofits interior, individual rock types, fossils, andground movement along faults. You alsostudy fossils embedded in the rocks to learnabout the past climate and organisms inhab-iting continents and oceans. Besides study-ing the basic rock make-up of the earth, youstudy faults and volcanic activity on BlueLagoon Island and other islands that makeup the Maldives.
CONCERN
There is an active fault between thecurrent cannery and the lake (see map). Afault is a fracture (break, crack, split) or zoneof fractures in layers of rock; together withmovement that displaces the sides relative toone another. A canal or pipeline to carrywater from the lake or from the Blue RiverTreatment Plant to the expanded cannerywould be potentially dangerous since itwould have to cross the active fault. Anearthquake along the fault after such a canalor pipeline is built could potentially causegreat destruction as the flood water flows tolow lying regions. The fault also makes itundesirable to expand the village to.thenorth to accommodate new employees andtheir families moving to the island.
204 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS2.17
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HYDRAULIC ENGINEERHydraulic engineering is the branch of
civil engineering that deals with the physicsof the movement of water and the affectedstructures of channels. You would help indesigning outlet works from the dam andintake structures for the canal or pipeline.
CONCERN
An endangered fish spawns in the SouthRiver. These fish require clean materials forspawning (reproduction). Sediment collectson the materials through the year but isflushed out with the rainy season flows.
Building the dam to an elevation of 80feet will reduce the river flow and only allowflows of 50,000 gallons per day.
LIMNOLOGISTLimnology is the field of science that
studies fresh water ecosystems includingwater quality (chemical), sediments (physi-cal), and the food chain (biological). Youare involved in the collection of water andsediment samples and analyzing them tomake sure specific water quality standardsare met.
CONCERN
Making the lake deeper can change thetemperature of the lake, the dissolved oxy-gen content, and the productivity (food forfish). These changes could reduce thenumber of native fish in the lake and/orcreate habitat that would be more suitablefor non-native species that would out-com-pete the native species. Flooding areas thatwere not previously under water could alsochange the productivity of the entire lake.
HYDROLOGISTYou are a scientist who deals with the
waters of the earth, their distribution on thesurface and underground, and the cycleinvolving evaporation, precipitation, andflow to the seas. You are concerned withthe water level in aquifers and the flow ofwater in rivers and lakes since all plants,animals, and people depend on one ofthese sources for freshwater. Islands suchas Blue Lagoon often have a limited amountof freshwater because the precipitation runsquickly off the land into the ocean.
CONCERN
The island has a dry season (six monthslong) and a rainy season (six months long).Rainfall on the island flows to the ocean asfollows:
*Blue River: Rainy season = 350,000gallons per day
Dry season = 200,000 gallons per day
East River:gallons per day
Dry season = 75,000 gallons per day
Rainy season = 100,000
*South River: Rainy season = 100,000gallons per day flows into the lake anddown to the ocean via the South River
Dry season = Flow into the lake dropsto 25,000 gallons per day
When the lake level gets to 60 feet, theSouth River begins flowing at 50,000 gallonsper day. For the lake to supply 50,000gallons per day during the dry season wouldrequire raising the lake level to an elevationof 80 feet by building a dam on the SouthRiver.
2 8
FISH CANNERY MANAGERYou are proposing the expansion of the
cannery. The cannery processes tuna that is"dolphin free." With the recent dolphin-
free awareness in the United States, there isgreat potential in the U.S. tuna market. Pro-cessing tuna in a cannery requires large quan-tities of water. Additional water is needed ifthe cannery is to expand. A larger cannerywould increase jobs and lift the economy.
CONCERN
Current cannery: Processes 5,000 poundsa day
Requires 10 gallons water per pound oftuna (50,000 gallons per day)
Employs 200 people
Proposed Expansion (Doubling Plant Size)
Cost of expansion = $10 millionRequires an additional 50,000 gallons of
water a dayWould employ an extra 200 people
Since the cannery is currently using theentire dry season flow of the East River, extrawater could come from the Blue River Treat-ment Plant, which has extra capacity. Thecost to get water from the Blue River Treat-ment Plant to the cannery is not included inthe $10 million. You assume the VillageCouncil will pay for it because of the increasedrevenue your expansion will bring to theisland.
MAYHEM IN THE MALDIVES 205
MECHANICAL ENGINEERMechanical engineering is the branch of
engineering that deals with the design,operation, and production of machinery andmechanical systems. You help design newand more efficient machines for productionand assembly lines in large companies.
CONCERN
As a mechanical engineer, you knowthat another option to expanding the can-nery is to automate the machinery. Ratherthan do all the fish processing by hand, yousuggest that the addition of specializedmachines would help speed up the process-ing of fish. This type of modernization coststwice what the expansion would, but itrequires less water and fewer additionalworkers.
Alternative Cannery ProcessCost to double plant output = $20
millionWater usage cut from 10 gallons per
pound of tuna to 7 gallons per pound (totalof 70,000 gallons per day)
Total employment = 300
SOCIAL SCIENCE ANALYSTYou are a specialist who examines how
change impacts the lives of people living ina region. You want to know how newbusinesses, jobs, construction, people, andproducts affect an existing community.
CONCERN
As the social analyst, you are concernedabout how the people of the village will beimpacted if a social change occurs. If thereis a large influx of people from the main-land, will the customs and traditions of thenative islanders be lost? How could thisaffect future generations if their heritage isnot preserved? Can the 160 additionalworkers commute by ferry back and forthfrom the mainland instead of living on theisland?
206 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
TOURIST BOARD MEMBERAs a representative of the island tourist
businesses, you would like to see the localresort expanded. You are responsible forbringing tourists to the island for vacations.Since the resort was built two years ago,tourists have eagerly visited the islandbecause it offers rare beauty in a relativelyisolated setting. The island offers tourists awonderful, quiet get-away with manyunique historical and cultural attractions likethe 12th-century Buddhist artifacts, water-falls on the Inner River, the Blue Lagoon,and the lush tropical vegetation.
CONCERN
Expanding the resort would competewith the additional water needed by thecannery. Also, the 12th-century Buddhistartifacts and the beauty of the natural water-falls, found on the Inner River, are crucial toattracting visitors to the island. It has be-come evident in the last few years thatmore and more tourists want a vacation thatis unique and away from regular touristcrowds.
Sport fishing could be impacted by the1 dam alternative if flushing flows are not
adequate to provide for spawning.
You propose the expansion of theresort at a cost of $10 million rather thanthe expansion of the fish cannery to boostthe economy of Blue Lagoon Island. Tour-ism currently brings $7 million to the islandannually (on the average 100 guests are onthe island every day). The resort couldeasily be expanded to accommodate 200guests a day.
2 9
WATER TREATMENT MANAGER FORBOTH PLANTS
As plant manager for both the BlueRiver and East River Water TreatmentPlants, you are responsible for providing anadequate, clean water supply to the peopleliving on Blue Lagoon Island. As part ofyour job, you investigate the available watersupplies and determine the quantity ofwater being used by each resident living onthe island. In addition, you must be able tosupply enough clean water to businessessuch as the cannery and resort.
CONCERN
The water supply system is adequatenow, but there will not be enough water ifthe number of people increases or if thecannery requires more water.
Each villager requires 150 gallons ofwater a day. The resort averages about 100guests a day who require 150 gallons ofwater a day.
The village and resort receive all oftheir water from Blue River Treatment Plant:165,000 gallons per day (Capacity = 215,000gallons per day).
The cannery receives 50,000 gallonsper day from East River Treatment Plant.This is the plant's full capacity.
If the cannery expands as proposed, itwill require an additional 50,000 gallons perday (the entire extra capacity of the BlueRiver Treatment Plant). The 160 new villag-ers will require an additional 24,000 gallonsper day. They will require even more waterif each of those new villagers has a family.
220
VILLAGE ELDERSYou represent the local village and its
community. You have lived your entire lifeon Blue Lagoon Island and want to see theisland continue as your quiet beautifulhome. You continue to carry on the cus-toms begun by earlier generations of islandpeople.
CONCERN
The elders are opposed to the fisheryexpansion. You believe it will alter thecurrent way of life, create more pollution,and destroy part of the natural rainforest soimportant to the island people. You areconcerned about the political power shiftingif many people from the mainland move tothe island.
YOUNG VILLAGERSYou represent the young people living
on Blue Lagoon Island. Although you re-spect the wishes of the elders and abide bymany of the old customs, you realize thatchange is taking place on the island andthroughout the world. You have beenintroduced to modern electronic equipmentsuch as radios, TVs, and compact disc play-ers through tourists you have met visiting theisland. You want modern appliances (refrig-erators, stoves, etc.) for your family.
CONCERN
You are definitely in favor of the expan-sion of the cannery or the resort. Yourealize that either expansion will result inmore jobs on the island. More and betterpaying jobs are needed by the young peoplewho will be the future leaders of the island.
You are concerned about outsiders fromthe mainland coming to the island for thesenew jobs. You want control of the island toremain in the hands of local villagers. Likethe elders, you do not want to see a shift in ,
political power to outsiders. You are com-mitted to supporting the island if new jobsare provided.
MAYHEM IN THE MALDIVES 207
1
BLUE LAGOON ISLAND (For All)
Village
ResortBlue RiverTreatment
Blue PlantRiver
Cannery
Falls onInner River
SouthRiver
Indian Ocean
Scale: 1 inch = 1 mile
.208 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
221II
222MAYHEM IN THE MALDIVES 209
BLUE LAGOON ISLAND (For Geologists)Active. Fault:Earthquakes are likely
210 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
SouthRiver
Indian Ocean
Scale: 1 inch = 1 mile
ECOSYSTEM MATTERS GLOSSARY
abiotic- a non-living factor in an ecosystem (e.g., air, sunlight, water).
acorn- the nut (fruit) of an oak tree; typically set in a caplike base.
adaptation- the process by. which animals or plants can change to live in a particular ecosystem;
or, the trait in an animal or plant that makes it especially well-suited to live a particular ecosystem.
aesthetics- refers to the value placed on beauty.
alpine: refers to the high mountain area above timberline.
amphibian- an animal that lives in moist, wet areas. In its larval stage it lives underwater and
breathes using gills. Through metamorphosis, it becomes and adult and breathes through lungs
and moist skin (e.g., salamander, frog).
anadromous- usually refers to fish that spend most of their adult lives in oceans but migrate up
fresh water streams to spawn (e.g., salmon).
archaeologist- a scientist who studies the life and culture of past peoples through the excavation
and examination of their material remains.
archaeology- the study of past human lives and cultures through the examination of their material
remains.
artifact- typically a simple tool or ornament produced by past human workmanship.
aquatic- refers to plants and animals that live, grow, or are regularly found in water.
aquatic insects- insects that spend part of their lifecycles in fresh water (e.g., mosquitos,
mayflies).
bat grate- typically a framework of parallel or latticed metal bars that allow bats access to a mine or
cave, while excluding humans and many other animals.
bedding grounds- a particular area where animals (typically herding animals) rest or sleep.
bedrock- the solid rock that underlies the earth's surface.
behavior- the actions of an animal to certain circumstances.
biodiversity (biological diversity)- the variety, distribution and abundance of life forms and
ecological processes in an ecosystem.
biome- an ecological formation with distinctive plant and animal communities that are produced
and maintained by certain climatic conditions.
biosphere- the life-supporting land, water and atmosphere of the earth's surface; the entire earth's
ecosystem.
biotic- a living factor in an ecosystem.
224 GLOSSARY 211
212 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
biotic community- living things in a community (as compared to the non-living things).
bobcat- a wild cat of North American named because of its short tail; also characterized by itstufted ears and freckled fur.
body mass- usually refers to the size and weight of an animal's body.
bottlenecks- a hindrance to production or progress.
browse- shrubs eaten by deer, elk, sheep or cattle; to eat the twigs of leaves of shrubs.
carnivores- animals that kill and eat other animals.
carrying capacity- the maximum number of individuals in a species that a particular ecosystemcan support at an given time.
cave- a natural opening into the earth, often on a cliff or hill.
cavity nester- a wildlife species (typically birds) that requires holes in trees for nesting andreproduction.
clay- fine particles of earth with high water holding capacity; hard when dry, plastic or sticky whenwet
clutch- the number of eggs produced and incubated at one time.
colony- a group of animals or plants of the same species, living or growing together.
competition- when two or more organisms vie for the same resource. Competition can occur
between two different species (interspecific) or between two individuals of the same species
(intraspecific).
consensus- a general agreement or collective opinion.
consumer- an organism that eats other organisms or their remains; or, a person or other entity thatuses items or services.
controlled burn- see prescribed fire.
corridor- a linear tract of land that a species must travel or migrate through in order to reach
habitat suitable for a particular life-sustaining need.
crystals- are solids with faces that come together in may ways and have regular shapes that
identify the crystal. For example, salt crystals are always shaped like cubes. Crystals that are
forming are said to be "growing" and their shapes and sizes will be different
decay- to rot or decompose
decomposer- organisms that which decay dead plants and animals.
deforestation- the permanent replacement of forests by other land types or uses.
dense, density- the number of individuals in a specified unit of space; usually expressed as thedensity of a population.
225
desalting plant- a facility that removes salt from salt water to produce fresh water.
desert- an ecosystem with little available precipitation and little vegetation.
diamond- extremely hard and beautiful crystals often used in jewelry.
disturbance- an event such as fire, flood, wind, earthquake, disease that causes profound change to
an ecosystem.
diversity- (see biodiversity)
duff- the layer of partially decomposed, organic matter underneath the litter layer of a forest floor.
ecologist- a scientist who studies living things and their relationships with their environment.
ecoregion- geographic area in which the combination of climate, topography, and geology,
determine what types of plants and animals that live there. All the earth's ecoregions form one large
ecosystem. See biome.
ecosystem- a system formed by the interaction of groups of organisms with each other and their
environment; the physical environment and the ecological processes that connect them.
Ecosystems may be large or small.
ecosystem management- the strategy of using ecological, economic, social and businessprinciples to manage an ecosystem to produce, restore, or sustain its integrity over the long term
(as opposed to the strategy of focusing on only one principle, resource use, or species).
ecotone- a mixing zone where two ecosystems and their accompanying plant and animal species
overlap.
edge effect- the tendency of wildlife to use ecotones; or, in forest management, the altered
environmental conditions along the edges of forest plots that are directly adjacent to recently
harvested forest lands.
environment- the total of all the external conditions and influences that affect the existence of an
organism.
environmental impact- the effect of an action upon the environment; may be negative or positive.
environmentalist- a person who protects the environment from pollution, wasteful uses of natural
resources, and undue human intrusion.
erosion- a process by which wind and water removes earthy or rock material from the land surface.
escape terrain- part of an animal's habitat where it can quickly go to elude predators.
ethic- a moral code based on the principle of good conduct.
ewe- an adult female sheep.
factory- a place where people work to change natural resources; like minerals, into something new.
fat load- the increase in calories, stored as fat, to prepare for an extended period of high energy
demand, like migration, or an extended period of fasting, like hibernation.
226 GLOSSARY 213
fI _i VIIKOd0.. 11214 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
fault- a fracture or zone of fractures in layers of rock or the earth; the rock movement that occurs
along such cracks.
fetus- an unborn mammal in which the development of its major body organs is complete.
fledging- the process by which a young bird prepares for flight.
flyway- bird migration routes linking breeding habitat in the north to wintering habitat in the south.
food chain- the transfer of food energy from plants through a progression of animals. For example,
a green plant is eaten by an insect, which is eaten by a frog, which is eaten by a snake.
food web- the complex and interlocking series of food chains.
forage- the process where herbivorous animals search for and eat vegetation; or, the plant material
eaten by herbivorous animals.
forbs- low growing herbaceous plants (e.g., weeds, herbs, not grasses).
forest fragmentation- the change from vast and continuous forests to a mosaic of forest patches
caused by free harvesting, suburban sprawl, highways, etc.
forest floor- the ground of the forest.
fuel loading- the accumulation of combustible material like underbrush, grass, sticks, and trees inan area.
game, game animal- designated wildlife which may be legally hunted only under regulation.
global- refers to the whole earth.
grass- an herbaceous plant with long thin slender leaves and very small flowers.
grassland- a plant community composed primarily of grasses.
grazer- an herbivorous animal that eats grasses.
guano- bat droppings, usually refers to buildup of droppings.
habitat- an area that has the minimum required arrangement of food, water, shelter and space for a
particular species.
harvest- the gathering of plants, animals or other renewable natural resource for use.
hibernation- a period of extremely low metabolic activity during the winter.
humus- decayed organic matter in soil.
hydrology- the study of the waters of the earth, their distribution on the surface and underground,
and the hydrologic cycle involving evaporation, precipitation, etc.
immunity- a condition of being able or having the capacity to resist a particular disease.
inbreeding- the mating of genetically similar individuals in a species.
227
indicator species- a particular plant or animal species used as a general measure of the health of
an ecosystem.
insecticide- a chemical used to kill insects.
interface- a common boundary between abutting areas.
inventory- process of identifying and counting plants or animals.
invertebrate- an animal without a backbone.
irrigation ditch- a canal used to divert water from a stream to an agricultural field.
lamb- a young sheep less than one year old.
landowners- are people or companies who own land and have responsibility for the land.
larva, larval stage- the immature stage of many invertebrates followed by metamorphosis and the
adult stage.
life cycle- the course of an organism's development through a series of stages or phases.
limiting factor- the environmental influences that limit the size of a population (e.g., predation,
disease, food, water).
limnology- the study of fresh water ecosystems including marshes, ponds, and rivers.
litter- the layer of dead but not decomposed, fallen plant material that covers the forest floor; the
layer above duff
lumber mill- a factory where raw logs are cut into lumber (e.g., boards and planks).
mammal- warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by having fur or hair; females nurse
their young (e.g., mouse, bear, cow, human).
management- the practice or act of controlling the harvest, protection, or restoration, or other use
of resources.
managers- people who make decisions about how resources will be used.
marine- refers to the sea (salt water).
microscopic- too small to be seen with the unaided eye; requires a microscope to observe.
migration- usually refers to the seasonal movement of animals from one region to another,
however, migrations may cover very short distances for some species.
mineral- a naturally occurring, non-living object found in the Earth's crust; generally thought to be
a metal or rock, but not always.
mines- are human-made holes in the earth from which minerals are removed. Some mines go far
into the ground while some are on the surface. Mining is the act of removing minerals from the
ground.
mortality- death; usually refers to death rate.
228 GLOSSARY 215
natural resources- raw materials provided by the Earth and usually processed into useful products.
Some natural resources are renewable, like trees, crops and wildlife. Other natural resources are
nonrenewable, like oil, coal and metals.
neotropical birds- are birds that breed in North America during the summer and spend the wintersouth of the Tropic of Cancer.
nest parasitism- when a bird lays an egg in another bird's nest, leaving the host bird to hatch its
egg and raise its young. This is a natural way for cowbirds to reproduce.
niche- an organism's function or role in an ecosystem.
nutrients- in forestry, it refers to minerals in the soil that help provide food for plants to grow. Theare taken into the tree through roots.
nymph- the immature stage of many insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis; this
immature insect typically looks like a smaller, flightless, adult.
old growth- forests of trees hundreds or thousands of years old, characterized by large trees,
abundant snags, broken tree tops, and accumulations of decaying wood.
omnivore- an animal that eats both plants and animals.
organic matter- generally, all matter made by the processes of living things and containing the
element carbon.
organism- any living thing.
parasite- an organism living in or on another organism (the host) from which it obtains its
nutrients. Parasites usually harm their hosts to some degree.
parent material- is formed by the weathering of rocks and minerals that begins the process of soil
formation.
pesticide- a chemical used to kill plant or animals considered to be pests.
pine tree- (from the genus pinus) an evergreen tree that has bundles of needle-like leaves instead
of large leaves; seeds are contained in cones.
placenta- the uterine tissue of mammals that helps to exchange material between the mother and
fetus.
pneumonia- a respiratory disease characterized by fluid in the lungs.
pollutants- unhealthy substances released to the air, water or land, that makes a resource less
valuable or unfit for a specific purpose.
population- the number of a particular species in defined area.
potholes, prairie potholes- ponds and wetlands in west-central North America formed by
retreating glaciers; important for migrating waterfowl.
prairie- a vast land area covered with grass and free of trees.
precipitation- any form of water falling from the sky (e.g., rain, snow, hail).
229
predation- the act of capturing another animal to eat.
predator- an animal that hunts, kills and eats other animals.
prescribed burn- a resource management technique where a fire is deliberately set in, andcontrolled to a specific area to meet certain management objectives.
producer- typically, a green plant that produces organic matter from inorganic matter by theprocess of photosynthesis.
public land- land that is owned by citizens and managed by government natural resource agencies.
ram- an adult male sheep.
reptile- a vertebrate animal characterized by scaly, waterproof skin and a reproductive strategy thatproduces a shelled egg (e.g., snake, turtle)
resources- are the collective wealth of a region that comes from the land, or from the people of theland. See also, natural resources.
riparian- refers to land areas adjacent to aquatic ecosystems.
rodent- mammals such as mice, rats, squirrels, or beavers characterized by large teeth used forgnawing.
roost- a place where flying animals can rest; the act of resting on a perch.
salt- a cube-shaped crystal mineral found where there has been sea water. It is used in food
preparation, soap manufacturing, and de-icing airplanes.
sand- small, rough particles of quartz with low water-holding capacity.
scat- droppings of a wild animal, fecal material.
scouring- an action to clean a river or channel of sediment by flushing with water.
senses- any of an animal's functions of taste, touch, smell, hearing, and sight that allow it toexamine its environment.
shorebird- birds characterized by long legs and long bills, that feed along the shores of coastal or
inland waters.
silt- small, powdery particles of water-transported earth deposited as sediment
snag- a dead tree that is still standing; characterized by a broken top and/or branches, and a hollow
interior; important for some wildlife species.
soil- the top covering of the Earth's crust suitable for plant growth. Includes the living things livingin it.
spawning- the reproductive strategy for fish whereby eggs are produced, deposited and/or
fertilized.
species- a population whose members resemble each other and are able to breed to produce fertileoffspring; the most narrowly defined taxonomic level.
230 GLOSSARY 21 7
0
g tiotigltiffegs 00iFilia i
GLOSSARY 218
stand- a group of trees in a specific area uniform in age and condition so as to be distinguishablefrom the adjoining forest.
streambank- the edge of a stream.
stump- the remains of a tree after it's top has been cut off.
substrate- an underlying layer; in rivers, it refers to the bottom of the river or stream.
survivorship- the number or percentage of newborn individuals in a population that are alive after a
given period of time.
tanks, desert tanks- eroded depressions in the rock which fill up with water. They are very
important to desert wildlife.
terrestrial- refers to the ground (as opposed to aquatic).
territory- an geographic area used for breeding, feeding, or both, which is defended by and animalagainst others of the same species.
thermal- refers to temperature.
ton- 2,000 pounds.
topography- the description of a particular place or region; a map. The "lay of the land."
tropical forest- the highly biodiverse forest biome of the warm, humid equatorial region of the
earth.
tundra- a cold, dry biome characterized by barren terrain with low-growing plant life.
umbrella species- see indicator species.
understory- the smaller trees and shrubs growing underneath the taller forest canopy.
wasteland- a discriptor used by people who believe that a particular place has little or no value or
use. Some wildlife species may require this habitat.
weaned- to be withheld from mother's milk.
wetlands- areas that are frequently inundated with water and are characterized by vegetation that
requires saturated or seasonally saturated soils.
wildfire- any fire occurring on wild land that is not controlled or prescribed.
wild land/urban interface- areas where houses and other urban structures are built in close
proximity to wildland areas where natural disasters, such as fire, are likely to occur.
wildlife- large or small animals that are not domesticated.
woodland- a partially wooded area in which the trees are often small and do not form a closed
canopy.
231
BIOGRAPHIES
PA17YANNE CORSENTINO EDUCATOR/EDITOR WRITER/DENVER, CO
Pattyanne Corsentino holds a B.S. in both Biological Science and Industrial Education from the
University of Northern Colorado, and has 51 additional graduate hours in environmental education.
She has taught in Denver public schools for twelve years.
Pattyanne has eight years as a educational consultant and workshop facilitator. She is presently a
Homework Hotline Teacher, and is in her fourth year as a children's instructor at the Denver Botanic
Gardens. She also serves on the National Steering Committee for the Leopold Education Project.
Pattyanne joined the U.S. Forest Service as an Environmental Education Specialist in the Rocky
Mountain Region in 1992. Assigned through the Intergovernmental Personnel Act, she designs,
implements, and enhances environmental education efforts for the Forest Service.
Pattyanne was named the National Conservation Teacher of the Year 1991. She has been
recognized as the Colorado Outdoor Educator of the Year 1990 by the Colorado Wildlife Federation,
the MeadowLark Award for Project WILD Facilitator of the Year 1989, received the Outstanding
Youth Leader Award from the Denver Mayor's Office, The Blue Bird Award from National Public
Radio, and the US Environmental Protection Agencies National Achievement Award for
Outstanding Environmental Education Program 1990 and 1991.
MARY F. ADAMS EDUCATOR/EDITOR/WRITER/GREELEY,C0
Mary Adams earned her M.A. in Science Education from University Northern Colorado with a
specialization in Health, Science, and Environmental Education. Mary is a veteran teacher with
nineteen years of public school experience in science and health, grades K-12, and one year of
community college education. Her education consulting experience (Lifelong Learning) includes
conducting comprehensive health (Growing Healthy, Healthy Environment/Me) and science
Cluster), writing curriculum (Science of Alcohol Curriculum for the American Indian) and grants.
Mary's awards include the Greeley Audubon Society Outstanding Educator Award, Hewlett/Packard
Award of Excellence, the Keep Colorado Beautiful Award, and the Colorado Project WILD Tenth
Anniversary Commemorative Award (1994) for excellence in leadership.
ROXANNE BRICKELL EDUCATOR/EDITOR/WRITER/DENVER, CO
Roxanne Brickell holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Metropolitan State College and a M.A.
in Environmental Education. She has taught sixth grade for ten years in the elementary and middle
school settings.
Roxanne has 14 years of experience as an educational consultant and workshop facilitator including
Project WILD and Project Learning Tree. She was a contributing author for the "Rivers at Risk
Activity Booklet" U.S. Fish and Wildlife. She presently directs Project Food, Land & People as
their the national education consultant.
Roxanne was named National Conservation Teacher of the Year 1986. She's also received awards
from the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Colorado Association of Science Teachers, Colorado
Educator of the Year 1986 by the Colorado Wildlife Federation, the Meadowlark Award for Project
WILD Facilitator of the Year 1986 and Colorado Department of Education for teaching excellence.
232BIOGRAPHIES 219
220 ECOSYSTEM wiArnEas
WENDY HANOPHY EDUCATOR/EDITOR/WRITER/ARVADA, CO
Wendy Hanophy holds a M.A. in Secondary Education and a B.S. in Wildlife Biology, and has
worked in both the teaching and natural resource professions.
Wendy is nationally recognized for her contributions to environmental education. She has written
curriculum materials for environmental educators since 1981, including Project WILD, Municipal
Solid Waste Management, South Platte: Learning and Teaching the Essentials, American Studies
Program, and Educator's Guide to Denver's Urban Wildlife Refuges (in process). Wendy has been
training other educators to integrate environmental education into their programs since 1980.
Wendy's numerous state and national awards include Tandy Technology Scholars Outstanding
Teacher Award 1989-90, Governor's "Celebrate Colorado!" Environmental Award 1989, U.S. West
Outstanding Teacher for Colorado 1990, Take Pride in America Semi-Finalist 1990, Nature
Educator of the Year Noteworthy Program 1991, Who's Who Among America's Teachers 1992, and
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Pollution Prevention Award 1992.
STEVIE QUATE EDUCATOR/WRITER/STUDENT/DENVER, CO
Stevie Quate has taught high school English just north of Denver for the past 22 years.
Occasionally she tackles a short story or submits an article to an educational journal. During the
summer, she directs Colorado Writing Project as well as leads various workshops for teachers.
She is currently working on her doctorate at the University of Colorado.
JANICE M. HOPPE EDUCATOR/WRITER/ST PAUL, MN
Janice Hoppe has a B.S. in Elementary Education and Music from the University of Wisconsin,
River Falls.
Jan has ten years of teaching experience and is a former senior editor and market research
supervisor for TREND Enterprises, Inc., a national educational publishing firm. Her
curriculum development and writing experience includes developing model learner outcome
documents for the Minnesota Departments of Education and Agriculture and curriculum design for
University of Minnesota. She is the lead writer for Minnesota Ag in the Classroom's Ag Mag and
has written Minnesota's Arbor Day teaching materials for several years. She is also a curriculum
consultant/editor for Project Food, Land & People.
Jan's awards include being listed in Outstanding Educators in America, 1974.
233
CHARLES W. CLARK EDUCATOR/WRITER/ARVADA, CO
Chuck Clark received his BA. in Biology from Western State College and is a graduate candidate at
Denver University in Environmental Policies and Management.
Chuck presently teaches sixth grade, but has fifteen years of experience teaching fourth ninthgrade. He is a former Project WILD assistant for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Production
Coordinator for "Water Wonders" curriculum, and facilitator for "No Time to Waste" Teachers
Resource Guide. Chuck has been a Project WILD/Project Learning Tree facilitator since 1985. He
was Advisory Committee Member for the Arkansas Headwater Recreation Area (1988-1990) and is
presently a Citizens Advisory Board Member for Rocky Flats.
Chuck's awards include Colorado Conservation Teacher of the Year 1987, EPA President's
Environmental Youth Award (sponsor)1987, Take Pride in America Award 1988, and Buena VistaCitizen of the Year award 1989.
SUE DOYLE EDUCATOR/WRITER/LAKEWOOD, CO
Sue Doyle received a BA from National-Lewis University, a Bilingual endorsement. She has 15
years teaching experience in the Denver Public School. Her consulting experience includes
Colorado Geographic, Alliance, curriculum committees, and Growing Healthy Consultant.
Sue's professional awards include the Golden Apple Award and Excellence Award from Foothills
Parks and Recreation.
BONNIE JOY EDUCATOR/IDAHO SPRINGS, CO
Bonnie Joy has a B.A. in Education from Metropolitan State College, Denver, Colorado and a M.A.
in Education in Computer Education from Lesley College, Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has 70
college hours beyond her masters with emphasis on environmental education.
Bonnie has taught second, third, fourth, and fifth grades in Adams County School District #12 for
eight years. She also taught gifted education in Shaker Heights, Ohio. In the last six years, she has
facilitated Project WILD and Project Learning Tree workshops.
Bonnie was on the PL T State Advisory Board from 1985-1987, and held the PL T Workshop of the
Year in 1986.
JEFF KEIDEL EDUCATOR/WRITER/BUENA VISTA, CO
Jeff Keidel earned his B.S. in Conservation Education from Colorado State University, School of
Forestry and Natural Resources. He has taught fifth and sixth grade science for three years and
high school science for nine years.
Jeff was the Conservation Teacher of the Year 1984 , Conservation Teacher of the Year 1983
Colorado Wildlife Federation, and received the Meadowlark Award for Project WILD Facilitation
1988 Colorado Division of Wildlife. A summer of counting bighorn sheep in Colorado's Collegiate
Park range inspired the development of his Murder Ewe Wrote activity for Ecosystem Matters.
234BIOGRAPHIES 221
222 ECOSYSTEM MATTERS
CAROLYN KIRK EDUCATOR/WRITER/CONIFER, CO
Carolyn Kirk holds a B.S. from Western State College with a major in Elementary Education and
minors in Biology and Health Education. She has since completed over 50 hours of graduate
coursework, with an emphasis on environmental education. She has taught for 15 years, and is
currently a middle school math teacher. Carolyn is involved with environmental education on the
state level, serving as a Project WILD facilitator for seven years and Project Learning Tree facilitator
for four years. She's supervised environmental studies sessions for youth on behalf of Colorado
State Cooperative Extension. She's also been involved with piloting and presenting many newcurricular programs.
Carolyn's awards include Park/Teller Soil Conservation District Teacher of the Year 1991 and the
Meadowlark Award for Project WILD Facilitator of the Year 1993. She served on the Colorado
Department of Education Environmental Education Advisory Committee from 1990 to present and
has received recognition from the Nature Conservancy for $10,000 fund-raising with students forwetland purchase.
CAROLYN KNAPP EDUCATOR/WRITER/DENVER, CO
Carolyn Knapp holds a B.S. in Renewable Natural Resources, Forestry/Watershed Management
from the University of Arizona, Tucson and an Elementary Education Certificate Program from
Metropolitan State College, Denver. Her teaching experience includes multi-grade levels
(Preschool-6th grade) at Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Museum of Natural History, and Gove
Community School. Carolyn was involved in curriculum development at Thorne EcologicalInstitute, Denver Botanic Gardens, U.S. Forest Service, and Denver Urban Forest/U.S. Forest
Service Tree Trunks. Classroom teaching experience includes Denver Public Schools Bryant
Webster Elementary School (1st grade); Jefferson County Public Schools Governor's Ranch
Elementary and Stony Creek Elementary.
Carolyn is a trained Project Learning Tree and Project WILD facilitator and has been involved in
Grow Lab, Fast Plant and Bottle Biology, and Earth Keepers workshops. She helped develop Tree
Trunk Kit for Denver Urban Forest and U.S. Forest Service; co-developed Rainforest Kit for Denver
Museum of Natural History; and conducted teacher training workshops for Colorado School of
Mines, Adams County School District, and Denver Urban Forest. She attended Cultural and
Ecological Institute on Water Regional Conference, Cultural Diversity Training Workshop, Western
Wetlands Riparian Areas Wordshop, and Ecosystem Management Workshop at Fort Collins.
BARBARA POULIN EDUCATOR/WRITER/STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO
Barb Poulin earned her B.A. in Elementary Education from University of Northern Colorado and her
M.A. in Elementary Education from Adams State College. She has been a teacher for 16 years in
grades 1-5. Barb has worked on curriculum development, the six state CAEE Committee, and the
Keystone School Advisory Council. She's been an EPA facilitator/West Slope, and a contributingauthor writer for the River at Risk Activity Booklet" U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Barb is an environmental education consultant, Project Learning Tree and Project WILD. facilitator.
She was awarded the Meadowlark Award forProject WILD Facilitator of the Year 1992.
235
MICKAELA S. EARLE GRAPHIC ARTIST/WESTMINISTER, CO
Mickaela Earle is a Graphic Arts graduate from the Denver Institute of Technology (Phi Beta Kappa).
Her experience includes graphic and fine arts, work in the advertising, printing, and horticulture
industries, and eight years in the nursery industry.
Mickaela's commissioned illustrative works have been published locally and internationally. She is
a member of the Advisory Board for the Colorado Mountain College Graphic Arts Program and has
received recognition in the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post for charitable art work
donations.
SCOTT L. SHAFER COMPUTER LAYOUT AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER/LAFAYETTE, CO
Scott Shafer is a graduate of the Denver Institute of Technology with a degree in Graphic
Communications and Design. His computer graphics experience consists of a wide variety of
areas with an extensive knowledge of IBM, Macintosh and prepress. This includes computer
concept and output for four-color process, desktop publishing and visual communications.
Scott has worked on projects for individuals and businesses for five years.
LISA if CASEBEER WORD PROCESSOR/MONTROSE, CO
Lisa Casebeer graduated from Lake of the Woods High School, Baudette, Minnesota May1984.
Lisa has eight years of clerical/secretarial experience. She worked as secretary/typist with the
Department of Social Services and the Division of Wildlife for five years and also was employed in
the Legal Department of Tri-State Generation and Transmission, Inc. Lisa has been an active word
processor for Project Food, Land & People for three years.
Lisa operates her own word processing business, Mustang Horse Ranch Word Processing
Services. She enjoys working with her many horses and competes in Combined Training with them
all summer long.
NORM KITTEN ILLUSTRATOR/GRAPHIC ARTIST/FORT COLLINS, CO
Norm Kitten is a graduate of the Colorado Institute of Art with a degree in Graphic Communications.
For the past thirteen years he has worked in various facets of the graphics industry, from production
design to art director, fine art illustration to cartooning
Norm resides in Fort Collins, CO . He is currently writing and illustrating a book inspired by his
son, as well as working a full time job as a computer artist
MMayhem in the Maldives 197-210Mural, Mural on the Wall 155-158Murder Ewe Wrote 189-195My Home, Our Home 101-104
0On the Edge of Change 115-124
PPlaying Lightly on the Earth 15-16
SSpinning the Eco-Web 51-56
TThe Blind Men and the Ecosystem 147-153The Incredible Journey 105-114The Long and Winding Road 125-128Three's a Crowd 11-13To Whom It May Concern 159-170Trees for Many Reasons 33-36
Wet and Wild World 25-28
237
NOTES:
238* U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1996 774 -823 MOTES 225
239
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