Tree Frogs, Pocket Gophers and Bears – Discover the Wild World of Trees!

March 11th, 2013 by Eliza Russell

Poster

National Wildlife Federation is celebrating 75 years of National Wildlife Week March 18-24.  This year we are “Branching Out for Wildlife” – examining trees and wildlife that depend on trees.  Take a moment to explore the wealth of information and resources we have at www.nwf.org/wildlifeweek.

Explore over 40 different species from trees that live for thousands of years to fish that live in trees and voles that spend their entire lives living high up in a tree. Download wildlife trading cards and games to test your student’s knowledge.   Create a stunning display in your classroom or measure yourself or students against a mega poster of a tree.  Challenge your students to make a difference at their school or in their backyards by planting a tree that they can nurture.  We can help you get trees and provide you with a how-to guide for planting and caring for them. Help us to reach our goal of planting 75,000 trees!

Join the adventure!  Take your students on a daily exploration of the wild and wonderful world of trees and the wildlife (including us) that depend on them.   Just think of all the amazing things we get from trees in addition to the air we breathe — paper and pencils fruit and nuts, wooden furniture and even buildings!  In these ways we all touch a tree more than 30 times every day.

For more information about the resources, lesson plans, and activities the National Wildlife Federation is providing in support of National Wildlife Week, visit:

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Eliza Russell is the Director of Education at National Wildlife Federation.

Make Your Local Birds Count Through the Great Backyard Bird Count

February 13th, 2013 by Zach Slavin

Blue Jay, by Linda Pizer, 2012 GBBC Participant

The 16th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will take place Friday, February 15th through Monday, February 18th. A joint project from Audubon, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Canadian partner, Bird Studies Canada, this citizen science project is a great way to learn about your local birds and connect with nature while contributing valuable data to scientists and conservationists. Participants are asked to count the birds that they recognize for as little as fifteen minutes on one or more days of the count, and then submit their observations online at www.birdcount.org.You can count in your backyard, at school, at a local park—absolutely anywhere you can find birds.

The GBBC is a great opportunity for educators to introduce new audiences to the study of birds because we ask that participants only report the bird species that they are able to identify. With a bevy of educational and instructional resources available on the program website, you can share a PowerPoint presentation on how to participate, distribute simple participation instructions, and acquaint your audience with some of the most commonly reported birds. You can also download a data form on which to record your observations, and even get a printable checklist of the birds you are most likely to see in your area.

Teachers can participate with their classes in a number of ways. After introducing your class to a few species of birds, you can head out on one of the days of the count to tally the birds found around your school and then submit your results online. With older students, you can explain how to participate, review some basic bird identification, and then have students count in their backyards, or even out their windows! Those interested in photography should also be sure to bring their cameras along and submit their photos of birds (and birders) taken during the count to our annual GBBC photo contest. You can check out some of the last year’s winning photos for inspiration.

After the count, you can explore what has been reported in your area, and for the first time ever, view results from all around the world. So please, join us in this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count, and make your local birds count!

Please contact us at citizenscience@audubon.org for more information.

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Zach Slavin is a Program Associate at the National Audubon Society.

Trio of Terrapins Teach Triadelphia Ridge Students

June 25th, 2012 by Carol

Triadelphia students learned about terrapin research and monitoring programs first-hand.

After wading through a small stretch of wetland, students prepared to release their terrapins.

Students each whispered a wish or a worry for their terrapins to carry with them upon their release.

A fun school year project may have been wrapped-up when students released their terrapins, but the stewardship ethics they learned and the passion for the Chesapeake Bay they acquired is something students will carry with them.

Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School fourth grade students spent an exciting and motivating school year learning about and caring for baby Diamondback Terrapins.  The terrapins named Ledo, Waffles, and Pebbles were located in a large aquarium in my Gifted and Talented classroom. They were on loan from the Terrapin Institute located in Neavitt, Maryland, as part of their Head-Start program.

The goal of the program is for the terrapins to spend the first 9 – 12 months of their lives eating and growing until they are large enough to increase their chance of surviving in the wild.  This program was a natural extension for the Triadelphia Ridge fourth grade students who had just completed a unit that focused on the conservation and stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay. The children were amazed to learn that the diamondback terrapin is believed to be the only turtle in the world that lives exclusively in brackish water. Throughout the year the children participated in feeding, weighing and measuring the baby Terrapins.  Students enjoyed learning about Terrapin biology, diet, behavior, and most importantly threats to Terrapins in the Chesapeake Bay. These threats included loss of habitat, pollution, and frequent drowning in crab traps.  The fourth grade students learned that installing a bycatch reduction device to crab pots is an effective way to reduce drowning of terrapins.

The program allowed for the students to experience a meaningful real-life connection to the Bay and will without a doubt positively affect the choices that the children make as they live and grow up in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  It is amazing how three little terrapins can light a fire of conservation and stewardship in a child.  The students understand that terrapin health, as well as the health of all living things in Bay is directly impacted by the health of the Bay waters.

On a sunny Saturday morning in early June, Triadelphia Ridge Families journeyed to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum to release the Terrapins into the Bay. Jeff Popp from the Terrapin Institute tagged the Terrapins and coordinated the release.  The students gently placed the baby Terrapins into the water and watched them swim out to a bright and promising future.  The baby Terrapins carried with them a wish and a worry that each student whispered as they were released. The students were proud of how large their terrapins had grown but most importantly they have a new awareness of why and how they should and can make a difference in the health and well being of our local treasure, The Chesapeake Bay. This was truly a memorable experience for the students and staff of Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School.

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Carol Brzezinski is a gifted and talented resource teacher at Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School

Raising Horseshoe Crabs in My Classroom

March 19th, 2012 by Eric Jayne

In Tank 1, Sandy the Horseshoe crab searches for food.

Horseshoe crabs, as a species, have lived for over 500 million years!  I often remind myself of that fact while observing the months-old horseshoe crabs my students and I are raising in our classroom.  Each school day, we’re able to witness a living fossil, and we’re helping insure that future generations can, too.

Several years ago, I was looking to offer more hands-on learning experiences to my fifth-grade science students.  Our school is a short distance away from the Chesapeake Bay, but we do very little to experience and learn from this tremendous resource.  In the course of researching possible field trips, I discovered that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (D.N.R.) had a program allowing teachers to raise horseshoe crabs in their classrooms. At the time, I didn’t know much about horseshoe crabs, other than that I would occasionally see their awkward-looking shells on the beach.  However, raising an animal from the Bay was the type of hands-on experience I was looking to provide my students with, so I signed up.  Three years and over 60 successfully-raised crabs later, I am extremely grateful and proud to be part of a program that allows my students and me to learn about and protect this valuable natural resource.

Atlantic horseshoe crabs come ashore in late spring to spawn on Atlantic coast beaches, including those within the Chesapeake Bay.  During this time, female horseshoe crabs lay thousands of eggs.  The Maryland D.N.R. collects some of these eggs and distributes several hundred of them to each participant of its Horseshoe Crabs in the Classroom program.  Participants attempt to raise the eggs into healthy juvenile horseshoe crabs that can be released back into the waters of the Bay the following spring.

Each year, for the past three years, I’ve collected eggs from the D.N.R. and brought them to tanks in my classroom.  I monitor the crabs throughout the summer as they hatch, test their water quality, and feed them.  By the time students arrive in September, juvenile horseshoe crabs are “swimming” throughout the tanks.  A colleague of mine, Chris Brown, and I meet with students once a week during recess throughout the school year to learn about horseshoe crabs and to test the water quality of the tanks.  Using guest speakers, hands-on demonstrations, and research, students learn about the history, habitat, anatomy, challenges, benefits, and life cycle of horseshoe crabs.  They learn that horseshoe crabs help save human lives and that other species depend on them for survival, as well.  The learning experience culminates with the exciting release of the raised crabs back into the Chesapeake Bay each May during a D.N.R. sponsored release event.

We have horseshoe crabs throughout four tanks in our school.  Tank 1 contains three crabs from my first year (2009) with the program.  We didn’t release these crabs that year because they were very small compared to their siblings, two of them were missing tails, and one of them was even missing some legs.  However, after numerous molts, or shedding of their shells, the crabs have all of their legs and tails accounted for.  The largest of these crabs, or Sandy, as my students call it, measures about five inches from front to tail tip.  Tanks 2 and 3 contain several juvenile crabs that hatched last summer.  These “baby” crabs are no bigger than the end of an eraser on a pencil.  Tank 4 contains eighteen crabs that hatched in the summer of 2010, and they range in size from the diameter of a dime to the diameter of a fifty-cent piece.  Most of these crabs will be put back into the Chesapeake Bay this May to join the twenty-nine other horseshoe crabs that we’ve already released.

I’ve gained a lot from raising horseshoe crabs in my classroom, including learning to appreciate and respect them.  Of course, I’ve learned how to care for them, but they don’t really need much from me.  After all, they’ve been at this for longer than people have.  Most of my time is spent enjoying them and admiring how unique they are.  I enjoy the way that the three-year old crabs come out to “greet” me when I turn the lights on each morning.  I like watching them make patterns in the sand, including flattening out areas that I’ve disturbed.  I’m fascinated at how two of the three-year-olds re-grew legs and tails, but most of all, I’m in awe that a creature can be so simple and yet so amazing.

Additional Resources:

A Pointers Run Elementary School student holds a juvenile horseshoe crab on the day of its release back into the wild in May, 2011.

  • Additional information about my school’s program can be found at our website.
  • Information on the Maryland D.N.R. Raising Horseshoe Crabs in the Classroom program is available here.
  • A great Nature video clip from “Crash: A Tale of Two Species” about the plight of the horseshoe crab and a little bird called the red knot is available here.
  • A free teachers guide to accompany the “Crash: A Tale of Two Species” video is available here.
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Eric Jayne is a 5th grade teacher at Pointers Run Elementary School in Maryland.

2012 Wildlife Conservation Youth Engagement Grants

December 19th, 2011 by David

Have your students think of ideas to develop wildlife conservation projects in your school or community. Encourage them to make connections to others in your community.

Wildlife and their habitats are not just located in the woods or forested areas—they are in the trees in your backyard, the shrubs around your school building and everywhere else.  Whether you’re in a city, rural area or a suburb, wildlife conservation issues exist all around us—and so do opportunities to address these issues.

Educators, here’s your chance to make a difference! Do you know of a 14-19 year-old high school student with a creative idea for conserving and protecting wildlife and its habitat in your community? Encourage them to apply for a national Planet Connect Youth Engagement Grant! Planet Connect is offering high school students grants of $1,000 to implement their problem-solving projects and participate in a local internship focused on wildlife conservation.

In the application, your students will be asked to create a timeline for implementing their project, as well as a detailed budget, describing how they will tackle the problem, what tools they will use, who they will work with, and what positive outcomes they foresee. If one of your students is chosen as a winner, they will be provided $500.00 to turn their project idea into reality. After completing their project in June, your student will participate in an 80-hour wildlife conservation or natural resource internship in your local community during the summer of 2012. At the end of the internship your student will be awarded a $500.00 stipend.

Want to provide your students with some help brainstorming project ideas? Have them check out the grant projects and internship summaries from the 2011 student grantees here: http://planetconnect.org/2011grantwinners

Visit http://planetconnect.org/2012wcgrants to learn more and to watch the grant promo video.  Applications are due by February 1, 2012!

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David Lanham is an Education Program Coordinator for the National Environmental Education Foundation

Is Your Class Ready for Endangered Species Day?

May 16th, 2011 by Sarah

The Delmarva Fox Squirrel, image courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region via Creative Commons.

The Bog Turtle, image courtesy of USFWS/Southeast via Creative Commons.

That’s right Backpackers: this Friday, May 20th is Endangered Species Day!  Endangered Species Day, which was started by the United States Senate, is held every year on the third Friday in May.  The day is held to encourage people, both young and old, to learn about species that are facing the possibility of extinction, about the conservation issues that impact their species survival, and about what we can do in our everyday lives to make a difference.

When asked about endangered species many of your students will instantly be able to identify well known species such as lions and tigers and polar bears (oh my!).  While this knowledge is a great thing for them to have and expand on, another fun way to engage your students in learning about endangered species is to “bring it local.”  Panda bears and gorillas may look adorable, but sometimes the large geographic distance between these animals native habitats and your school may leave students with a disconnect between the idea of what and endangered species is and their own actions.

This year, why not spend Endangered Species Day teaching about endangered plants and animals that live right here in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed?  Here are a few species you could feature in your lesson, or have your students write a research paper on:

  • Bog Turtle – This small, semi-aquatic species of turtle is currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and is classified as endangered in some states.
  • Delmarva Fox Squirrel – The Delmarva Fox Squirrel is a large, endangered squirrel species that live in small, isolated populations on the Delmarva Peninsula, which represents a fraction of its historical geographic range.
  • Shortnose Sturgeon – Shortnose Sturgeon became endangered species as a result of drastic population declines primarily due to environmental factors such as dams and pollution in the rivers and streams where they spawn.
  • Maryland Darter – This two to three inch long species of fish is possibly extinct.  The last confirmed sighting of the species was in 1988.

For additional information on endangered species in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, please refer to the following sources:

Here are some resources that have been developed through a partnership with the Endangered Species Coalition’s (ESC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that can help you teach about endangered species in your classroom this Friday:

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Sarah Brzezinski works for the Chesapeake Research Consortium as the Chesapeake Bay Program's Fostering Stewardship and Education Workgroup Team Staffer. She also serves as the content manager of Bay Backpack.

Why Teach about Terrapins?

April 18th, 2011 by Sarah

Diamondback terrapins are a medium-sized turtle with a broad gray, black, or light brown top shell, also known as a carapace, that is patterned with diamond-shaped concentric circles. Photo courtesy of Willem M. Roosenburg, Ph.D., Ohio University via the Maryland State Archives.

The diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a symbol of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and has been Maryland’s official state reptile since 1994.  The diamondback terrapin is also the mascot of the University of Maryland. This predator is the only North American species of turtle that lives exclusively in brackish water (water that is less salty then sea water, but more salty then fresh water).

Why Should YOU Teach about Terrapins?

In your classroom, you can use terrapins to teach students about a wide variety of topics.  Terrapins can be used to teach about life cycles, ecosystems, predator-prey relationships, and animal adaptations.  Teaching about how humans impact diamondback terrapin populations can also help teachers introduce topics such as pollution, development, global climate change, sea level rise, and more!

In the early 1900s, diamondback terrapin were considered a popular gourmet food and unregulated harvesting resulted in a population decline.  In Maryland, taking or possessing terrapins for commercial purposes became illegal in 2007. However, diamondback terrapins can still be harmed by human recreation activities; turtles can become entangled in abandoned fishing nets or hit by motor boats. Talking about terrapins in the classroom can help teach students to be responsible stewards of the environment.

How Can YOU Teach about Terrapins?

There is no lack of resources that can help you incorporate terrapins into your classroom lessons. Here are some to help you get started:

Lessons and Programs:

Diamondback Terrapin Resources:

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Sarah Brzezinski works for the Chesapeake Research Consortium as the Chesapeake Bay Program's Fostering Stewardship and Education Workgroup Team Staffer. She also serves as the content manager of Bay Backpack.

Why Teach About Osprey and DDT?

March 28th, 2011 by Sarah

An Osprey mid-flight at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Northeast Region.

Spring’s arrival is marked by the return of osprey to the Chesapeake.  Osprey can be found in almost every corner of the globe, but they are especially abundant here in the Chesapeake Watershed.  This has not always been the case though.  Did you know that like the Bald Eagle, osprey suffered a large population decline during the 1950-70’s as a result of the effects of DDT?

Why Should YOU Teach about Osprey?

The osprey population recovery is a great success story for bay conservation issues!  Some may say that the Chesapeake Bay is too polluted to ever really be healthy again, but the osprey is proof that when we identify a problem and focus our resources nature’s resilience can lead to great environmental recoveries.

DDT, an organochloride, was once widely used as a pesticide.  Unfortunately, this chemical is able to bioaccumulate and through biomagnification, is concentrated up through the food web.  It can cause bird eggshells to become so thin that they can crack during incubation, decreasing the hatch rate of chicks.  The decreased survival rate of chicks caused major population declines in bird species such as the osprey.

The United States EPA ban DDT in 1972.  As a result of this ban, and the construction of artificial nesting boxes, osprey populations have made a great recovery.  Today, osprey are a common sight, and it is estimated that approximately 2,000 pairs currently nest in the Chesapeake Bay region alone!

How Can YOU Teach about Osprey?

Osprey in the Chesapeake Bay can be used to teach about a wide variety of topics.  The osprey’s position at the top of the Chesapeake Bay food web, and the species high visibility make it a valuable indicator species that can help determine the health of the ecosystem.  You can also use osprey to introduce science classes to topics like bioaccumulation, chemicals, toxins, ecology, food webs, environmental successes, and population studies.  Incorporate osprey into English classes by having students read Rachel Carson’s Silent Springs and write a book report.  Want to learn more about osprey?  Check out these resources:

Lesson Plans

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Sarah Brzezinski works for the Chesapeake Research Consortium as the Chesapeake Bay Program's Fostering Stewardship and Education Workgroup Team Staffer. She also serves as the content manager of Bay Backpack.

National Park Service “Views” the Chesapeake Bay with a New, Online Education Tool

March 14th, 2011 by Cindy

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge from Sandy Point, State Park. Photo courtesy of National Park Service, photographer Middleton Evans

The National Park Service (NPS) features the Chesapeake Bay for its latest edition of Views of the National Parks, an online educational resource. Views is a great resource for anyone looking to learn more about the Chesapeake Bay, and is a valuable tool teachers can use in their classrooms!

The Chesapeake edition of Views of the National Parks is a joint project of the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Office in Annapolis, Maryland, and the NPS Natural Resource Stewardship & Science program in Fort Collins, Colorado. This resource provides readers with a background in the natural world of the Chesapeake, its geologic formation as an estuary and its diverse ecosystems and species, as well as an understanding of the human history and cultural environment of the Bay watershed. Chesapeake Views also describes how the Bay environment has changed over time and how individuals can become involved in restoring and protecting the Bay.

With such a wide range of topics covered, the Chesapeake edition of Views can be used by environmental science, earth science, geology, biology, history, and social studies teachers alike! Teachers can use Views as an education module by developing questions for their students to answer as they explore the sites content.  Views is also a great resource to send students to for independent research projects.

A “Visit” section highlights some of the many places to experience the Bay and to learn more.  This section can help teachers identify locations for possible Chesapeake Bay field trips. Numerous photographs, pop-up sidebar text, maps, a glossary, and links to additional resources are among a variety of teaching tools that are available on the website.

“Partners in the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network, together with the Captain John Smith Chesapeake and Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trails, offer educators, students, and visitors meaningful avenues for learning about the Chesapeake”, said John Maounis, NPS Chesapeake Bay superintendent. “Now, supplemented with the Chesapeake module of Views of the National Parks, citizens have the tools they need to better understand and participate in the protection of this vital resource.”

On the National Parks Views website students can explore many bay-related topics, including how the Chesapeake Bay was formed.

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Cindy Chance is a Management Assistant for the National Park Service, Chesapeake Bay office. She can be contacted at cindy_chance@nps.gov or at 410-260-2492.

Environmental Solutions for a Brighter Future!

January 10th, 2011 by David

With Classroom Earth, teachers can incorporate environmental lessons in to the classroom.

Environmental education benefits students — increasing their understanding of how earth’s resources and natural systems work, familiarizing them with our relationship to wildlife, offering opportunities for hands-on activities and inquiry-based learning, and providing practical information.  In order for students to receive meaningful environmental education, it is critical that their teachers have the necessary skills and knowledge.  Essential to a teacher’s ability to serve in this role as environmental educator is not only an understanding of environmental concepts and issues, but familiarity with the best practices for integrating these concepts into their established curriculum.  Whether a teacher focuses on science, math or social studies, environmental education can provide experiences that link what they are learning to their local environment.

Are you an educator specifically interested in enhancing your understanding of the living world and learning to teach about wildlife conservation in your subject area?

Classroom Earth, a program designed to enhance and strengthen environmental education in high school classrooms nationwide, is supporting middle and high school teachers around the country who want to make wildlife conservation part of their curriculum.  Classroom Earth’s 2011 Professional Development Grants will enable applicants to take one six-week online course offered by the Wildlife Conservation Society to create a strong foundation in wildlife conservation. Participating teachers will be better equipped to bring wildlife conservation education into the classroom, facilitate scientific learning and to connect students with their natural surroundings.  The Classroom Earth grant opportunity will also support teachers to earn graduate level credit.

But that’s not all! Have any students looking to take their environmental interests to the next step?

Planet Connect grants help students preserve wildlife in their local communities.

Planet Connect is an online social network where high school students can learn about current environmental issues, funding opportunities, green colleges and environmental careers. Students can also share and exchange ideas about how they are playing a critical role in solving today’s environmental issues.

Do you know any students interested in helping preserve wildlife? Whether you’re in a city, rural area or a suburb, wildlife is all around you. In many places, that wildlife faces challenges. If you’re a high school student with a creative idea for conserving and protecting wildlife, Planet Connect is offering grants of $1,000 to implement projects and participate in a local internship focused on wildlife conservation or natural resources.

We know students can make a difference. Here’s their chance to inspire others now!

Read more about the teacher’s professional development grants here: http://classroomearth.org/2011wcgrants

Read more about the student’s wildlife conservation grants here: http://www.planet-connect.org/2011wcgrants

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David Lanham is an Education Program Coordinator for the National Environmental Education Foundation
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