National Wildlife Week

March 15-19 is National Wildlife Week! Get wild this week by going on a nature hike to look for signs of wildlife. Watch for animal tracks and keep your eyes open for birds, squirrels, deer and other wildlife. Then study the decline and recovery of animal species with Project WILD’s “Back from the Brink”. Follow Project WILD’s fact sheets about the North American Alligator, the Black-Footed Ferret and the Gray Wolf. Then extend the activity and study the decline and recovery of several Iowa species:
Trumpeter Swan Restoration
Peregrine Falcon Restoration
Osprey Restoration
Deer in Iowa: A Historic Perspective
River Otters
Wild Turkeys

Get out, get wild and have fun!

Young Child Extension
Go on a nature walk in your schoolyard, neighborhood or local park, bring along Jim Arnosky’s “Crinkleroot's Book of Animal Tracks and Wildlife Signs” and look for wildlife or signs of wildlife. What do you see? Record your observations, draw pictures of the animals or animal tracks, nests or burrows, and the places where you found them. When you get back to the classroom read books about wildlife found in Iowa, try ”Swans” by Lynn Stone, “Deer” by JoAnn Macken or “Saving the Peregrine Falcon” by Caroline Arnold.

Book List
Grades PreK-2
Arnold, C. 1985. Saving the Peregrine Falcon. Lerner Classroom.
Arnosky, J. 1999. All About Deer. Scholastic, Inc.
Arnosky, J. 1979. Crinkleroot's Book of Animal Tracks and Wildlife Signs. Penguin Group (USA).
Arnosky, J. 1994. Crinkleroot’s Twenty-Five Mammals Every Child Should Know. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Arnosky, J. 2008. Wild Tracks! A Guide to Nature's Footprints. Sterling Publishing.
Bailey, J. 1988. Discovering Deer (Discovering Nature). Scholastic Library Publishing.
Cooper, J. 1997. Trumpeter Swan (Giants Among Us). Rourke Publishing.
Dingwall, L. 1994. Deer (Getting to Know Nature's Children Series). Grolier Academic Reference.
Dorros, A. 1991. Animal Tracks. Scholastic, Inc
Galko, F. 2002. Forest Animals (Animals in Their Habitats). Heinemann Library.
Galvin, L.G., and C. Leeper. 2002. River Otter at Autumn Lane (Smithsonian’s Backyard). Soundprints.
Giogas, V. 2007. In My Backyard. Sylvan Dell Publishing.
Grassy, J. 1998. Mammals (Audubon Society First Field Guide Series). Scholastic, Inc.
James, S. 1996. Wild Woods. Tandem Library Books.
Macken, J. 2009. Deer (Animals That Live in the Foerst). Weekly Reader Learning Library.
Marston, H.I., and M.M. Brown. 2003. My Little Book of River Otters. Windward Publishing Company.
Mason, P., and C. Bateman. 1999. Return of the Osprey. Harbour Publishing Company, Limited.
Stone, L.M. 1997. Swans (Early Bird Nature Books). Lerner Publications.
Nail, J.D. and H. Skudder. 1994. Whose Tracks Are These? A Clue Book for Familiar Forest Animals. Rinehart Publishing.
Reece, P.J. 2001. Tilly: A River Otter. Perfection Learning Corporation.
Robertson, K. 1986. Signs along the River: Learning to Read the Natural Landscape. Rinehart P.
Ruurs, M. 2007. In My Backyard. Tundra.
Ryder, J. 2000. Each Living Thing. Harcourt Children's Books.
Wechsler, D. 2001. Peregrine Falcons. PowerKids Press.

Grades 3-5
Amato, C.A. 2002. Backyard Pets: Activities for Exploring Wildlife Close to Home. Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated.
Arnosky, J. 1999. All About Deer. Scholastic, Inc.
Arnosky, J. 1998. Animal Tracker. Random House Value Publishing, Inc.
Arnosky, J. 1999. Arnosky's Ark. National Geographic Society.
Arnosky, J. 1979. Crinkleroot's Book of Animal Tracks and Wildlife Signs. Penguin Group (USA).
Arnosky, J. 1992. Long Spikes. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Arnosky, J. 1999. Otters Under Water. Penguin Group (USA).
Arnosky, J. 2008. Wild Tracks! A Guide to Nature's Footprints. Sterling Publishing.
Bailey, J. 1988. Discovering Deer (Discovering Nature). Scholastic Library Publishing.
Bair, D. and P. Wright. 1999. Deer Watching. Capstone Press.
Biel, T. L. 1996. The Deer Family (Zoobooks Series). Wildlife Education, Limited.
Bishop, N. 2002. Backyard Detective: Critters Up Close. Scholastic, Inc.
Cooper, J. 1997. Trumpeter Swan (Giants Among Us). Rourke Publishing.
Doolittle, B. and E. M. 2001. Reading the Wild. Greewich Workshop Press.
Galvin, L.G., and C. Leeper. 2002. River Otter at Autumn Lane (Smithsonian’s Backyard). Soundprints.
Grassy, J. 1998. Mammals (Audubon Society First Field Guide Series). Scholastic, Inc.
Green, J. 2002. In a Backyard. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Mason, P., and C. Bateman. 1999. Return of the Osprey. Harbour Publishing Company, Limited.
Montgomery, R.G. 2001. The Living Wilderness. Caxton Press.
Morrison, G. 2004. Nature in the Neighborhood. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Norsgaard, E.J. 1990. Nature's Great Balancing Act: In Our Own Backyard. Penguin Young Readers Group.
Pringle, L.P. 1990. Saving Our Wildlife. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.
Reece, P.J. 2001. Tilly: A River Otter. Perfection Learning Corporation.
Russo, M. 1998. Watching Nature: A Beginner's Field Guide. Sterling Publishing Company, Incorporated.
Shedd, W. 2002. Kids' Wildlife Book. Williamson Kids Can Series.
Squire, A.O. 1996. 101 Questions and Answers about Backyard Wildlife. Walker & Company.
Sterry, P. 2005. Nature Explorer. Running Press Book Publishers.
Swinburne, S. 2003. The Woods Scientist. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Swinburne, S.R. and J. Brandenburg. 2001. Once a Wolf: How Biologists Brought Back the Gray Wolf. San Val.
Wechsler, D. 2001. Peregrine Falcons. PowerKids Press.

Grades 6-8
Crump, D.J. 1987. Wildlife: Making a Comeback. National Geographic Society.
Esbensen, B.J., and M.B. Brown. 1993. Playful Slider: The North American River Otter. Little Brown & Company.
Goodnough, D. 2001. Endangered Animals of North America. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.
Grassy, J. 1998. Mammals (Audubon Society First Field Guide Series). Scholastic, Inc.
Love, D., and J.M. Turley. 2005. Awesome Osprey: Fishing Birds of the World. Mountain Press Publishing Company.
Osborn, E. 2002. Project UltraSwan. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.
Reading, R.P. 2000. Endangered Animals: A Reference Guide to Conflicting Issues. Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated.
Savage, C. 1993. Peregrine Falcons. Sierra Club Books for Children.
Swinburne, S.R. and J. Brandenburg. 2001. Once a Wolf: How Biologists Brought Back the Gray Wolf. San Val.
Taylor, B.H. 2001. Daphne: A Trumpeter Swan. Perfection Learning Corporation.

Grades 9-12
Banko, W.E. 1980. Trumpeter Swan: It’s History, Habits, and Population in the United States. University of Nebraska Press.
Dennis, R.H.2008. A Life of Ospreys. Whittles.
Dinsmore, S. 1995. Iowa Wildlife Viewing Guide. Falcon.
Franz, B.S. 2006. The Wildlife Habitat Journal-Restoring and Exploring Wildlife Habitat in Your Own Backyard. Lulu.com.
Gaughen, S. 2005. Endangered Species. Gale Group.
Harrison, G. and K. Harrison. 1987. America's Favorite Backyard Wildlife. Fireside.
Hoyt, E. 1991. Extinction A-Z. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.
Kruk, H. 2006. Otters: Ecology, Behavior and Conservation. Oxford University Press, USA.
La Tourrette, J. 1997. Watching Wildlife: The National Wildlife Federation Guide to Observing Animals in the Wild. Henry Holt & Company, Incorporated.
McClung, R.M. 1993. Lost Wild America: The Story of Our Extinct and Vanishing Wildlife. Shoe String Press, Incorporated.
Roberts, R. 1998. Endangered Species. Gale Group.
Savage, C. 1993. Peregrine Falcons. Sierra Club Books for Children.
Swinburne, S.R. and J. Brandenburg. 2001. Once a Wolf: How Biologists Brought Back the Gray Wolf. San Val.