Flooding

What is a “flood”?
A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land which is normally dry. Floods occur when there is more water in a river, lake, or stream than the body of water can hold. The excess water then floods onto the land. Floods occur frequently when there is excess rain and when the ground is saturated and cannot hold more water. Flooding is the most common natural disaster worldwide. Flooding occurs in rural and urban areas. We are currently experiencing flooding across much of Iowa. Heavy rainfall has contributed to saturated soils and high water levels in streams, rivers, and lakes.

Real Life Events
Show students news clips or documentaries about floods that have occurred, or flooding in general. Ask your students about their experiences with flooding and/or have them interview people who have experienced flooding. Review statistics about damages, losses and environmental impact of flooding.

Poor Land Management Practices Contribute to Flooding
Draining of Wetlands
Wetlands act as natural filters to clean and slow the absorption of water on the land. When wetlands are drained or tiled the water that would otherwise slowly be absorbed by the land flows directly to rivers, streams, and lakes.

Deforestation/Exposed River and Stream Banks
Vegetation holds soil in place and soaks up excess water. When large areas of vegetation are removed water washes over the land (instead of being absorbed) and into rivers and streams. This excess water contributes to the flooding of these bodies of water.

Erosion
Soil erosion due to poor farming practices, improper construction sites, draining of wetlands, and deforestation all contribute to flooding. Excess soil in lakes, rivers, and streams raises the water level (as well as washing away valuable topsoil and muddying the water).

Improper Damming of Rivers and Streams
Improper damming of rivers and streams causes flooding upstream. During periods of excess rain the extra water has no other place to go except out of the river banks and over the land. Improper damming can also cause flooding downstream when excess amounts of water are released to compensate for excess water upstream.

Make a Rain Gauge
Materials:
Clear Jar
Ruler
Paint

Process:
Place jars outside in an open area before it rains. After it has rained measure the amount of rain in each jar.
Create a chart for your class to track the amount of rain you receive at your school. Compare your amounts to your local news station.

Make it Rain in a Jar
Materials:
Clear jar
Plate
Hot water
Ice cubes
Index cards

Process
Pour about two inches of very hot water into the glass jar. Cover the jar with the plate and wait a few minutes before you start the next step. Put the ice cubes on the plate.

Explanation:
What happens? The cold plate causes the moisture in the warm air, which is inside the jar to condense and form water droplets. This is the same thing that happens in the atmosphere. Warm, moist air rises and meets colder air high in the atmosphere. The water vapor condenses and forms precipitation that falls to the ground.

Book Lists
Grades PreK-2
Berger, M., R. Sullivan, and G. Berger. 1999. Can It Rain Cats and Dogs?: Questions & Answers about Weather. Scholastic, Inc.
Capeci, A., and S. Haefele. 2003. Flash Flood (Magic School Bus Series – To The Rescue. Scholastic, Inc.
Cosgrove, B. 2004. Weather (DK Eyewitness Book Series). DK Publishing, Inc.
Evans, L., and C. Jabar. 1997. Rain Song. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Fourment, T. 2004. My Water Comes from the Mountains. Roberts Rinehart Publishers.
Gibbons, G. 1992. Weather Words and What They Mean. Holiday House, Inc.
Johnson, J., and B. Johnson. 2011. The Little Toad And The Big Flood. Two Peas Publishing.
Locker, T. 2003. Cloud Dance. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
McGuire, B. and D. Quake. 2007. Natural Disaster. Kingfisher.
Simon, S. 2006. Weather. HarperCollins Publishers.

Grades 3-5
Cosgrove, B. 2004. Weather (DK Eyewitness Book Series). DK Publishing, Inc.
Capeci, A., and S. Haefele. 2003. Flash Flood (Magic School Bus Series – To The Rescue. Scholastic, Inc.
Cremins, R., and T.B. Griswold. 2001. My First Pocket Guide: Weather. National Geographic Society.
Day, T. and C. Watts. 2006. Natural Disasters (DK Eyewitness Series). DK Publishing, Inc.
DePaola, T. 1985. The Cloud Book. Holiday House, Inc.
Gibbons, G. 1992. Weather Words and What They Mean. Holiday House, Inc.
Johnson, J., and B. Johnson. 2011. The Little Toad And The Big Flood. Two Peas Publishing.
Lauber, P. 1996. Flood: Wrestling the Mississippi. National Geographic Society.
Simon, S. 1992. Storms. HarperCollins Publishers.
Spilsbury, L., and R. Spilsbury. 2010. Raging Floods. Heinemann-Raintree.

Grades 6-8
Cosgrove, B. 2007. Eyewitness Weather. DK Publishing, Inc.
Dwyer, H. 2010. Floods. Cavendish, Marshall Corporation.
Kahl, J.D. 1998. Weather (Audubon Society First Field Guides). Scholastic, Inc.
Lauber, P. 1996. Flood: Wrestling the Mississippi. National Geographic Society.
Silverstein, A., V. B. Silverstein, and L. S. Nunn. 2009. Floods: The Science Behind Raging Waters and Mudslides. Enslow Publishers, Inc.
Spilsbury, L., and R. Spilsbury. 2010. Raging Floods. Heinemann-Raintree.

Grades 9-12
Allaby, M., and R. Garratt. 2003. Floods. Facts On File, Inc.
Barry, J. 1998. Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing.
Kahl, J.D. 1998. Weather (Audubon Society First Field Guides). Scholastic, Inc.
McCullough, D. 1987. The Johnstown Flood. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing.
Parker, S., and D. West. 2011. Violent Weather. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Silverstein, A., V. B. Silverstein, and L. S. Nunn. 2009. Floods: The Science Behind Raging Waters and Mudslides. Enslow Publishers, Inc.

Links
BrainPop: Floods
http://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/floods/preview.weml

Weather WizKids: Rain & Floods
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-rain.htm

Weather WizKids: Flood Safety
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-safety-flood.htm

Helping Your Child Cope After a Natural Disaster
http://www.ndguard.ngb.army.mil/family/support/youth/floodinformation/Documents/childrencope.pdf

Helping Your Teenager Cope After a Natural Disaster
http://www.ndguard.ngb.army.mil/family/support/youth/floodinformation/Documents/teenagercope.pdf

Are you looking for more nature-based activities for young children? Be sure to check out the Outdoor Explorations for Early Learners blog at: http://outdoorexplorationsforearlylearners.blogspot.com/

Are you looking for information about fishing and outdoor recreation activities with kids? Then check out the Take It Outside: Fish Iowa! blog at:
http://takeitoutsidefishiowa.blogspot.com/

IDNR Place-Based Mini-Grants Inspire Change


“It’s a little flippy thing, look, it looks like that, it’s a crawdad, see it tries to pinch.”
“I think you’re right, yes, you got a crawdad!”
“Alright!”

Excitement pours through a junior high school boy as he and his teacher, Merle Unkrich, examine a crawdad they caught from a Mississippi inlet tube. For this junior high school boy from a poverty level school district, where apathy and drugs have a strong hold, this is huge.

Merle Unkrich, the seventh and eighth science teacher for the Wapello Community School District has received three IDNR Aquatic Education Program Place-Based Mini-Grants. The mini-grants help pay for the transportation costs to the Mississippi inlet tubes and the purchase of thermometers, stereo microscopes, field guides, and critter nets. The students participate in a variety of activities planned and taught by the Louisa County Conservation Board - water testing, catching critters in the marshland with dip nets, fishing, hiking, and observing local wildlife.

Before the field experience Merle teaches her seventh and eighth grades classes a unit on Iowa and the Mississippi River. Students study biodiversity, ecosystems, animal species, interdependence, genetic diversity, ground water, the water cycle, groundwater quality, water quality, changing environmental conditions, and implications of environmental issues. Merle also talks about Iowa’s changing landscape and the land use. The Mississippi inlet field trip is the culmination to the unit.

Merle sees a huge transformation in these students when they get out of the classroom and engaged in real science.

“This is good for them because, to me, what it does, if they didn’t have any experience and they didn’t have anybody down here showing them, they would sit here and not entertain themselves at all. What it does is, if they ever get outside they will be able to entertain themselves. And a lot of these kids, not ever being outside, they would just sit and say ‘I don’t have anything to do’ but now they can get in and at least be curious.”

“To me this all (the field experience), it just brings everything I’ve taught all together. Otherwise it’s just this disjointed lesson plan out of a book and it’s a book that they didn’t want to read because it’s boring.”

Merle believes that teaching children to care for their local resources and allowing them to explore locally is the first step to caring about our environment for the rest of their lives. The IDNR Aquatic Education Program Place-based Mini-grants have allowed Merle to take her students out locally and foster caring about the environment.

However, there is more at work here than a science class exploring. Merle is also fostering interest, excitement, and learning from students that may have discipline issues, be exposed to drugs, and are growing up in a world dominated by computer games and television screens.

“I actually have kids come up at the beginning of the day and instead of messing around in the halls they are playing Fish Iowa (IDNR card game)!”

Listen to Merle talk about the place based approach at:

IDNR YouTube: Merle Unkrich from Wapellp Middle School
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXVwQY61fFk&list=UU7mUVEonnSIp8RB31_DxXzA&index=4

Volunteer Wildlife Surveys

Volunteer wildlife surveys are an example of citizen science projects that students can be involved in. Citizen science projects combine useful observation or data collection with an opportunity for students to learn more about scientific principles, problems, and processes as well as helping them better understand our environment and how to protect it.

Wildlife survey projects involve students in data collection, presentation, and involvement on a local, state, national, and even global level. There are many wildlife surveys that classrooms, and schools can choose to become involved in. One such opportunity is the frog and toad call surveys.

Frog & Toad Call Surveys
Every year during the early spring (as the air and water temperatures start to rise) frogs and toads, roused from their winter slumber, start a harmonious call that echoes through the valleys and fields of Iowa. Western chorus frogs are usually the first of the pint-sized amphibians to start their spring time refrain but they are soon followed by spring peepers, leopard frogs and many more!

Male frogs and toads call during the spring to attract mates. By listening and recording the species heard and the location biologists can gain important information about the health of a population and about the water quality. Amphibians have thin permeable skin and so are sensitive to pollutants in the water. There is concern for amphibian species worldwide as they have declined globally due to pollution.

To find out more about volunteer wildlife monitoring or to sign up for a frog and toad route contact the state coordinator, Stephanie Shepherd at 515-432-2823 x 102, vwmp@dnr.iowa.gov.

IDNR Frog & Toad Call Surveys
http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/WildlifeStewardship/NonGameWildlife/VolunteerWildlifeSurveys/FrogToadCallSurvey.aspx

Iowa HerpNet
http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/

ISU Extension Publications: Iowa Reptiles and Amphibians
https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=2142

Books
Beltz, E. 2009. Frogs: Inside Their Remarkable World. Firefly Books, Limited.
Elliot, L. 2002. The Calls of Frogs and Toads: Breeding Calls and Sounds of 42 Different Species. Stackpole Books.
Elliot, S.M. 1975. Our Dirty Water. Julian Messner.
Errington, P.L. 1996. Of Men and Marshes. Iowa State Press.
Marent, T., and T. Jackson. 2010. Frog: A Photographic Portrait. DK Publishing, Inc.

Wild Weather

Thundersnow in December? Snow in May? Do strange weather phenomena ever leave you wondering about the weather? We do too! Let’s explore weather this week!

Start by having students share what they know about weather. Make a list or chart to track what students already know. Lead into a discussion about what students want to know about weather. Make another list or chart. The previous discussions can be as a class or in small groups with the small groups reporting back to the big group.

Guide students as they design an experiment(s) (either in small groups or as a large class group) to learn more about weather, observe weather, record weather data (depending on what direction students want to go). Relate the study of weather back to the effects of weather on wildlife habitat, water quality, human impacts, and other natural resources impacts. Have small groups report back to large group by creating a multimedia presentation.

Book List
Berger, M., R. Sullivan, and G. Berger. 1999. Can It Rain Cats and Dogs?: Questions & Answers about Weather. Scholastic, Inc.
Carson, M.K. 2011. Inside Weather. Sterling Children’s Books.
Cosgrove, B. 2004. Weather (DK Eyewitness Book Series). DK Publishing, Inc.
Dussling, J., and H. Petach. 1998. Pink Snow and Other Weird Weather. Penguin Books, Limited.
Furgang, K. 2012. National Geographic Kids: Everything Weather – Facts, Photos, and Fun that Will Blow You Away. National Geographic Society.
Ganeri, A. 2012. Wild Weather. Heinemann-Raintree.
Koehler, S. 2009. Let’s Explore Science: Weather. Rourke Publishing, LLC.
Miller, D., Rivera, J. 2008. Hurricane Katrina and the Redefinition of a Landscape. Lexington Books
Parker, S., and D. West. 2011. Violent Weather. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Regan, L. 2012. Weather Lab. Silver Dolphin Books.

Links
How common is snow in May?
http://www.kcci.com/weather/how-common-is-snow-in-may/-/9358602/19968560/-/format/rsss_2.0/-/qbtsk0z/-/index.html

“Thundersnow” Facts: Mysterious Storms Explained
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/090303-thunder-snow-storm.html

The Weather Channel for Kids
http://www.theweatherchannelkids.com/

Weather Web for Kids
http://www.eo.ucar.edu/webweather/

Next Generation Science Standards or NGSS were recently released. The new K-12 science standards are rich in content and practice. They approach science education in a manner that challenges students to truly grasp subject matter and apply what they are learning. The NGSS focus on preparing K-12 students to go to college or to enter the workforce. The standards were released in April and are now available for states to adopt voluntarily. Iowa educators, school administrators, science consultants, and higher education faculty, among others, recently met for a NGSS awareness session.


For more information on the NGSS visit the following websites:

Next Generation Science Standards
http://www.nextgenscience.org/

Next Generation Science Standards – Iowa
http://www.nextgenscience.org/Iowa

Iowa will convene task force to review science standards
http://www.educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2860%3Aiowa-will-convene-task-force-to-review-science-standards&catid=242%3Anews-releases

School Gardens

Why a school garden?

School gardens provide hands-on learning in a wide variety of disciplines including science, math, language arts, and visual arts. Being involved in school gardens get students active, engaged, and teaches them important life skills such as responsibility. School gardening of fruits and vegetables also positively influences students health and nutrition attitudes and actions. School gardens also:

• Increase science achievement scores.
• Improve social skills and behavior.
• Improve environmental attitudes and stewardship.
• Instill a love and appreciation of nature.
• Improve life skills such as responsibility and teamwork.
• Instill healthy eating habits and attitudes.
• Improve health and nutrition knowledge.
• Provide wonderful opportunities for hands-on learning.
• Increase physical activity.

Do you want to get started? Read below for how you can get your school garden started today!

Support
The first step in starting a school garden is to get support from the school district, administrators, and community. The web site School Garden Wizard “Make the Case” http://schoolgardenwizard.org/wizard/make/ has a wonderful proposal template to help you get started. Some things to include in your proposal are: case studies of other school gardens, benefits, and funding sources/ideas.

Funding
Get your community involved. Community involvement fosters ownership of the school garden and will lead to better and continued support.
• Contact local businesses for donations of money or supplies.
• Host a bake sale or other fundraiser.
• Ask your local greenhouse for plant or seed donations.

Garden Plan
Create a garden design and plan for your school garden. Ask a local master gardeners club, parents, or other knowledgeable community members for help with the design and plan. Involve faculty, and students in the planning process. Vote on themes, plants, colors, etc…The more the faculty and students are involved the more it will truly feel like their garden!

School gardens can be very simple, from a few containers of vegetables in a school courtyard, to elaborate raised beds that stretch around a schoolyard. When designing keep in mind what your school can handle, the money available or raised, and the ability of the school and volunteers to maintain it.

Create
After you have support, funding, and a plan it is time to start creating your garden!! Organize work days for faculty, students, and volunteers to work on the school garden. Work days can be during school hours, after hours, and even on a weekend day. Assign classes or grades age appropriate jobs. All ages can help and will enjoy being involved in the process!

Learn
Congratulations you now have a school garden! There are many wonderful cross-curricular learning opportunities that your new school garden can provide you. School gardens are wonderful places to study insects, plant growth, rainfall, and much more. They can be a beautiful setting for drawing, painting, and writing. The sky really is the limit!

Maintenance
Remember to have a plan for maintenance of your school garden. Assign daily, weekly, monthly, and/or yearly maintenance activities to grades, faculty, or community and parent volunteers. Or plan school garden work days for maintenance. Make a plan for the maintenance of your school garden that works best for your school and community. Remember to arrange a plan for the summer months as well.

Websites

Got Dirt? A Garden Toolkit for Implementing Youth Gardens

http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/resource-library/school-and-preschool-gardens/school-garden-resources

 

Got Veggies? A Youth Garden-Based Nutrition Education Curriculum

http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/hsmrs/Wisconsin/gotveggies.pdf

How Our Gardens Grow: Cultivating Nutrition and Learning Through Idaho School Gardens
http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/hsmrs/Idaho/howourgardensgrow.pdf

Iowa Healthiest State Initiative: School and Community Gardening Resources
http://www.iowahealthieststate.com/gardening-resources

Kids Gardening (The National Gardening Association)
http://www.kidsgardening.org/

Life Lab: School Garden Resources
http://www.lifelab.org/for-educators/schoolgardens/

School Garden Wizard
http://schoolgardenwizard.org/wizard/

 

     

Wildlife Management

Activities related to Wildlife Management

Below are examples of activities that can be used while studying wildlife management.

Project WILD

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words – Students use photographs to examine the changes in public attitude toward wildlife and wildlife management.
Bird Song Survey – Students will identify and describe the importance of bird counting as one means of inventorying wildlife population.
Checks and Balances – Students evaluate hypothetical wildlife management decisions.
Deer Crossing – Students identify various factors involved in wildlife management issues.
Deer Dilemma – Students take on the role of a board of commissioners who must deal with an ever increasing deer population.
Dropping in on Deer ­– Students count deer pellet groups to estimate the population density of a given area.

Project Learning Tree

400-Acre Wood – Students play the role of managers of a 400-acre piece of public forest.
The Forest of S.T. Shrew – Students take a “shrew’s eye view” of the forest and gain an appreciation of the animals that make forests their home.

Book List

Ballard, C. 2008. Watching Wildlife: Animal Habitats. Heinemann.
Dinsmore, J.J. 1994. A Country So Full of Game: The Story of Wildlife in Iowa. University of Iowa Press.
Dinsmore, S. 1995. Iowa Wildlife Viewing Guide. Falcon.
Hyett, B.H. 1996. The Tracks We Leave: Poems on Endangered Wildlife of North America. University of Illinois Press.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources. 2000. Iowa: Portrait of the Land. Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Kurtz, C. 1996. Iowa’s Wild Places. Ames: Iowa State University Press.
Laubach, C & Laubach,R. 2002. Raptors: A Kid’s Guide to Birds of Prey. Storey Kids.
Leopold, A. 1989. A Sand County Almanac. Oxford University Press.
Love, D., and J.M. Turley. 2005.  Awesome Osprey: Fishing Birds of the World. Mountain Press Publishing Company.
Savage, C. 1993. Peregrine Falcons. Sierra Club Books for Children.
Tait, M. 2006. Animal Tragic: Popular Misconceptions of Wildlife through the Centuries. Think Books.
Walker, B., Salt,D., and Reid, W. 2006. Resilience Thinking : Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World. New York: Island P.

Iowa Wildlife Cameras:

Dickinson County Conservation Board: Okoboji Osprey Camera
http://dickinsoncountyconservationboard.com/osprey-camera/

Decorah Eagles

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

IDNR Falcon Cams

http://www.iowadnr.gov/InsideDNR/SocialMediaPressRoom/IowaDNRVideos/IowaDNRLiveFalconCam.aspx

Scott County Owl Camera

http://www.scottcountyiowa.com/webcams/webcam_120.php

Alcoa Eagle Cam

http://www.alcoa.com/locations/usa_davenport/en/info_page/eaglecam.asp

Scott County Bird Feeder Camera

http://www.scottcountyiowa.com/webcams/webcam_121.php

IDNR Trout Cam

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/iowadnr

 

 

Wildlife Management:

Iowa’s Wildlife Management

 Wildlife management is the application of scientific knowledge

and technical skills to protect, preserve, conserve, limit, enhance, or

extend the value of wildlife and its habitat.

When European settlers first arrived in Iowa they found a land teeming with wildlife of all shapes and sizes. There seemed to be no end to the abundance. However, within fifty years many animals had been hunted and exploited completely out of Iowa. In the 1930’s several Iowans, concerned by the declining wildlife populations, developed conservation and wildlife management plans and practices. The first wildlife management organization in Iowa was the Iowa Conservation Commission (which would later become the Iowa Department of Natural Resources).  The ICC worked to establish game law, enhance wildlife habitat, and stock the state with wildlife.

Today Iowa’s wildlife is managed by several agencies including the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The IDNR sets hunting and fishing regulations to regulate the harvest and protection of Iowa’s wildlife. They also conduct research, monitor wildlife populations, and manage land for wildlife habitat.

Wildlife are owned by no one but are held in trust by the government for the benefit of the present and future generations. This is known as the Public Trust Doctrine. Iowa’s wildlife are managed for everyone.  However, only two percent of Iowa’s land is in public ownership. This land is in preserves, refuges, public hunting land, state parks, county parks and other state, and federal land programs. These lands are protected and managed. A large art of Iowa’s wildlife management plan is dependent on private land management. Cooperation between land owners and wildlife managers is essential for Iowa’s wildlife. Programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), among others, are vital for managing Iowa’s lands for wildlife diversity.

Iowa State University Extension: Iowa Wildlife Management

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/IAN401.pdf

Iowa Department of Natural Resources:

Iowa’s Wildlife
http://www.iowadnr.gov/Education/IowasWildlife.aspx

Wildlife Stewardship

http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/WildlifeStewardship.aspx

Wildlife Landowner Assistance

http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/LandStewardship/WildlifeLandownerAssistance.aspx

Hunting

http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting.aspx

Fishing

http://www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing.aspx

 

 

 

Educator Workshops

Implementing the Iowa Core Through Site-based Projects
July 1 & 2, 2013   (100% attendance is required for credit.) 
9:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (July 1); 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.(July 2)
Springbrook Conservation Education Center (2473 160th Road, Guthrie Center)

Educators will be introduced to a variety of nationally-developed resources that support authentic learning as well the Projects WILD, WILD Aquatic and Learning Tree (secondary modules). Training will include using a project-based learning model and field investigations to create relevant learning opportunities for students that support the Iowa Core. Trainers will work with educators to incorporate activities from the Projects into inquiry-based learning cycles and to develop real field investigations with their students. Educators will be encouraged to develop site based projects to study and/or improve their local natural resources. This can include service learning opportunities like Trees for Kids, IOWATER, NatureMapping, Wildlife Diversity monitoring efforts, development of outdoor learning areas or habitats, and more.

Participants are encouraged to bring information about their school site or a nearby natural area for use with workshop activities. Teaching partners/groups are encouraged to facilitate planning/implementation of projects.

You must register online:

Elementary Registration

https://prodev.aeapdonline.org/4DCGI/SC008899991401INV&*

Secondary Registration

https://prodev.aeapdonline.org/4DCGI/SC008999991401INV&*

Registration deadline is June 24, 2013. Registration fees include materials and 1 license renewal credit for $110 or 1 graduate credit from Drake University for $210. Meals are included in the registration fee. Lodging for participants is available free of charge at the Springbrook Conservation Education Center on Monday, July 1.

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The Practical and Fun Side of Science
June 17 & 18, 2013
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. (June 17); 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.(June 18)
Springbrook Conservation Education Center (2473 160th Road, Guthrie Center)

This class was designed to show elementary teachers that science can be fun and practical. You will be introduced to simple hands on science lessons that will make learning more enjoyable for your students. These lessons will not only be practical and fun to use, but will also help you and your students better understand basic science concepts.

You must register on-line:

https://prodev.aeapdonline.org/4DCGI/SC007399991401INV&*

Registration deadline is May 31, 2013. Registration fees are: $60.00 (1 licensure credit); $135.00 (1 Drake graduate credit); $37.00 (no credit).

For more information, contact A. Jay Winter; 641/747-8383 ext.11 or Kathy Hodges; 712-792-9082.

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Exploring Iowa’s Natural Resources On-line Course
September 2 - December 15, 2013

The goal of this course is to help you utilize local natural resources as unifying themes to implement Iowa Core concepts in your curriculum. You will work in small groups and individually to create a network of contacts and resources to teach natural resource concepts. Group and individual assignments will build on each other throughout the course. 

The course is arranged on a weekly basis. Each week a new Module (with required readings, resources and references, assignments, and occasional guest speaker discussions) will become available. Each module is designed to introduce you to a specific environmental education topic, strategy or skill. You will only have access to the current Module to complete assignments. Modules that have been completed will be visible the remainder of the class so you can go access previous assignment postings and resources.

You are required to spend 4-5 hours per week on-line completing assignments and participating in group discussions. You should be comfortable navigating web pages, have access to internet and a computer on a daily basis, and possess basic computer skills. A majority of the course materials will be provided on a CD with linked pdf files.

You must register on-line:
https://prodev.aeapdonline.org/4DCGI/22007499991401INV&*

Registration deadline is August 26, 2013. Registration fee includes materials and 3 license renewal credit for $75. This course is being offered by AEA PD Online, a joint initiative by all of Iowa's Area Education Agencies. This course therefore uses AEA PD Online's alternative fee schedule for license renewal credit. Transcripts and credit will be issued by AEA PD Online instead of Heartland AEA.

 

Value of Iowa’s Natural Resources

From our gentling rolling hills of native prairie, to our rocky bluffs along the Mississippi, Iowa teems with birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians. While we may struggle with habitat loss, pollution, and other environmental issues, Iowa is a state that is rich in natural beauty and resources.

Iowa’s natural resources have value to humans economically, such as the soil that we grow our food in, as well for hunting, and fishing. These uses are considered “consumptive use” of Iowa’s natural resources. Our natural resources also have intrinsic value of their own, meaning they possess value in and of themselves.

 

Iowa’s Natural Resources Links
Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Iowa Wildlife Series: Iowa Insects, Spiders, and Other Invertebrates

Iowa Wildlife Series: Iowa Nesting Birds

Iowa’s Plants: Iowa Trees

Iowa’s Biological Communities Series: Iowa Prairies

Iowa’s Biological Communities Series: Iowa Wetlands

Iowa Wildlife and People Series: Iowa Biodiversity

Iowa Environmental Issues Series: Iowa Habitat Loss and Disappearing Wildlife

 

 

Famous Iowa Conservationists

To understand Iowa’s early conservationists we need to examine the world in which they grew up. Iowa’s landscape is one of the most altered in our nation. When Iowa’s early conservationists were growing up Iowa’s landscape was at the pinnacle of change. Iowa’s natural areas were being altered and destroyed and wildlife was being hunted with little regulation. As a whole, they were Iowan’s who spent time outside in the natural world as children and youths. They developed a connect with, and a love of nature, and became crusaders for the natural world when they saw its wanton destruction.

Studying Iowa’s famous conservationist should serve as a lesson to us as we educate and raise future generations. Children and youth who spend time outdoors in our natural world will develop a life-long love and appreciation for nature. If we want children to grow up to be stewards of the land we need to get them outside now.

To learn more about the Iowa conservationists listed below, and to learn about other pioneering Iowa conservationists, visit the ISU Extension webpage below and download your free copy of “Important Iowa Conservationist”.

Important Iowa Conservationists – Iowa Natural Resource Heritage Series

https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=2136

Ada Hayden ~ 1884-1950

Hayden grew up on an Iowa farm where her family kept a tract of virgin prairie simply to enjoy its beauty. Her love of natural prairie later became the focus of her career and her lasting legacy. Hayden was the first woman to earn her Ph.D. from Iowa State College. She became a professor of botany and the curator of the university herbarium. Hayden was one of the first scientists to study prairies. She surveyed the entire state to locate and document native prairie tracts. Hayden viewed prairies as complete ecosystems and as valuable living scientific laboratories. Her legacy started a prairie preservation effort in Iowa and her work has been an inspiration to countless prairie conservationists.

Ames Historical Society – Ada Hayden

http://www.ameshistory.org/exhibits/ada_hayden.htm

John F. Lacey ~ 1841-1913

Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1888 Lacey was a conservation pioneer whose efforts were critically important to the protection of wildlife nationwide. The Lacey Bird Act of 1900 was just one of the issues that Lacey fought for diligently. The Lacey Bird Act of 1900 prohibited the transportation of illegally taken game across state lines, making the first significant dent in the economics of unrestricted market hunting and poaching.

Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation – John F. Lacey

http://www.inhf.org/john-f-lacey.cfm

Bohumil Shimek ~ 1861-1937

A Professor of Botany at University of Iowa, and the first director of the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, Shimek was a pioneer of a comprehensive conservation and environmental education program for Iowa. He believed the first place to teach students about the natural world was in the field. Shimek helped his students not only learn about the natural world, but also encouraged and taught them to protect it.

The University of Iowa – Bohumil Shimek

http://uipress.lib.uiowa.edu/bdi/DetailsPage.aspx?id=343

Louis H. Pammel ~ 1862-1931

Pammel earned his Ph.D. in botany from Iowa State College and later became a professor of bacteriology, mycology, and plant pathology there. Pammel believed that humans could not exist without direct contact with the natural world. He developed the first working definition of conservation for Iowa and recommended that nature be taught in schools. Pammel help establish the Iowa State Board of Conservation and served as its president from 1919-1927. During that time he established the first Iowa State Park, Backbone State Park, in addition to 38 other State Parks. He is recognized as the “Founder of Iowa’s State Park System.”

Iowa State University – Louis H. Pammel

http://www.add.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/exhibits/150/template/pammel.html

Books of Interest

Broda, H. W. 2011. Moving the Classroom Outdoors. Stenhouse Publishers.
Cornell, J. B. 1998. Sharing Nature with Children (20th Anniversary Edition). Dawn Publications.
Dinsmore, J. J. 1994. A Country So Full of Game: The Story of Wildlife in Iowa. University of Iowa Press.
Lendt, D.L. 1989. Ding: The Life of Jay Norwood Darling. Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated.
Leopold, A. 1989. A Sand County Almanac. Oxford University Press.
Louv, R. 2008. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. Algonquin Books.
Ross, C., and T. Gladfelter. 1995. Kids in the Wild: A Family Guide to Outdoor Recreation. Mountaineer Books.
Stein, S. 2001. Noah's Children: Restoring the Ecology of Childhood. North Point Press.
Van Tilburg, C. 2005. Introducing Your Kids to the Outdoors. Stackpole Books.

 

 

Aldo Leopold: Father of Wildlife Management

 “Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now we face the question whether a still higher "standard of living" is worth its cost in things natural, wild, and free.” ~Aldo Leopold

Iowa native Aldo Leopold is considered by many to be the “father” of wildlife management and of the United States wilderness system. Born in 1887 in Burlington, Iowa Leopold’s interest in nature started at an early age.  He spent countless hours exploring his natural surroundings and recording his observations in journals and sketches. Leopold’s father was an avid outdoorsman and took his children hunting, fishing, exploring, and camping.

Leopold attended Yale Forest School graduating in 1909 and pursued a career with the U.S. Forest Service. Leopold also completed Iowa’s first statewide biological survey, and created the nation’s first Department of Wildlife Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Leopold was a conservationist, forester, philosopher, dedicated teacher, writer, and outdoor enthusiast. He was influential in the development of modern environmental ethics. Leopold's goal in his popular wildlife ecology course was "to teach the student to see the land, to understand what he sees, and enjoy what he understands."

Leopold’s powerful writings have made a significant contribution to modern views and values about wildlife and our natural resources. Leopold’s most popular writings, A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There, was first published in 1949 and remains in print today. It is a collection of essays written by Leopold describing the land around his home in Wisconsin. The essays are philosophical in nature and explore the relationship between people, land and wildlife. It was a call for a land ethic and written with the hope that readers would begin to treat the land with love and respect. A Sand County Almanac has had far reaching influence, over two million copies have been published and it has been translated into twelve languages.

Examples of Project Learning Tree, Project WILD, and Project WILD Aquatic activities to use with a study of Aldo Leopold:

Project Learning Tree

Poet-Tree – Students write and share poems to express their thoughts, values, and beliefs about the environment.

Who Works in this Forest? – Students explore forest-related careers.

Project WILD

Enviro-Ethics – Students develop and use a “personal code of environmental ethics.”

Philosophical Differences – Students select a wildlife or environmental issue and visit with the community about their views and opinions.

Wildwork – Students explore wildlife-related careers.

Project WILD Aquatic

Dragonfly Pond – Students evaluate the effects of different kinds of land use on wetland habitats.

Living Research: Aquatic Heroes and Heroines – Students identify people who have made contributions to conserving or preserving aquatic environments.

Related Links

The Aldo Leopold Foundation
http://www.aldoleopold.org/

The Leopold Archives

http://www.aldoleopold.org/AldoLeopold/archives.shtml

Using Leopold in Teaching

http://www.aldoleopold.org/AldoLeopold/teachingtools.shtml

 

 

Engaging Students with Citizen Science: It's for the Birds!

 

Iowa Bald Eagle Monitoring
In 2010, the Iowa DNR's Wildlife Diversity Program is initiating a new bald eagle territory monitoring survey. For many years we have tracked eagle nests on an opportunistic basis, encouraging citizens and natural resource professionals to report anything they could about eagle nests in their area. This approach has worked well but a few things have happened in recent years: 1) The number of nesting pairs in the state has grown exponentially making it more difficult to track all of them, 2) the eagle was taken off of the Federal Endangered Species List, and 3) while eagles are doing very well they still face some old threats (habitat loss) as well as some threats recently brought to light (lead poisoning). For these reasons we would like to put into place a more standardized and comprehensive eagle nest monitoring plan that would help us keep a better eye on trends of bald eagle productivity and population.

Volunteer Eagle Nest monitors are assigned an eagle nest to observe and report on yearly. It requires about a ten hour time commitment annually and volunteers must participate in some form of training either through attending a workshop or if you are unable to attend a workshop, the online training video and materials.

Iowa Colonial Waterbird Rookery Monitoring

One of the most unique groups of birds to occur in Iowa are the Colonial Waterbirds. Colonial Waterbirds are birds that depend on water for their food source and who nest in colonies called rookeries. These rookeries can have as many 100 or more nests and as few as two. The rookeries most often occur adjacent to or very close to water and depending on the species be in a tree or on the ground.

Only conservative estimates of the number of rookeries in the state are available, because Iowa DNR staff does not have the resources to monitor many of the Iowa nests, nor to adequately search for new colonies. Great Blue heron rookeries are by far the most common and can be found statewide. Monitoring these rookery sites is important as it provides data on the reproduction and population of these important species which among other things serve as indicators of our water quality. Monitoring of nests is left mostly up to volunteers and concerned citizens. Therefore, the discovery of new nests, which is often by chance, is primarily by volunteers, other citizens, and agency staff.

For more information and to learn how you can volunteer visit:

http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/WildlifeStewardship/NonGameWildlife/VolunteerWildlifeSurveys/ReportingRookeries.aspx

BirdSleuth

Are you still looking for a citizen science project to participate in with your class? Check out Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s BirdSleuth K-12! BirdSleuth is an inquiry-based science curriculum that engages kids in scientific study and real data collection through an exciting citizen science project. BirdSleuth encourages kids to answer their own questions about nature, spend time outdoors connecting with nature, and motivates kids with the real-world importance of the data they enter online which scientists use to study and help conserve birds. BirdSleuth offers educators kits, free resources, and training.

International Migratory Bird Day

International Migratory Bird Day takes place the second Saturday in May every year. On this day we celebrate migratory birds. What a fun way to celebrate after a citizen science project that has focused on birds!

Engaging Students with Citizen Science

IOWATER 

IOWATER is a volunteer water quality monitoring program that is a great way to get kids involved in citizen science.  IOWATER workshops include training, a manual, and equipment for monitoring Iowa waters with your class. IOWATER fits nicely with many Project WILD, Project WILD Aquatic, and Project Learning Tree activities. Below we have listed several activities from each that can be used in conjunction with IOWATER. For more information on IOWATER training visit the IOWATER homepage at: http://www.iowater.net/

Project Learning Tree
Democracy in Action – Civil action as it relates to water quality. Monitoring of water quality may lead to the need for civil action to improve water quality.

Every Drop Counts – In addition to monitoring water quality for IOWATER, students
monitor their water use, and design and implement a water conservation plan for
themselves. (This would also work on a class or school level).

Publicize It! – Lead students through the process of publicizing their IOWATER project.

Renewable or Not – Increase aware of renewable vs nonrenewable resources as pertains to water quality.

There Ought to be a Law – Law changes may be required when there are water quality issues. Students learn how laws are changed.

Watch on Wetlands – Help students gain important background information on wetlands if your water monitoring sight is a wetland.

Water Wonders – The Water Cycle. It is important to understand how the Water Cycle works when water monitoring. Helps students understand how and when poluution enters water systems.

We Can Work it Out – Use to show how different perspectives need to be taken into consideration, and differences worked out when deciding water quality issues.

Project WILD

Beautiful Basics – What animals need to survive and the importance of water (clean water) to all living things.

Learning to Look, Looking to See – Practicing observation skills which are important to have when participating in a scientific study.

Time Lapse – Learn the changes that take place to a ecosystem over time. Learn how to observe and track the changes to aquatic habitats during monitoring period.

Wild Words – Students record their outdoor experiences, and experiences participating in IOWATER in a nature journal.

Project WILD Aquatic

Dragonfly Pond – Relates land use and zoning/planning to water quality.

The Glass Menagerie – Shows the effects of nutrient overload on aquatic habitats.

Living Research: Aquatic Heroes & Heroines – Research past and present people who have made contributions to the conservation and preservation of aquatic resources.

Something’s Fishy Here – Explore possible avenues of action after reading the provided story or looking at their own IOWATER data.

To Dam or Not to Dam – Students explore the different views and concerns of individuals related to the complex issue of dams on waterways.

Water Canaries – Shows how aquatic life is effected by water quality parameters.

Watered Down History – Students investigate the history of a local waterway or watershed.

Watershed – Students study their local watershed and learn the connection between land and water quality.

What’s in the Water? – Pollution sources and impacts.

Where Does Water Run? – Helps students understand rainfall amounts, runoff, and the effects on water quality.

 

Citizen Science Project Ideas

Citizen science projects combine useful observation or data collection with an opportunity for students to learn more about scientific principles, problems, and processes as well as helping them better understand our environment and how to protect it.

Citizen science projects involve students in data collection, presentation, and involvement on a local, state, national, and even global level. Data collection can be wildlife watching, water testing, soil testing, plant monitoring, and many others. There are many citizen science projects that classrooms, and schools can choose to become involved in.

There are many projects out there - how do you choose? First, consider the age of the children in your class or program. Remember to match the age of the children to the skill level of the project. Follow the areas of interest of the children. Come up with several options and let them choose. Or ask them what they would like to contribute to and then find a project that matches.

Here are few things to consider:
• Is the project long or short term?
• Is the project local or national?
• Is there training required?
• What data is collected & how?
• How is the data collected presented to others?
• Are student materials and instructional resources available/provided?
• What types of tools and/or support are available?

Useful web sites to get you started on the path to citizen science!

What is Citizen Science in the Classroom?

Kids Count: Young Citizen Scientists Learn Environmental Activism

http://www.edutopia.org/service-learning-citizen-science

Engaging Students Through Citizen Science
http://www.kidsgardening.org/article/engaging-students-through-citizen-science

Citizen science: Real-world applications for science students
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/7210

Scholastic News - Kids Press Corps: Fireflies Count!
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3752450

Project citizen: promoting action-oriented citizen science in the classroom
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-313798147.html

Scientific American: Citizen Science
http://www.scientificamerican.com/citizen-science/

Citizen Science Can Renew A Child’s Love of Nature
http://www.education.com/reference/article/citizen-science-childrens-love-nature/

Citizen Science Project Opportunities

Iowa Opportunities
Iowa Department of Natural Resources: Volunteer Wildlife Monitoring
http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/WildlifeStewardship/NonGameWildlife/VolunteerWildlifeSurveys.aspx

IOWATER
http://www.iowater.net/Default.htm

Iowa NatureMapping
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/naturemapping/

National Opportunities
Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
http://www.mlmp.org/

Firefly Watch
https://legacy.mos.org/fireflywatch/

BirdSleuth and eBird: Citizen Science in the Classroom
http://www.birdsleuth.org/

The Great Sunflower Project: The Backyard Bee Count – The world’s largest citizen science project focused on pollinator conservation
http://www.greatsunflower.org/