THE ACTIVITIES
A LITTLE PATCH OF PARADISE

Description: Students will participate in a class or independent study to create and maintain a model COOPERATIVE LIVING HABITAT in their local community.

GO DIRECTLY TO:

• Goals and Objectives
• Procedure and Teaching Suggestions
• Student Activity
• Extension
• Internet Resources

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

	Materials and Equipment A selected natural environment site within walking or biking distance of students' school or home - site should be approximately ¼ acre and free of dangerous or toxic materials (no dangerous fencing, plants, soils, bodies of water, etc.); remember to ask permission from the landowner to perform school project on the selected land, including giving owner intended use (observation and improvement of land, etc.) Community resource people from local land conservancy or environmental protection groups Sketch pads, logs/journals, compasses, tide charts (if applicable), field guides (identification of plants and animals), water and soil testing kits, garden tools Reference materials on land cleanup procedures, habitat planning (matching soil, water to indigenous plants and animals), ecology, conservation, and natural resources management (Web sites listed below for examples) Cameras and video tape equipment (optional for data collection purposes)

Students will be able to:

• Explain the concept of a Cooperative Living Habitat and identify its characteristics
• Engage in the process of creating and maintaining a Cooperative Living Habitat
• Understand a variety of conservation/stewardship/management practices and programs
• Collect and analyze data (draw topographic maps, measure resources, calculate resource viability)
• Evaluate site problems (pollution, overuse, erosion), select a sustainable site management strategy, and design/implement a detailed site management plan
• Interact with community resource people
• Discuss concepts of conservation, stewardship, resource management and develop pro and con perspectives and opinions on how to manage land using certain practices

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PROCEDURE AND TEACHING SUGGESTIONS

This activity can be performed individually or as a pairs project. Introduce students to the concept of a Cooperative Living Habitat. A CLH is a given area in which human activity and natural resources coexist and mutually thrive.

Assist students with selecting a site (obtaining permission from land owners and inspecting for appropriate safety) in their local community/region. The site is 'adopted' by the student(s) for a school semester.

Consult with community resource people, (e.g., soil conservation, wildlife management, forestry department, soils and water management personnel) to assist students with learning about site management strategies.

Present various examples of hands-on management plans for different topographic types (coastal, marshland, piedmont, mountain, urban). Invite speakers (biologists, land management agents, land conservation experts, etc.) to give students a comprehensive overview of cooperative land management practices, principles of ecology and ecological sustainability, habitat protection, etc. Discuss what improvement and management approaches are best for specific land profiles.

Meet with students on their sites for a "get acquainted" survey of the property, pointing out examples of issues and problems that need tackling. Help with the beginnings of an assessment, improvement and maintenance/management plan tailored to their selected site. Supervise goals, objectives, processes, materials needed, resource contacts, etc. for your students. Assist and provide resources where necessary.

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STUDENT ACTIVITY

After selecting a site for their project, students will begin to acquaint themselves with its natural characteristics by visiting the site with their teacher. Students may start by writing a detailed description of the site, including:

1. Location, as well as adjacent properties and their uses which may or may not impact the site
2. Seasonal weather influences
3. Plant and animal life inventory
4. Water and soil inventory
5. Human impact evidence

Using resources and knowledge that their teacher and guest speaker(s) have provided, students will design/plan a Cooperative Living Habitat that:

A. Provides maximum protection of natural resources (consult experts on how to determine and achieve these results)

B. Allows human activity to take place with minimum or zero impact to the ecological health of the site (consult experts on how to determine and achieve these results) Create a progressive timeline of activities that fulfill the plan. An example may be:

Phase One
Flag locations of plants, animals, areas for cleanup, areas for improvement, etc. that students discovered in their initial survey

Phase Two
Eliminate/minimize environmentally destructive conditions (litter, nonnative or indigenous plants, etc.)

Phase Three
Plant vegetation that supports the ecology of the site. Reintroduce plants and animals that were pushed out or extirpated under previous conditions

Phase Four
Determine the amount of/kind of human activities appropriate for the Cooperative Living Habitat; create an educational brochure on how to visit and/or use the site in a low-impact, sustainable manner

Phase Five
Create and implement a maintenance plan for upkeep, conservation and preservation of the site

Students will keep a log of their activities. They should take measurements and write field notes during each visit to better track the progression and success of their plan. Measurements and notations can include:

1. Soil and water conditions
2. Number of plants and animals
3. Improvements made
4. Human activity

Students will present their projects to the class by conducting a Cooperative Living Habitat tour of their site, describing the activities, accrued knowledge, analyses and conclusions over the past semester.

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EXTENSION

Smart growth means many things, but it usually includes green space, downtown redevelopment, mixed-use zoning and controlling sprawl by planning where city services will be provided. —UNCW Chancellor James Leutze Paving the American Dream

Design a nature trail system through the site for K-6 students. They can use the site as a field-based learning laboratory. Mark the trails with plant and animal identifiers. Create a field guide brochure for students to use. Let younger students help maintain the site.

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ADDITIONAL INTERNET RESOURCES

• North American Association for Environmental Education
• ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education
• National Wildlife Federation
• United States Environment Protection Agency
• The Nature Conservancy
  

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