Ecology
Bluebirds...Bring Them Back
Number: VC534 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 20 min.
The Eastern Bluebird, the Mountain Bluebird, and the Western Bluebird needs everyone's help to
survive. These beautiful birds will steal your heart as you watch them struggle against many odds
to find nesting places to raise their young.
Case of the Mysterious Neighbor: Environment Video Series
Number: VC839 Grade Level: P Length: 20 min.
The objectives of the program are: introduce the water cycle; describe how little of the Earth's
water is available for use by humans; introduce what water pollution is and some types of water
pollution; provide reasons why we should conserve water; describe how much water humans use
for various activities; list ways to conserve water.
Ecology For Beginners: Plants and Animals Depend on Each Other
Number: VC1222 Grade Level: P Length: 12 min.
All animals depend on plants for food. Some eat plants: a sloth eats leaves, a mouse chews seeds
and a moth drinks juice from fruit. Others, like cheetahs, lizards and snakes, eat animals that eat
plants. In addition to food, animals depend on plants for oxygen. Plants put vital oxygen into the
air when they make their own food, while using the carbon dioxide that animals, in turn, breathe
out.
Plants also depend on animals, and on other plants. Millipedes and earthworms help plants by
digesting dead materials and adding the residue to the soil. Some plants help other plants by
providing support that lets them grow up to light. A few plants depend directly on animals for
food, by trapping and killing them.
Plants and animals also depend on each other to help them reproduce. A hummingbird flits from
flower to flower, carrying pollen. Monkeys and woodpeckers carry seeds to places where they
can grow. Weaver birds and armadillos collect grass to line their nests.
Environment, The
Number: VC26 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 61 min.
This video introduces the basics of environmental studies, ecology and conservation. Outlining
the fundamentals of energy flow, food chains, biological community, and ecosystems.
Great American Desert, The
Number: VC472 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 15 min.
Early pioneers called it the Great American Desert - the vast semi-arid region extending beyond
the Mississippi. Within it are four true and distinct North American deserts, each with its own
features. Here the diversion of mountains steams and the damming of the Colorado River have
created a wealth of fertile oases and spurred the growth of major communities. But competition
for water, a population explosion and controversial land uses have led to concern over the future
of these deserts.
How an Estuary Works
Number: VC348 Grade Level: J/H Length: 28 min.
The interaction of fresh and salt water in the Laguna Madre along the Texas coast creates a rich
mix of nutrients which attracts many forms of life.
Keep It Clean
Number: VC164 Grade Level: P/I Length: 12 min.
Learn conservation with Woodsy Owl and Smokey Bear
Land Pollution: A First Film
Number: VC1227 Grade Level: I/J Length: 12 min.
Only a little over one-fourth of our planet is made up of land, but it has the ability to create
nutrients for plants by continually recycling waste. How well are we caring for this valuable
commodity? This informative video describes its use and misuse as well as suggesting methods
for protecting it for future generation.
Last Drop: Is the World Running Out of Water?
Number: VC1713 Grade Level: H Length: 50 min.
Water shortages contribute to many regions conflicts worldwide. Only two-and-a-half percent is
fresh, and it is therefore a precious commodity. This documentary illustrates how the worsening
problem of global water shortage leads to regional, political and social conflicts, destruction of
economies, and famine. Beginning in the Middle East, we see how diversion of water to Israel at
the expense of Palestinian villages has exacerbated that conflict. In Namibia, in South Africa,
cultures are dying and people are starving, as hydro-cops monitor water use and abuse by
residents. Experts predict that countries along the Rhine may find themselves in the same dry
situation, if water diversion from the river continues at current rates. Throughout the program,
experts, those involved in water preservation, and those affected by water shortages examine the
situation and suggest solutions. (0806)
Lost Book Report Caper: Environment Video Series
Number: VC842 Grade Level: P Length: 20 min.
Objectives of the program are: demonstrate that ordinary people are responsible for the amount
of trash that is thrown away; introduce the three R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle; show why it is
important to reduce the amount of trash thrown away each year; identify ways to reduce, reuse,
and recycle.
Missing Ingredient: Environment Video Series
Number: VC841 Grade Level: P Length: 20 min.
Objectives of the program are: introduce what biological resources are; identify ways that
biological resources are important to us; identify reasons that biological resources disappear;
describe how to conserve biological resources.
Mystery of the Dead Fish ( the Major Parts of the Environment): Environment Video
Series
Number: VC838 Grade Level: P Length: 20 min.
Why were Jason's fish dying? In solving the mystery, our young detectives learn what elements
make up a healthy environment, and what can happen to an environment when one of its parts is
damaged or missing. This program introduces the idea that the environment is composed of a
number of important parts, and with out those parts, the plants and animals that make up the
world cannot live.
Mystery of the Statue: Environment Video Series
Number: VC840 Grade Level: P Length: 20 min.
Objectives of the program: introduce why the atmosphere is an important resource; describe
what air pollution is; identify the sources of air pollution; introduce acid rain; describe what
children can do to help.
Power Puzzle: Environment Video Series
Number: VC843 Grade Level: P Length: 20 min.
Objectives of the program are: define what energy is; describe five types of energy; show how
one type of energy can be converted into the other types; identify where energy in our homes
comes from and how much we use; describe ways to conserve energy.
Vanishing Forests
Number: VC1019 Grade Level: I/J/H Length: 21 min.
Explore the wonders of Earth's diverse and biologically rich forests and understand why their
global destruction represents the most serious ecological crisis of our time. Timely and packed
with exciting, full-motion video from forests around the world, Vanishing Forests offers steps
each of us can take to slow the spread of deforestation.
Water in Our Backyard
Number: VC1703 Grade Level: J/H Length: 26 min.
This is a video documentary about the serious problem of water pollution in inner cities, where
people are eating fish from polluted waterways. Some people fish in polluted inner city
waterways and feed their families the fish, because they need the food and because they come
from cultures where fish is a staple in the diet. Some of these people eat the whole fish,
consuming more pollutants. This documentary explains the dangers of eating polluted fish and
swimming in polluted water. Interviews with Drs. Theo Colborn ('Our Stolen Future') and Mary
Obrien speak about the danger, particularly to children.
Wetlands, We Need Them
Number: VC927 Grade Level: P/I/J/H Length: 20 min.
A wetlands study is a wonderful base from which to meet many interdisciplinary objectives.
Concepts in this video include energy flow (food chains), life cycles, seasonal changes, habitats,
and relating wildlife needs to conservation. Each of these concepts can be worked into
curriculum requirements for science, language arts and geography as well as being useful for
pre-field trip presentation and inviting guest speakers on wetlands.