Threatened Species – Postcards from the Edge Name: ________________________________ Period: ____ Date: ______________ Overview: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s mission is to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants, and their habitats. The bureau manages the 93 million acre National Wildlife Refuge System with more than 520 individual refuges, and thousands of wetlands and special management areas. Among its key functions is the protection of endangered species. In this lesson, you will learn about endangered species in the United States, some of the reasons they are endangered (e.g. habitat destruction or the introduction of invasive species), and what is being done to protect them. You will choose one species to focus on and examine the reasons it is endangered, and why it is important to make an effort to save it. Objectives: Students will learn about endangered species in the United States. Students will identify endangered species in their state. Students will create poster of facts and pictures about the species. Students will analyze reasons to protect endangered species. Opening: Since the arrival of Europeans in North America, more than 500 species have become extinct. The populations of many more have declined due to loss of habitat, degradation of the environment, pollution, pesticide use, and other factors. Within the United States, 517 species of animals and 745 species of plants are listed as threatened or endangered. The U.S. took a giant step toward saving plants and animals with the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973. Materials: One worksheet computer with internet access Poster or large sheet of white paper Colored pencils and/or markers Scissors Glue Procedures: Choose an endangered species Use these websites to get started researching your species: 1. Endangered Species on EE: http://eelinknet/EndSpp/specieshighlightsmainpage.html 2. Green Kids Guide to Threatened Species: Nine ways you can help: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/index.ht ml 3. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Endangered species information: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html 4. WWF: U.S. World Wildlife Fund: http://www.worldwildlife.org/ Research the following information about your species: Important facts about the species 1. Species’ habitat(s) 2. Species’ geographic location(s) 3. Interesting facts (for animals: mating rituals, feeding habits, migration, etc; for plants: seed/fruit/flower production, animals that may live in the plant, etc.) Reasons for the decline of its numbers 1. When the numbers of this species started to decline 2. Why the numbers of this species started to decline 3. What the major threats to this species are How we can protect the species from further loss. 1. What has been done so far (if anything) to save this species 2. Why it is important to save this particular species (do other species depend on it for some reason?) 3. What your group would recommend doing to save this species from extinction Create a poster about your species that includes the following: 1. photos (cut out of magazines or printed from the internet) or original drawings of your species 2. a list of the important facts about your species (listed above) 3. a list of the reasons for the decline of its numbers (listed above) 4. a list of how to protect the species from further loss (listed above) 5. any other information you feel is important Each group will take turns and give a brief presentation about the species they studied and answer any questions other students have. Grading Rubric Item(s) Included and Correct Item(s) NOT Included and/or Incorrect Photo and/or drawing of species 8 points 0 points Species’ habitat(s) 5 points 0 points Species geographic location(s) 5 points 0 points Three interesting facts about species 5 points 0 points When numbers started to decline 5 points 0 points Why numbers started to decline 5 points 0 points Major threat(s) to species 9 points 0 points What has been done so far to save species 9 points 0 points Why it is important to save this species 9 points 0 points Group’s recommendation to save species from extinction 10 points 0 points Group presentation (all members participating) 10 points 0 points All group members name on poster/postcard 5 points 0 points 15 points 0 points (100 points maximum) Your Score → Criteria Overall appearance of poster/postcard (i.e. neatness, color, correct spelling/grammar) TOTAL POINTS EARNED Total