Honesty
High School - February 2012
Character Education
Newsletters
Broward County Air
Quality Program
Honesty is defined as being truthful, trustworthy, and sincere. Being honest about our true feelings
toward environmental issues and not allowing your beliefs to be swayed by others is important.
Remember that we should all have pride and strive to keep our environment as healthy as possible.
February 3rd marks the National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) anniversary. The NWF works to inspire
Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future. They protect and defend wildlife and the wild
places they need to survive. They work to restore the health of our natural habitats and ecosystems.
And they educate and inspire Americans to care for and protect our natural heritage.
Go Green
Climate Change
Broward County Kids
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NatureScape Broward
Upcoming Events
March:
Water Matters Day
Endangered Species
Some habitat has been set aside in the form of parks, wildlife refuges, and other reserves. Since 1964
when The Wilderness Act was passed, approximately 104 million acres have been included in the
National Wilderness Preservation System. Efforts to boost a species’ numbers won’t mean much in the
future if the habitat of an animal or plant doesn’t exist or if the area is too degraded to support the
species. Habitat protection is ultimately the key to saving threatened and endangered species.
Few wilderness areas are big and diverse enough to meet the year-round needs of all the fish and
wildlife populations. Some wildlife species such as grizzly bears require vast undisturbed areas to
which wilderness boundaries may not be related. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Grizzly Bear
Recovery Plan recognizes that grizzly conservation cannot be accomplished on a wilderness-bywilderness basis because a bear can cover 1,000 square miles in a lifetime of normal activity. The
resulting plan tries to coordinate management efforts in the two remaining viable grizzly habitats in the
lower 48 states—the Yellowstone ecosystem (located in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana) and the
Northern Continental Divide ecosystem (located in Montana, Idaho, and Washington). The plan
requires coordinated management in the wildernesses and adjacent wild lands. No wilderness exists in
a vacuum. It is always surrounded by and/or abuts something that can markedly affect wilderness
management for wildlife within the area. Conservation biologists estimate approximately 100 species
are becoming extinct every day. Wildernesses may provide some of the critical habitat for threatened
and endangered species.
Students will conduct research on an endangered species. With information gathered, students will
prepare a written report or oral presentation and give suggestions for species recovery.
Directions:
1. Have students review the list of endangered wildlife and plants from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service (www.fws.gov/endangered/). The webpage gives students a choice on which state they
want to research. Ask half the class to research endangered species in Florida and the other half to
research other states. If you prefer, a general list of threatened/endangered wildlife in the U.S. is
available.
2. Ask students to select a species from the list and gather information about its struggles. Students
will be assigned to write a report. Reports might include this information about the species:
• Past and present range and population
• Length of time it has been endangered
• Reasons it is endangered
• Actions currently being taken to improve its chances of survival
• A list of agencies, interest groups, or others who are working on the problem. Who is contributing
money to the effort?
• Activities that the student alone or the entire class might undertake to aid the species
• Ways in which good land management could slow down or prevent such losses
• Why it is important that this species survive?
3. Once students have presented their reports, create a chart listing each of the species length of
time endangered, past and present range, past and present population, and outlook for survival.
Add any other categories of information and analysis you and the students find interesting. Look for
trends. Find practical actions private citizens might take to assist in recovery of species, if they
choose. Make these suggestions available to others in your community who might be interested.
Source: http://carhart.wilderness.net/docs/curriculum/7-3-2.pdf
Endangered Species 2: Working to Save Endangered Species
To start this activity, verbally discuss the following ten questions in class:
What does “endangered” mean?
What are three examples of endangered species? How did each of them become endangered?
What is the main reason most species become endangered? What are some other reasons?
What are two examples of species that are endangered because something in their ecosystem was
disturbed?
5. Name two ways that wildlife biologists are working to save endangered species.
6. What are two species that are success stories brought back from the brink of extinction?
7. What is an ecosystem?
8. What can happen if one species becomes extinct?
9. What are some of the provisions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA)?
10. How can you help?
1.
2.
3.
4.
DEBATE: As a way to apply what students have learned and familiarize them with the kinds of reallife issues that are involved in protecting plant and animal species, divide the class into three groups or
interests:
1. Those representing lumber workers and business interests
2. Local environmental activists seeking to protect the owl and their aged forests
3. The government and scientific agencies who are working under the Endangered Species Act and
are monitoring the situation
@Broward Environment
@Broward Environment’s
Channel
After dividing the class into teams, give students time to talk among themselves to decide who they
represent, what their feelings and interests are, and what their likely views on the debate will be. Then
begin by addressing each team with questions like the ones below. Allow each group time to respond
to each other’s views, claims, and assertions, since the purpose of this activity is to get everyone
involved and thinking about the kinds of humanity vs. environment issues they will surely have to deal
with (and resolve) in the future.
Ask lumber workers and the business community:
Where do you stand on the issue of spotted owls?
Why do you have to cut down so many trees?
Do you think money is more important than the environment?
Ask local activists:
What is the matter with cutting down trees?
How are lumber workers and their families supposed to make a living if they cannot cut down trees?
Do you think spotted owls are more important than people?
Ask government and scientific interests:
What happens if the status of the spotted owl goes from threatened to endangered?
How will the government help workers if the spotted owl falls under the Endangered Species Act?
What could happen if the spotted owl is made extinct?
(Accept all responses and encourage students to support their feelings and views).
Sources: http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/endangered-species-2/ and
http://sciencenetlinks.com/student-teacher-sheets/endangered-means-theres-still-time-knowledgesurvey/
An endangered species is most vulnerable to extinction when it has which of the following
characteristics?
•
•
•
•
a high birthrate
a large variety in its diet
a small amount of competition
a small amount of genetic diversity
Answer: D
Teachers, Students, Administrators, Volunteers are
Encouraged to Apply for an Environmental Award
through the Environmental Education Council
The Environmental Education Council (EEC) of Broward County with support from the
Broward County School District would like to recognize individuals who have demonstrated
excellence in environmental education and conservation. Applications are FREE!!! Please
visit www.browardeec.org for more information and to download a nomination form or email
chairperson@browardeec.org. Nominations are due March 2, 2012.
Invitation: Participate in the US EPA’s Flag Program
Did you know air pollution is a trigger for asthma? Did you know children, including teenagers,
are especially sensitive to the harmful effects of air pollution? What is your plan of action
when the air quality is unhealthy? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a program
to help you. You are invited to participate in the School Flag Program, an easy and
inexpensive way to help your school and surrounding community know the air quality
conditions each day.
Schools in the Flag Program raise a brightly colored flag each day that corresponds to the air
quality forecast. Based on the color of the flag, teachers, and coaches can modify outdoor
activities when the air quality is unhealthy.
You can find more information about the program at www.airnow.gov/schoolflag. Four easy
steps (explained in the Coordinator’s Handbook) will get your flag program started:
1. Purchase set of flags (cost is generally less than $100).
2. Educate and inform the school and community at the start of the program (sample
article included).
3. Subscribe to a free email service (www.enviroflash.info) to obtain the daily air quality
forecast and fly the corresponding flag.
4. Know what actions to take when the air quality is unhealthy (recommendations/actions
chart included).
EPA highlights participating schools on the School Flag Program website and recognizes
them with an official membership certificate.
For more information or help getting the program started at your school, please contact
rogers.donna@epa.gov. If your school already has a school flag program, let us know!
Register at http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.schoolflagprogram and we will
highlight your school on the EPA website and send you a membership certificate.
Spread the Word!!!
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Newsletters Today!
The monthly edition of this newsletter is distributed only through a FREE electronic e-mail
subscriber list. E-mail the Broward County Pollution Prevention, Remediation & Air Quality
Division at airoutreach@broward.org to receive this valuable curriculum resource. The
newsletters are also available on our Environmental Kids Club web site at
www.broward.org/kids. Archived copies of the newsletter are also available through the
School Board’s BEEP system.