Crown of the Continent
Ecosystem (COCE)
Puzzle Map
Grade: 5-12
Subject: Science, Geography, Social Studies
Skills: Compare and contrast, identify, practice group decision-making
Duration: 15 minutes
Group Size: up to 30
Setting: any flat dry space
Materials: ecosystem puzzle, topographic overlay
Vocabulary: boundary, management agencies (national park, national
forest, state park, Indian reservation), preserve, biotic (living), abiotic
(non-living), topography, interconnected, ecosystem
Summary: Students will work as a team to put together a puzzle map that shows different agencies that manage land in the
Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. They will identify abiotic resources such as water, soil, and rock that are interconnected
throughout the system and understand that these will cross political boundaries and thus tie together the biotic components of
the ecosystem.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Practice group decision-making to complete a task.
 Identify units on a map using the legend.
 Identify a major geographic feature that is missing.
 Understand that biotic and abiotic natural resources cross political divisions.
 Be able to define an ecosystem: a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their
environment.
Montana Content and Performance Standards
10.54.5030 Science Standard 3=Demonstrate knowledge of characteristics, structures and function of living things, the
process and diversity of life, and how living organisms interact with each other and their environment.
10.54.6030 Social Studies Standard 3= “…apply geographical knowledge and skills (e.g. location, place,
human/environment interactions, movement, regions).”
10.54.6040 Social Studies Standard 4= “…demonstrate an understanding of the effects of time, continuity, and
change on historical and future perspectives and relationships.”
Making Connections to Glacier National Park
While Glacier National Park is central to the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, the NPS site is not the only land
manager in the area. To protect and preserve the resources of Glacier National Park we must understand the
connectivity of these resources across political boundaries.
Background
Glacier National Park is located at the heart of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. Its 1,013,500 acres (1538 sq miles)
comprise approximately 11% of the ecosystem’s acreage (16158 sq miles). Although the Crown of the Continent forms a
singe ecological unit, the ecosystem is divided by national and provincial boarders and is managed by a number of federal
agencies of both counties, state, provincial, and private land owners. As one of North America's largest ecologically intact
areas, there are clearly benefits of managing the Crown in a holistic fashion. Impelled by increasing human demands on
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the region and given the history of human settlement on the land, it is increasingly important that we look beyond these
boundaries and work together when deciding how to best protect and preserve the area.
Procedures
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Give each student a puzzle piece and see if they can work together to assemble the map.
Once assembled, use the key to point out Glacier and Flathead NF but also all of the other protected areas
up into Canada and down all the way to Missoula (Bison Range, tribal lands, wilderness areas, provincial
parks, etc..)
Make sure to point out the city/town the school is from.
What’s missing from the map? (mountains/topography)
Put on topographic overlay and ask students what happens to all of the distinctions between the different
parks, cities, etc. (they become less obvious)
Glacier NP in not only significant to our nation, it is in the center of a natural system on our planet, the
Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (eco=life, life system).
 In this natural system, we share the same water, soils, mountain habitats, animals, and air.
 Glacier NP and Flathead NF are large protected parts of this ecosystem which is large enough for
grizzly bears, wolverines, mountain goats, etc.
 But are cities and towns, our homes are also part of this ecosystem and think about how lucky we
are to be living in this part of our nation and to have all of this around us.
The Crown of the Continent Ecosystem depends on people to behave in ways that protect the shared
resources of the system-the water, the air, the wildlife, the soils, the views.
Evaluation (Assessment):
1. Have students define an ecosystem.
Extension:
1. Have students research components of the COCE ecosystem to come up with a list of animal and plant species,
soil types, elevation range, and water and air quality in the COCE.
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