We’re All Connected
Scenario cards
A family has chosen to make camp on the
edge of a pristine meadow. They stay for a
week and when they leave you see a rock fire
ring, several logs that had been used for
benches, and a well worn area in and around
the campsite.
Your group has been hiking all day in the
desert. You camp near a small desert water
hole. Some of the campers decide a
refreshing dip in the pond is just what they
need.
Questions:
Questions:
1. How will this scene attract more campers
to the area?
1. How might the campers affect the
animals that use this location at night to
get their water?
2. How might increased usage by campers
affect the meadow’s community of life?
2. What should you do and what, if
anything, should you say to the other
campers?
A group of campers go out for an afternoon
hike. They spot an area filled with beautiful
flowers. Later that day they all return home
with a handful of flowers as a souvenir.
Questions:
1. Why should the flowers be left in their
natural setting?
2. How else might campers be able to
capture the beauty of nature without
leaving an impact on the community?
It’s time for supper. It is your job to collect
the firewood. You pick up the axe and head
out. A few yards down the trail you find a
tree and begin to hack away. Finally you
have a few pieces. You also decide to peel
away some bark in order to get the fire
started.
Questions:
1. Might these actions affect the trees and
the environment?
2. What alternatives are there to cooking
with fire?
Are You Ready?
What do you need to consider when planning a trip to the wilderness?
Objectives
Students will:
explain the concept of conservation.
explain the concept of preservation.
explain how education and planning help reduce impact on the environment.
Background
Those who are concerned with protecting the environment often use the words conservation
and preservation. Although these two terms are often confused and are used to mean the same
thing, differences exist.
Conservation is the sustainable use and management of natural resources including wildlife,
water, air, and earth deposits. Natural resources may be renewable or non-renewable. The
conservation of renewable resources like trees involves ensuring that they are not consumed
faster than they can be replaced. The conservation of non-renewable resources like fossil fuels
involves ensuring that sufficient quantities are maintained for future generations to utilize.
Conservation of natural resources usually focuses on the needs and interests of human beings,
for example the biological, economic, cultural, and recreational values such resources have.
Conservationists accept that development is necessary for a better future, but only when the
changes take place in ways that are not wasteful.
Preservation, in contrast to conservation, attempts to maintain in their present condition areas of
the Earth that are so far untouched by humans. This is due to the concern that mankind is
encroaching onto the environment at such a rate that many untamed landscapes are being
given over to farming, industry, housing, tourism, and other human developments, and that we
are losing too much of what is “natural.” The mindset of preservationists can range from
protection of nature for purely human-centered reasons to preservation regardless of their
usefulness to humans. The latter follows the belief that every living thing has a right to exist and
should be preserved.
Regardless of where you stand on your beliefs towards preservation, we cannot deny that
plants, insects, animals, and humans owe their existence to one another. When one member of
the web of life has been altered or eliminated, other living things are invariably affected.
Summary:
Students will participate in an activity designed to help them gain an understanding
of the importance of planning ahead in order to ensure safety and minimal impact on the
environment.
Duration:
1 class period
Setting:
Classroom
Vocabulary: environment, conservation, preservation
Standards/Benchmarks Addressed:
SC1-E1, SC2-E1, SC3-E1, SC4-E1, SC4-E5, SC5-E2,
SC6-E1, SC6-E2, SC6-E3, SC6-E4, SC6-E5, SC11-E2, SC11-E5, SC11-E6, SC11-E8, SC16-
E1, SC16-E2
People are an integral part of the Earth’s ecosystem and the health of ecosystems is intertwined
with the viability of human communities. Like all living beings, people require the use of
resources. From the air we breathe to our food, water, shelter, clothing, arts, and
communication networks, we consume resources to live. Just try to imagine something in your
home that is not grown or mined. We tend to forget the fact that natural resources usually
support a country’s economy. Our goal in managing the ecosystem should be the wise and
reasonably paced use of our resources to assure their availability far into the future. Individuals
can take actions to make a difference.
Materials
Pictures of the desert
Travel cards
Low Impact Techniques handout
Survival Backpack handout
Prep
Teacher will bring a backpack packed for an imaginary day hike of your choice.
Procedure
Warm up:
Teacher will explain to the students that they will be going on an imaginary hike. Tell
students that they will use the Survival Backpack handout to draw pictures of what they will
need to take. Students may ask where they are going but explain that they will have to guess.
Allow students enough time to complete their drawings and then reveal to them the location of
the imaginary hike. Show them destination pictures (pictures of a desert location or any location
you have chosen). Explain the purpose of the trip (fishing, wildlife viewing, etc.). The teacher will
then unpack his or her bag to show the equipment necessary for a successful hike.
Ask the students to “unpack their packs” and consider the following questions.
How well do the contents of your pack prepare you for your trip?
How well do the contents of your pack ensure your safety? (proper clothes, maps,
compass, small flashlight, water filter, firstaid kit, etc.)
How well do the contents ensure minimal impact to natural resources?
How well do the contents ensure your trip will meet your goal?
Ask the group to consider these questions.
How would the contents of your pack change with different destinations?
What other information would you need in order to pack properly for a trip?
What is the value of knowing this information before packing?
Activity:
Review Low Impact Techniques.
1. Pass out event and solution cards. Each student will get one card. The object of the
game is to match the event with the solution.
Key for game: 1 & 11, 2 & 9, 3 & 13, 4 & 15, 5 & 12, 6 & 16, 7 & 14, 8 & 10
2. Once the students have paired up, each pair will plan a way to teach the plan ahead
concept.
3. Have each pair take turns teaching the concept to the group.
Wrap Up:
As a group:
Discuss why trip planning is so important (ensures safety, allows the accomplishment of
your trip goals, allows minimal impact on natural resources).
What elements should be considered when trip planning (identify goals, skills and ability,
gain knowledge of the area you plan to visit, choose proper equipment and clothing)?
Discuss the concepts of conservation and preservation and how they affect us.
Assessment
Students will work in groups to research topics related to the wilderness, conservation, or
preservation. Students will present their findings to the class.
