Lesson Plan, Teacher Section

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Overview • Learning Outcomes • Curriculum Connections • Topics • Duration • Materials and Equipment • Essential Information • Background for Teachers • Procedure • Extension Activities • Assessment Rubric • Lesson Plan, Student Section

Overview
Students engage in a role-playing activity to investigate a real issue facing one or more national parks. In small groups, they use information from a variety of sources to research different points of view. They then, conduct a round table process to define the issue and discuss the options, and, finally, present their recommendations for managing the issue.

Learning Outcomes
Students will:

• gain and apply knowledge about ecosystem parts, processes and health in national parks;

• analyze and interpret issues affecting ecosystem health in national parks and develop sustainable solutions for managing the issues;
• come to appreciate become aware of the complexity of ecosystem management issues;
• develop competencies in team work, critical thinking, communication, making presentations, and conducting research using a variety of sources;
• appreciate the need to examine consider various points of view and interests;
• be empowered to apply the challenges and benefits of ecosystem management to their own daily lives; and
• identify and act on concrete actions and take steps to they can take to help protect national parks and other natural areas.

Topics
Bioaccumulation • Biodiversity • Canada’s national parks • Ecological integrity • Ecosystem health • Ecosystems • Endangered species • Human impacts on the environment • Invasive species • Issues facing parks • Native species • Non-native, exotic or alien species • Protected areas • Round table process • Sustainability • Stewardship

Duration
Approximately seven 45-minute periods for the entire activity.
The lesson plan is adaptable and can be divided into shorter segments or spread out over longer periods.

Materials and Equipment

• The map, Completing the National Parks System
• One Internet-connected computer* for each student or pair of students.
• A printer**

* If Internet-connected computers are not available, ask students to do the Internet research for Classes No. 2 and 3 at home, in the library or in the computer lab. This activity can also be completed without Internet research.

* If no printer is available for student use, print one set of Essential Information for Students per group and one set of Worksheets 1 and 2 per student

Essential Information for Teachers
Print out and review the following documents before proceeding:
National Parks Glossary
Ecosystem Processes and Stressors Fact Sheet and Glossary
Precautionary Principle Fact Sheet
Assessment Rubric

Print out for students, or have students print out from the Student Section of the lesson:
Round Table Guidelines (2 pages; 1 copy per student)
Case Studies (choose from six issues; 5-19 pages each)
Worksheets 1 and 2 (2 pages; 1 Stakeholder Worksheet per student, 1 Round Table Group Worksheet per group)
Precautionary Principle Fact Sheet (1 page; 1 copy per group)

Helpful Information
National Park System Plan (106 pages)

Background for Teachers
Canada’s national parks are protected for public benefit, education and enjoyment, while being maintained and used in ways that preserve them for future generations. Many people, including park staff, visitors, local residents, and tour operators, are active in national parks’ environments and can play a positive role in park protection.

However, human activity in and near parks can also stress park ecosystems in many ways. With so many park users, each with different perspectives, managing an issue means seeking common sustainable interests. For example, what seems ideal for a particular species of animal may not be ideal for visitors, and an ideal solution for a biologist may have negative implications for an Aboriginal person living off the land. In this activity, students will learn about a current challenge facing Canada’s national parks and try to develop a balanced and workable solution that satisfies all interests.

Of course, Parks Canada does not work alone. Many other people are involved in managing complex issues affecting parks. These people bring many sources of information and many points of view. Even then, the plan for managing an issue is never straightforward, and there is rarely a single ideal solution. People must look for a workable solution that satisfies all interests

Review the Student Section of this lesson, the Round Table Guidelines for obtaining consensus on managing an issue in a sustainable fashion, and the Precautionary Principle, which emphasizes the need for care and caution when changes to the natural environment are contemplated.

Select one case study from the list below. Work on one case study as a class, then assign the others as group work for the students.. Each of the case study focuses on a different issue in a different park and includes supporting information and stakeholder descriptions. The supporting information is composed mainly of text, and varies greatly in terms of type and length. You could also create your own issue based on a national park close to you.

		Case Study 1: A Place For People and Grizzly Bears! Moraine Lake Human Use Management in Banff National Park of Canada
		Case Study 2: Too Many Moose on the Loose? Moose in Gros Morne National Park of Canada
		Case Study 3: Aliens are Taking Over! Non-Native Invasive Plants in Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada
		Case Study 4: Are the Loons O.K.? Loon Health and Breeding Success in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site of Canada
		Case Study 6: A Large Carnivore in a Small Park. Ensuring the Protection of the Wolf in La Mauricie National Park of Canada: What a Challenge!
		Case Study 7: Bison Have No Boundaries: Free-ranging bison in Prince Albert National Park of Canada
		Case Study 8: The Fishy Disappearance of Kokanee Salmon in Kluane National Park and Reserve of Canada
		Case Study 9: Transboundary Caribou Travels: the Decline of the Porcupine Caribou Herd in and around Vuntut and Ivvavik National Parks

Familiarize yourself with the Parks Canada mandate and share its key concepts with your class.

In the National Parks Glossary, review the definition of ecological integrity. If you choose Case Study 1: “A Place for People and Grizzly Bears", read the definition of sustainable tourism.

Familiarize yourself with the National Park System Plan, a document that describes each of Canada’s 39 natural regions, as defined by Parks Canada, and the parks that represent the regions.

NOTE: The issues, information and interest groups presented here have been simplified for purposes of the case studies.

Procedure


1. Quickly review the elements of a healthy ecosystem and ecosystem stressors.

You can use the idea of the "Three P’s" to describe a healthy ecosystem:

• All the Parts are present, both biotic and abiotic. The full complement of native species, from large carnivores to minute invertebrates, is present in viable populations. The appropriate abiotic elements, such as clean water, soil and rocks, are also present.
• All the ecological Processes are functioning normally. This includes biotic processes such as nutrient cycling, predator-prey relationships, migration and symbiosis, and abiotic processes such as avalanches, fire and erosion.
• The parts and the processes can function and Persist indefinitely by remaining undisturbed and in their natural state.
  Stressors are factors that can negatively affect ecosystems. Examples include climate change, acid rain, pollution, and human disturbance.

2. Brainstorm parts, processes and stressors of a familiar ecosystem.

Use background information in the Ecosystem Processes and Stressors Fact Sheet and Glossary.
Ask students to select an ecosystem, such as a local park. Write the headings "Parts", "Processes" and "Stressors" on the blackboard. Ask students to call out the names of ecosystem parts, processes and stressors in the selected ecosystem. Give them five minutes to name as many as possible, and write them down under the appropriate headings.

3. Relate ecosystem parts, processes and stressors to national park ecosystems.

If your class is not familiar with national parks, review the Parks Canada mandate, the concept of ecological integrity, and the National Park System. Show the map, “Completing the National Parks System” (full-colour wall-sized map) or the National Parks System Plan map, (a black and white 1 page handout). Explain that national parks have ecosystems, with parts, processes and stressors like those discussed, but that these ecosystems are special: they are nationally significant because they are representative of Canada’s 39 different natural regions, and they are protected by law.

Questions to discuss:

• Of the stressors you identified, which ones might be present in national parks? It is likely that most of them could apply.
• What are some other stressors of national park ecosystems?
  Ensure students mention stressors that come from both within and outside of parks. Refer to the Ecosystem Processes and Stressors Fact Sheet and Glossary for ideas.
• Can you name the top five stressors in national parks? According to the State of Protected Heritage Areas Report 1999, they are:

  5. Exotic vegetation, such as non-native invasive plants;
  4. Forestry;
  3. Urbanization;
  2. Park management practices such as the construction of infrastructure; and
  1. Human disturbances such as roads and inappropriate visitor activities.

• Since national parks are protected places, how can they be affected by such stressors? Ask students to reflect on this point. National parks aren’t isolated from what goes on beyond their borders. Animals move in and out of national parks, and ecosystems may cross over park boundaries, particularly in many southern national parks. While efforts are being made to develop corridors of movement and connecting green spaces between national parks and adjacent protected areas, agreements have not been reached in all boundary areas. As well, pollutants can easily travel into national parks by air or water, and exotic plant species can accidentally enter national parks in mud on cars or on the soles of visitors’ shoes.

4. Introduce an example of an ecosystem management issue.

Select one of the case studies. Present the issue overview to your class. Ask students to come to the next class prepared to discuss the issue. Some questions for them to consider for homework are: Who might have an interest in this issue, what might their points of view be, and how might the issue be managed or resolved?

5. As a class, discuss the issue introduced the previous day.

• Who might have an interest? Prompt with the stakeholder description information.
• What might the point of view of each stakeholder be?
• How might each stakeholder wish to resolve or manage the issue?
• What effects might each recommended solution have on the ecosystem?
• On people?

Introduce the Precautionary Principle Fact Sheet. Consider solutions in light of this principle.

What solution does the class feel is most satisfactory to the stakeholders?

Wrap up the discussion by pointing out that there is probably no single solution to this issue.

6. Introduce the case studies.

Now it is time for your students to experience the complexities of ecosystem management for themselves. Explain that they will have the chance to investigate and interpret an issue facing a national park in Canada through a case study that includes a round table process. As part of the activity, they will assume the role of a stakeholder, research the issue, discuss the possible management options in a round table format, and present their preferred solution to their class.

7. Begin work on the case studies.

Divide the class into groups of five or six. Briefly introduce each of the case studies and have each group choose a different issue.

Provide students with the Web address of the Student Section of National Parks’ Challenges. You may wish to assign homework so that students familiarize themselves with their case study before the next class. Ask groups to follow the instructions outlined in the Student Section (in the Essential Information for Students, the Roundtable Guidelines and Worksheets 1 and 2), and assign a due date for their final presentations to the class. Review the Assessment Rubric with them.

8. Define the issue and the perspectives of the stakeholders.

Begin the class with a brief discussion. Ask each group to define the main issue facing the park in their case study, as well as the perspectives of the various stakeholders. Make sure they read through their case study, and pay particular attention to the section titled “Stakeholder Descriptions”

9. Students work in groups and individually to interpret the issue.

Allow students to research their issue and answer the questions on Worksheets 1 and 2

10. Allow students to complete Worksheet 1 How to be a Stakeholder.

Midway through class, review the round table process with them. Ask them to get ready to begin the process by defining the level of consensus that will be acceptable to their groups. Before the next class, they should think about their interests and concerns.

11. The groups hold their roundtables by working together to answer the questions on the Worksheet 2: Round Table Group Worksheet.

Visit each group and offer assistance where needed.

12. Each group presents its management solutions to the class.

As a class, try to agree on two or three preferred solutions for each case study. Are these solutions satisfactory to all stakeholders? Are there other stakeholders who could have an interest in the issue? How would other stakeholders react to these solutions?

13. Students reflect on their solutions.

Ask students how satisfied they are with their proposed solutions, and how well they feel they incorporated the various points of view. Ask for their personal feelings about the solutions. There may be some uneasiness with the solutions. Ensure students understand that their solutions were just a few of many possible options. In reality, there is rarely a single, clear-cut solution to an ecosystem management issue in a national park.

14. Wrap up with a creative activity.

Have students present their recommendations creatively to another Natural Sciences or Geography class, to parents to the rest of the school. Talk with natural heritage or national parks decision makers about the revelations from this exercise. Some other ideas include:

• Create a Web page for the school Web site.
• Write an opinion piece or an article for the community newspaper.
• Imagine that you are going to run in the local election to raise awareness of the issue, and create a flyer that outlines your point of view.
• Create a photographic exhibition to show what is at stake.

15. Conclude with independent reflection on how students can contribute to healthy ecosystems in parks and other territories.

There are suggestions for ways to make a difference in the Get Involved page of the Student’s Section. Ask students to follow up on one or two ideas.

Extension activities

1. Ask students to create additional stakeholders (resort developer, tourism promoter, pro-development local politician, pro-environment local politician, etc.).
2. Hold a town hall meeting. Invite another class to listen to presentations by your students. Have the other class act as interested members of the community and encourage them to ask questions about the issue. Invite parents, environmentalists, business owners, seniors, and other community members interested in the issues to join the audience.
3. Ask the class to create a scenario based on a national park or other protected territory close to your school (development in a nearby national park, creating new hiking trails, etc.). Apply the round table discussion technique to help determine how to integrate use and protection.
4. Ask students to submit individual written reports about their issue and the round table process. The report should include the student’s stakeholder perspective, the group’s interests and initial proposals, the final consensus or non-consensus recommendation, how it was reached, and the student’s individual reflection on the process.
5. Create new characters for an issue. Look at an issue from the point of view of an animal or plant.

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