Special Places: Eco-lessons from the National Parks in Atlantic Canada

Grade 6

Species at Risk: Recovery Teams to the Rescue!

Table of Contents:

• Summary
• Learning Outcomes
• Activity Information
• Teacher Background
• Procedure
• Evaluation
• Extension
• References
• Resources

Summary

Students will work together in conservation recovery teams to describe an endangered species and explain why it is endangered. They will explore efforts taken to ensure that species’ protection and status improvement within the national parks in Atlantic Canada.

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Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• explain why certain species of animals and plants are endangered;
• describe efforts to study the population size of some of these species;
• explain what is being done to ensure the continued existence of these species within the national parks in Atlantic Canada.

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Activity Information

Grade level: 6

Subject: Science (Atlantic)– Diversity of Life, Adaptations and Natural Selection

Curriculum linkages: 105-1; 107-6; 206-5 (Students will be able to explain reasons why various animals are endangered and describe efforts to study their population size and ensure their continued existence.)

Duration: Approximately 120 minutes, depending on the length of the student presentations

Setting: Classroom

Materials: Student Information Sheets on Terra Nova, Fundy, Kouchibouguac, Kejimkujik, Prince Edward Island National Parks; Information Sheets on the piping plover, Newfoundland marten, peregrine falcon, Blanding’s turtle and water-pennywort; COSEWIC Species at Risk List for Atlantic Canada; Presentation materials that might improve the panel discussion results (students may wish to draw maps of species habitats, create pictures of species, etc. so drawing materials may be necessary). Teachers may also wish to allow students to use copies of the attached Park Backgrounders if they feel the reading level is suitable.

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Teacher Background

Some sources report that since 1600, about 1600 species have become extinct worldwide. Currently there are 402 classified as species at risk in Canada. This number continues to climb and is a result of direct and indirect human impacts. Although extinction and endangerment is a natural process, excessive and intensive human activities in the environment have increased the rate of both these phenomena. Examples include habitat modification and loss, over-exploitation, unregulated or poorly regulated commercial harvesting, and disruption of migration routes and breeding behaviours, contamination, pest control and introduction of exotic species.

At the national level, the species inventory for national parks facilitates research by managers and scientists on the distribution and status of wildlife species, and in some cases, the designation of species that have been identified by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as being at risk. As a result, specialists and managers are able to accelerate conservation efforts and identify regions in which conservation efforts are already under way, specifically in the case of reintroduced species.

Parks Canada uses the species status identified by COSEWIC, which determines the national status of wild species, subspecies and separate populations in Canada. All native mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and vascular plants are included; invertebrate animals and non-vascular plants are not.

National conservation (species) recovery teams exist within Canada with representation from a variety of government and non-government organizations.

COSEWIC was formed in 1977 and is composed of representatives from each provincial and territorial government wildlife agency, four federal agencies (Canadian Museum of Nature, Parks Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, and Department of Fisheries and Oceans) and three national conservation organizations (Canadian Nature Federation, Canadian Wildlife Federation and World Wildlife Fund Canada). The Committee meets annually to consider status reports on candidate species. Listing designated species provides provisions for a thirdparty review process.

The following categories for species at risk are found on the COSEWIC Web site (www.cosewic.gc.ca):

Species of Special Concern – A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

Threatened – A species that is likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.

Endangered – A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

Extirpated – A species that no longer exists in the wild of Canada, but occurring elsewhere.

Extinct – A species that no longer exists.

It is important to know that Canada is currently in the process of establishing its species-at-risk legislation. The proposed Species at Risk Act (SARA, Bill C-5) would implement a process for species and habitat protection. This bill proposes mandatory protection on federal lands for migratory and aquatic species at risk through partners that include Parks Canada, Environment Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Parks Canada is committed to species conservation and undertakes research projects and recovery efforts for species at risk. Projects conducted on wildlife and plant conservation throughout Canada have increased knowledge about the serious threats to certain species.

The following activity has students assuming the role of a park ecologist, park interpreter or park warden. They will explore the status of an endangered species in an individual national park, determine why the species has become endangered and make specific recommendations about how to manage for the recovery of the species.

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Procedure

1. Begin with a discussion of endangered species and the process by which species are identified as endangered. Ask students if they can name any of the animals or plants that are on the COSEWIC list. Ensure you review those that are found within the Atlantic Provinces. (List attached, p.30.1)
2. Divide students into groups of three. Each group will be an independent conservation recovery team working at the park level. Each student in the group will take on the role of a park ecologist, park interpreter or park warden, whose responsibilities are as follows:
• A Park Ecologist is responsible for identifying and conducting background research on the endangered species, considering its population status and habitat within the park and the greater ecosystem.
• A Park Interpreter is responsible for communicating the importance of the endangered species and its habitats within a national park and its surrounding region.
• A Park Warden is responsible for protecting the natural resources within the park by enforcing the National Parks Act and other regulations.
3. Have each conservation recovery team select an endangered species and a corresponding national park.
4. Hand out Information Sheets on the appropriate park and species. If desired, teachers may also distribute copies of the Park Backgrounders.
5. Students work in their conservation recovery teams to prepare a species recovery plan for a panel discussion on endangered species in the national parks in Atlantic Canada. They will cover the following points during their presentations:
• Introduce the endangered species; describe its preferred habitat and its basic ecology. Why is it endangered?
• Describe the national park and explain what it offers to the endangered species.
• Explain what is happening within the park to help preserve endangered species (e.g. recovery programs, research, inventories, etc.).
6. At the same time, each group will prepare a series of three questions to pose to the other conservation recovery teams following their panel presentations. The questions could be something like:
• What other species live and breed within the same habitats and impact upon the endangered species under investigation?
• How long do you think it will be until you see improvement of the status of the species under your proposed recovery plan?
• What would you do to encourage public education and participation?
7. Each group will present their research information in the form of a panel discussion and will answer questions from each of the other conservation recovery teams.

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Evaluation

Each student will select one of the other endangered species and describe why it is endangered and what efforts are being taken to study this species’ populations and improve its status.

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Extension

Invite local interested citizens to attend the panel discussions and pose questions as appropriate.

Invite the park manager, naturalist and/or biologist from the closest national park to attend the panel discussions. Ask them to describe what they believe were the strongest points or ideas presented from each conservation recovery team.

Suggest that interested students contact their local Member of Parliament to express their support for the Species at Risk Act (Bill C-5).

Additional information can be obtained from the Web site: www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca

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References

• COSEWIC Web site
• Parks Canada Web site
• Species at Risk Web site

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Resources

• Student Information Sheet: Fundy National Park of Canada
• Student Information Sheet: Kejimkujik National Park of Canada
• Student Information Sheet: Kouchibouguac National Park of Canada
• Student Information Sheet: Prince Edward Island National Park of Canada
• Student Information Sheet: Terra Nova National Park of Canada
• Park Backgrounder: Fundy National Park of Canada
• Park Backgrounder: Kejimkujik National Park of Canada
• Park Backgrounder: Kouchibouguac National Park of Canada
• Park Backgrounder - Prince Edward Island National Park
• Park Backgrounder: Terra Nova National Park of Canada
• Information Sheet: Blanding's Turtle
• Information Sheet: Newfoundland Marten
• Information Sheet: Peregrine Falcon
• Information Sheet: Piping Plover
• Information Sheet: Water-pennywort
• Species at Risk List for Atlantic Canada