Wetland Habitats

103 Wetlands Taste Test Teacher Instructions

Focus/Overview Grade Level This lesson is designed to educate students about the different wetland Upper Elementary ecosystems found in Louisiana. The students will compare and contrast these different habitats using their sense of taste. Duration 50-55 minutes Learning Objectives The students will: Setting . Learn the definitions of a wetland and an ecosystem The classroom . Learn how various salinity levels define wetland habitats . Taste water samples with various salinity levels and determine Vocabulary what wetland habitat the water would likely have “come from” Habitat Wetland GLEs Salinity Science 4th – (SI-E-A1, A2, A3, B4) 5th – (SI-M-A1), (LS-M-C3) 6th – (SI-M-A1, A2, A3, A7, B5) English Language Arts 4th – (ELA-1-E5, E6) 5th – (ELA -4-M2) 6th – (ELA-1-M1), (ELA-7-M1), (ELA-4-M2)

Materials List . Four 2-liter bottles (teachers or students should bring from home . Small disposable cups or Dixie cups (teacher provides) . Salt (teacher provides) . Water (teacher provides)

Background Information We are able to taste things, because we have “taste buds” on our tongues. Taste buds are on the front, sides and back of the tongue. Taste buds allow us to determine if the food we eat is sweet, sour, bitter or salty. The front taste buds taste the salty/sweet foods, the back taste buds taste the bitter foods and the side taste buds taste the sour foods. The human tongue has almost 10,000 taste buds, and girls have more taste buds than boys. There are taste buds even on the roofs of our mouths!

A habitat is defined as a location where plants and animals live. A wetland is a habitat type that is defined as an area of land where soil is wet either permanently or seasonally, or a transitional area between dry land and deep water (in essence, a “wet land”). There are different types of wetland habitats found in Louisiana. Short descriptions of Louisiana’s wetlands are found below.

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104 For more information on Louisiana’s wetland habitats, as well as information on why Louisiana’s wetlands are degrading, please see the General Wetland Information located at the front of the curriculum binder.

Most of Louisiana’s wetland ecosystems are defined by the salinity of the water – the amount of salt dissolved in the water. Salinity is measured in parts per thousand (or ppt). The average salinity of the ocean is 32 parts of salt to 1,000 parts of water (or 32 ppt).

Louisiana Wetland Habitats

Swamp (salinity = 0 ppt) – any place holding water and having woody vegetation. In Louisiana, cypress and tupelo gum are the most common trees found in a swamp. Swamps mostly contain fresh water, but in Louisiana salt water is slowly creeping in.

Freshwater Marsh (salinity = 0-2 ppt) – areas that have no woody vegetation and are typically holding fresh water. A freshwater marsh includes animals such as alligators, snakes, turtles, minks, raccoons, otters, nutria, egrets, herons, ducks, bass, bluegills and grass shrimp, as well as many insects.

Intermediate Marsh (salinity = 2-10 ppt) – a transitional zone between a freshwater and a brackish marsh. Intermediate marshes have several types of plants that are found in both freshwater marshes and the saltier marshes found near the Gulf of Mexico. The most common plants are bull tongue, roseau cane and wiregrass. This is a great habitat to view a variety of ducks and other water birds, snakes, alligators, some turtles, muskrats, raccoons, nutria and other fur-bearing mammals.

Brackish Marsh (salinity = 10-20 ppt) – a marsh that mostly contains wire grass (Spartina patents). It is a favorite habitat for waterfowl, and many salt-loving creatures begin to appear in this marsh. This is one of the best habitats for blue crabs, redfish, speckled trout and fiddler crabs.

Salt Marsh (salinity > 20 ppt) – a marsh that is flooded daily with saltwater tides. Specialized plants have adapted to live in this habitat because of the high amount of salt in the water. The plant most seen in this marsh is oyster grass (Spartina alternaflora). One tree that can take the high amount of salt water is black mangrove. Fiddler crabs and oysters are common animals that live in a salt marsh.

Definitions:

Wetland – an area of land where soil is really wet either permanently or seasonally. It often is a transitional area between dry land and deep water.

Habitat – the type of environment in which an organism or group or organisms normally live or occur.

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105 Salinity – the amount of salt in water measured in parts per thousand (ppt). Many of the wetlands in Louisiana are primarily defined by the salinity levels found in the water.

Advance Preparation 1. Print out a copy of the student worksheet for every student in class. 2. Collect 4 jugs/jars that will hold at least 2 liters of water. Mark the jars with numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. 3. Take the 2-liter bottle, fill it with drinking water (from faucet or fountain) and pour it into a jug/jar. Assign the sample a number and record (for yourself) what number you assigned this sample, which will not contain any added salt and thus will represent fresh water. (Do not let the students know the salinity of the samples, because they will be guessing which type of habitat it is from). 4. Fill the 2-liter bottle again and pour it into a second jug/jar. To this jar, stir in 1⅓ teaspoons of salt. Mix up the solution and label it with another number (1-4) that you didn’t use for the first sample. Record this one as the “intermediate” sample. 5. Fill the 2-liter bottle for a third time and pour the water into a third jug/jar. Stir in 2 teaspoons of salt. Label this bottle with a number (1-4) you haven’t used and record it as “brackish.” 6. Fill the 2-liter bottle a fourth time and pour the water into a fourth jug/jar. Stir in 4 teaspoons of salt. Label this bottle with the final number you haven’t used and record it as “salt.”

(Below is a chart to explain the salinities of each solution.)

Solution Volume of Salt Volume of Water Fresh water 0 ppt 2-liter Intermediate 1⅓ teaspoons=6 ppt 2-liter Brackish 2 teaspoons=12 ppt 2-liter Salt 4 teaspoons=30 ppt 2-liter Procedure 1. Using the information provided in the Background Material and the General Wetlands Information found in the front of the curriculum binder, talk to the students about the four different types of wetland ecosystems. 2. Explain that these ecosystems are different because of the different salinity levels found in water. 3. Tell the students they will be taste testing the different levels of salinity found in Louisiana marshes. 4. Tell the students that you have prepared the different levels of salinity in the four jars/bottles, and they will taste each one and determine what type of marsh they think it is. 5. Give the student’s time to sample all four water types and write down what they think the salinity level is and what type of marsh the water came from. 6. Review the answers the students wrote on their worksheets and provide them with the correct answers. 7. Now, have a small discussion with the students about the salinity levels and what wetlands they belong in.

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106 Extension for Activity If you would like to take your class through a more advanced lesson on salinity levels, see the lesson “Density Dynamics” found in the Water section of the curriculum binder. That lesson teaches students how to build their own hydrometers (devices that measures salinity) from common household items.

Blackline Master 1. Wetlands Taste Test Data Sheet

Resources Marsh Classroom Adventure. By Joy Levy Smith. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine and Resources Department. South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium. http://nsgd.gso.uri.edu/scsgc/scsgce94001.pdf

Salinity table – www.csiro.au/resources/pfgr.html. www.geography4kids.com/files/land_ecosystem.html www.thinkquest.org/3750/taste/taste.html

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107 Wetlands Taste Test Name Student Activity Sheet Wetlands Taste Test Data Sheet:

Taste the different samples of “wetland water” provided by your teacher. In the space below, write what you think the salinity is and what type of wetland the water came from. You can use the following choices:

• 0 ppt = Freshwater Marsh/Swamp • 6 ppt = Intermediate Marsh • 12 ppt = Brackish Marsh • 30 ppt = Salt Marsh

Sample No. Salinity (ppt) Wetland Type Observations 1

Youth Wetlands Program provided by LSU AgCenter 108 Wetlands Taste Test in the T-3 Format

What You Say What You Do What The Students Do Read over procedure in the teacher section (blue pages) and prepare the water samples before beginning the lesson. There are wetlands all across Review the wetlands habitat Students will talk about what the state. Along our coastline, types in the background they know about wetlands there is a specific type of portion of this lesson and in and, more specifically, wetland called a “marsh.” the General Wetlands marshes. Information at the front of A marsh is a type of wetland the binder. that is described by the grasses that grow in it. There are four main marsh Students will answer the habitat types that we will salinity question. discuss today. They are defined primarily by their salinity. Do you know what salinity means?

Salinity means the amount of salt dissolved in the water. Salinity is measured in parts per thousand (or ppt). The average salinity of the ocean is 32 parts of salt to 1,000 parts of water (or 32 ppt).

There are four major marsh Review the marsh habitats habitat types that are defined found in the beginning of this by their salinity – fresh, section and explain those intermediate, brackish and types to the students. salt. Especially focus on the salinities of each marsh habitat. In front of me I have four Hand out a small cup and the Students will collect the water samples. They are student worksheet to each items and prepare to do the mixed to represent water student. experiment. from four different wetland types. Today, you will taste the habitat types and

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109 determine what the salinity is and what wetland type the water came from. Give the students time to Students will sample the sample all four water types water and determine what and write down what they they think the salinity is and think the salinity level is and what habitat type the water what type of wetland the would be from. water would have come from. Review the answers the students wrote on their worksheets and provide them with the correct answers.

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110 Wetland Red Rover Teacher Instructions

Focus/Overview Grade Level This lesson will teach students about one of the primary Upper Elementary reasons Louisiana’s coasts are eroding – saltwater intrusion. They will learn this by planning a game similar to “Red Duration Rover.” 50-55 minutes

Learning Objectives Setting The students will: Gym or . Understand and discuss saltwater intrusion as a primary Outdoors cause of wetland loss in Louisiana. . Learn about wetland loss by playing a game that Vocabulary promotes physical fitness. Erosion Saltwater Intrusion GLEs Science th 4 – (SI-E-A1, B6), (ESS-E-A1, A4) 5th – (LS-M-C3), (ESS-M-A7), (SE-M-A4) 6th – (SI-M-A1) 7th – (LS-M-D2), (SE-M-A4, A8) 8th – (ESS-M-A8), (SE-M-A3, A4, A10) English Language Arts 4th – (ELA-7-E4), (ELA-4-E1, E5) 5th – (ELA-4-M2, M4) 6th – (ELA-4-M1, M2) 7th – (ELA-4-M1, M2) 8th – (ELA-4-M1, M2) Physical Education 4th – (1-E-1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 2.3, 2.5, 3.1) 7th – (1-M-1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2)

Background Information Current estimates show Louisiana loses wetlands the size of a football field every 38 minutes. There are a variety of reasons why Louisiana’s coastline is eroding. Those include Mississippi River levees, subsidence, sea level rise and saltwater intrusion from channels and canals.

This lesson focuses on one cause of wetland loss – saltwater intrusion, or the movement of salt water into a freshwater environment. This can cause irreparable ecological damage because the salt water kills the plants living in the freshwater environment. Without those plants (or specifically their important root structures) there is nothing to hold the

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111 sediment in place, and the land begins to erode. Saltwater intrusion can happen through natural processes, like when storm surge or hurricanes dump a large quantity of salt water onto freshwater environments. It also can result from human interactions, such as oil field canals and shipping channels.

In this lesson, students will be divided into two teams. One group will be the “salt water,” and one group will be Louisiana’s coastline. They will play a game of “Red Rover” to see which side will win – the land or the salt water.

See the General Wetlands Information at the front of the curriculum binder for more explanation about saltwater intrusion and other causes of wetland loss in Louisiana.

Definitions:

Erosion – Natural processes, including weathering, dissolution, abrasion, corrosion and transportation, by which soil and sediment is worn away from the Earth's surface.

Saltwater Intrusion – The movement of salt water into another environment, such as a freshwater marsh. This can be caused by natural disturbances, such as hurricanes, or from human alteration of the environment from shipping channels and oil field canals.

Advance Preparation 1. Locate a space where the game can be played – either the schoolyard or the gym.

Procedure 1. Divide the students into two separate-but-equal groups. One will be the coast of Louisiana, and the other will be the Gulf of Mexico. 2. Tell the students that the Gulf of Mexico group will represent salt water that is trying to cut into Louisiana’s coast and erode away the wetlands. The salt water can come in from hurricanes, oil field canals or shipping channels. 3. Tell the students that the Louisiana coast group will represent the land that is being lost along the coast of Louisiana and that it is their job to defend the coast and try to increase the amount of land. This will keep our homes safe from hurricanes and will help keep the fisheries and the environment of the state healthy. 4. Have the two teams line up facing each other and hold hands. Leave about 20 feet between the two lines. 5. Explain to the students that everyone needs to be careful when playing this game. It is very easy to get hurt. 6. The Gulf of Mexico side will go first by calling out to the Louisiana coast team: “Wetland coast, wetland coast, let [student’s name] come over.” 7. The student who is called will run toward the Gulf of Mexico side. o If that student is successful in breaking the hands of two students on the Gulf of Mexico line, the student can bring one person back to the coast of Louisiana line. Explain to the students that the state of Louisiana just scored

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112 a victory and has built more land which will protect our homes, jobs and environment. o If the student who ran toward the Gulf of Mexico line does not break the hands of the students on that side, the student who ran will have to stay on the Gulf of Mexico line (indicating a portion of the coast was eroded away). 8. The Louisiana coast team will go next by calling out to a student from the Gulf of Mexico line saying: “Salt water, salt water, let [student’s name] come over.” 9. The student who is called will run toward the Louisiana coast team. o If the student is successful in breaking the hands of the two students on the Louisiana coast team, the student can bring one person back to the Gulf of Mexico line. Explain to the students that the Gulf of Mexico just eroded away a portion of the coast from saltwater intrusion. o If the student who ran toward the Louisiana coast team does not break the hands of the students, the student who ran will have to stay on the Louisiana coast team’s side (indicating a portion of the coast was restored). 10. The game will continue until one side has collected all the students, or until time runs out. 11. Upon returning to the classroom, have the students reflect on what they learned by playing Wetland Red Rover.

Extension for Activity In addition to the regular ways a student is released to run at the other group, another option is to have the groups be able to call more than one student over at a time. . Gulf of Mexico Line can call over more students for the following reasons . Open up levees (allowing more sediment in) – 3 students . Planting marsh grass – 2 students . Dredging (pumping) sediment on the coast – 2 students . Build gates to keep out salt water – 1 student . Coast of Louisiana side can call over more students for the following reasons: . Hurricanes – 3 students . Tropical storm – 2 students . Shipping channel – 2 students . Oil field canal – 1 student

Resources CWPtionary – Saltwater Intrusion - http://www.lacoast.gov/WATERMARKS/1996b- fall/6cwptionary/

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113 Wetland Red Rover in the T-3 Format

What You Say What You Do What the Students Do Today we will be going Talk about what they know outside to play a game that about saltwater intrusion and will teach us about one of the land loss in coastal primary causes of wetland Louisiana. loss in coastal Louisiana – saltwater intrusion.

Does anyone know what saltwater intrusion is? Use the information at the beginning of the lesson and the General Wetlands Information at the front of the curriculum binder to fully explain wetland loss in Louisiana and, more specifically, coastal erosion. Now that we understand Lead the students out to an Students will head out of the saltwater intrusion and why it open area or to a gym to play classroom to play Wetland is hurting our wetlands, let’s Wetlands Red Rover. Red Rover. head outside and play “Wetland Red Rover.”

I am going to divide you into Divide the students into two Form two groups. two groups. Once you are in teams. One team will be the your groups, form a line Gulf of Mexico, and the other facing the other group. team will be the Louisiana coast.

The Gulf of Mexico group Students will form two lines will represent salt water that and face each other. is trying to cut into Louisiana’s coast and erode the wetlands. The salt water can come in from hurricanes, oil field canals or shipping channels.

The Louisiana coast group will represent the land that is

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114 being lost along the coast of Louisiana. It is your job to defend the coast and try to increase the amount of land. This will keep our homes safe from hurricanes and will help keep the fisheries and the environment of the state healthy.

The Gulf of Mexico team will The student whose name is go first by calling out: called will run toward the “Wetland coast, wetland Gulf of Mexico team. coast, let [student’s name] come over.” If that student is successful in breaking the hands of two students on the Gulf of Mexico line, the student can bring one person back to the coast of Louisiana line.

The state of Louisiana just scored a victory and has built more land, which will protect our homes, jobs and environment. If the student who ran toward the Gulf of Mexico line does not break the hands of the students, the student who ran will have to stay on the Gulf of Mexico line A portion of the coast just eroded away. Now it is the Louisiana coast The student who is called team’s turn. They will go will run toward the Louisiana next by calling out to a coast team. student from the Gulf of Mexico line saying: “Salt water, salt water, let [student’s name] come over.”

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115 If the student is successful in breaking the hands of two students on the Louisiana coast team, the student can bring one person back to the Gulf of Mexico line.

The Gulf of Mexico just eroded away a portion of the coast from saltwater intrusion.

If the student who ran toward the Louisiana coast team does not break the hands of the students, the student who ran will have to stay on the Louisiana coast team’s side.

A portion of the coast was restored! The game will continue until one side has collected all the students – demonstrating either that Louisiana’s coast was restored or the Gulf of Mexico eroded it away.

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116

Wetland Metaphors Teacher Instructions

Focus/Overview This lesson introduces the students to the many functions and Grade Level values of wetlands. This activity can actually be completed Upper Elementary twice. Use the activity as a teaser to see what students know Middle School about wetlands before completing the comprehensive curriculum activities. You can then do this exercise at the end of the year or Duration when all wetland lessons have been taught to see what 50-55 minutes knowledge the students have gained! Setting Learning Objectives The classroom The students will: . Describe the characteristics of a wetland Vocabulary . Identify the ecological functions of a wetland Metaphor . Appreciate the values of wetlands to humans and wildlife Wetland Function Wetland Value GLEs Biodiversity Science Primary Productivity 4th – (S1-E-A1, A3, B6), 5th – (LS-M-C3) 6th – (SI-M-A1) 7th – (SI-M-A7), (LS-M-D2), (SE-M-A1) 8th – SE-M-A4) English Language Arts 4th – (ELA-1-E5, E6), (ELA-4-E5), (ELA-7-E4) 5th – (ELA-4-M2, M4) 6th – (ELA-4-M1, M2) 7th – (ELA-4-M1, M2), (ELA-7-M4) 8th – (ELA-4-M2)

Materials List . Sponge . Small pillow (teacher provides) . Whisk . Baby’s bottle . Strainer . Coffee filter (100 pack provided) . Antacid medicine . Bar of soap . Pillowcase (teacher provides)

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117 Background Information See the General Wetlands Information at the front of the curriculum binder for more information on wetland habitats and why Louisiana’s wetlands are important.

From a purely biological viewpoint, wetlands are production machines, out-producing most other ecosystems several times over. Plant material (termed primary productivity) is produced in huge quantities, and it supports a complex food web made up of all kinds of consumers: worms, insects, spiders, fish, reptiles and amphibians, crustaceans, birds and mammals. Detritus, or dead and dying plant and animal material, actually makes up the food source for most of the primary consumers in the food web. This productivity results in a huge variety of animal life.

Migrating ducks and geese depend on wetlands for resting and feeding during their long annual treks. Loss of wetlands means loss of waterfowl populations. The coastal wetlands of Louisiana are also a crucial stopover point for neotropical (from tropical South America) birds as they make their migrations in the spring and fall. They stop to feed and rest along coastal cheniers and ridges, giving birders an opportunity to see unusual and colorful species.

A number of endangered and threatened species also depend on wetlands for their survival. Nationwide, 79 wetland plant and animal species are listed as threatened or endangered. The bald eagle and the brown pelican are the best known of the recovering species that reside in the wetlands of Louisiana, but there are others, including several species of sea turtles and fish.

The marshes provide nutrition and shelter for numerous marine species that complete part of their life cycle in the coastal wetlands and the remainder in the open water of the Gulf of Mexico. Some species are economically, as well as biologically, important. All of this adds up to an incredible diversity of plant and animal species supported by our coastal wetlands and represents high levels of biodiversity.

The Major Wetland Habitats of Louisiana

Bottomland hardwood and natural ridge habitats represent the higher wet habitats of the estuary. The land is higher and the soils are better drained. Trees, such as hackberry, palmetto, and live oak, thrive. Animals that prefer dry land, including rabbits, deer, armadillos, squirrels, raccoons, box turtles and king snakes, occupy these habitats. Humans have also occupied these habitats more than any of the others, converting the forest to farmland and urban areas.

Swamp habitat may be defined as forested wetland, flooded for a large part of the year. The dominant vegetation includes bald cypress, swamp tupelo gum and red maple, three species adapted to living in flooded conditions. The animals found in the swamp are also adapted to wetter conditions. They include alligators and turtles, herons and egrets, nutria and swamp rabbits.

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118 Freshwater marsh habitat is characterized by its wide variety of herbaceous plant species, including bulltongue, giant cut grass, water lilies and pickerelweed. Many species of birds, frogs, fish, snakes and other reptiles inhabit the freshwater marshes.

Intermediate marsh habitat is a transition zone between freshwater and brackish marsh habitats. Though it has the largest number of furbearers, it has fewer species than the freshwater habitat but more than the brackish habitat.

Brackish marsh habitat is characterized by having far fewer species of herbaceous plants than the freshwater marsh. Plants living in brackish marsh must be able to tolerate changing salinity levels as salt water and fresh water mix. The dominant species of plant is wire grass. Common animal species include otter, mink, ibis, white pelicans, blue crabs and shrimp.

A saltwater marsh is a more specialized habitat where fewer species are adapted to living in the harsh conditions. The dominant vegetation is oyster grass, also called smooth cordgrass or scientifically, Spartina alterniflora. Other plants include black rush and black mangrove. The salt marsh snail lives on the stems of the oyster grass, and oysters, shrimp, crabs and numerous species of fish abound beneath the water. The saltwater marsh is the nursery ground for many Gulf species. Brown pelicans also are seen feeding with gulls and terns.

Bays and lakes can lie on the edge of a salt marsh. Most of the life here is found beneath the water, as any fisherman knows. Redfish, shrimp, blue crabs, flounder and oysters are some of the many species living in these habitats.

Finally, barrier islands represent another important wetland habitat in Louisiana. The barrier island habitat is harsh; the species there are adapted to an unstable, salty environment. On one side, a barrier island is made up of a beach and low sand dunes inhabited by grasses and shrubs including groundsel and iva. The other side of barrier islands is dominated by salt marsh habitats. Barrier islands are subject to rapid erosion rates and frequent storms, but they are very important, specialized habitats for many species, particularly seabirds.

Definitions:

Metaphor – A figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote, in order to suggest a similarity.

Wetland Function – Properties that a wetland naturally provides.

Wetland Value – Properties of a wetland that are valuable to humans.

Biodiversity – The number of different species of organisms in a particular environment.

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119 One way to explain the importance of biodiversity is to ask the students to imagine the ecosystem as a city bustling with “people” all taking care of the multitudes of jobs that need to be done every day. Plants are converting sunlight to energy; insects are converting plant matter to energy; decomposers, detritivores and scavengers are tearing down dead, decaying material to make nutrients available for new plants and animals. Biodiversity means there are enough kinds of organisms to do all of the jobs in an ecosystem (city). If biodiversity is diminished, some jobs go undone and the ecosystem is altered. It might be compared to when an essential group of workers goes on strike and life becomes difficult for everyone. Biodiversity is also important to humans because of the contribution to medicine and genetics-related research.

Primary Productivity – The production of new plant material; a measurement of plant production, which is the start/bottom of the food chain.

Advance Preparation 1. Tape a piece of butcher paper to the board, or write on a transparency so you can keep the students’ answer for a later date. 2. Make sure all materials are in the box for the activity. 3. Divide the students into groups of four or five.

Procedure 1. Tell the students that today we will discuss the values and functions of wetlands. 2. Ask students to give some of the values of the wetlands; as they do this write their answers on the paper. 3. Now ask the students to list important functions of the wetlands. Write these on the paper as well. 4. Discuss the fact that sometimes the values and functions are hard to separate because they are so interrelated. 5. Pass out the mystery objects from the wetland metaphor box. 6. Do students know what a metaphor is? If not, please explain. 7. Give the students 10 minutes to discuss the metaphor objects in their groups. 8. Ask each group to tell the class the object they have and how it is a metaphor to the wetlands. 9. Allow the class to discuss and give additional metaphors for objects outside of their group. 10. Can students imagine life without the wetlands and without the functions and values they provide? What would change? Would life be worse or better or not so different?

Resources Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program. Wetland Metaphors. http://www.btnep.org

Kesselheim, A.S., Slattery, B.E. (1995). WOW! The wonders of wetlands. St Michaels, MD: Environmental Concern Inc. (Lesson adapted from WOW! The wonders of wetlands)

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120 Wetland Metaphors in the T-3 Format

What You Say What You Do What the Students Do Louisiana has an abundance of wetlands. In fact, coastal Louisiana has 40% of the coastal wetlands in the United States, excluding Alaska. When something is abundant, we sometimes take it for granted and may not appreciate it as much as we should. Although we have more wetlands than any other state, we are also losing our wetlands at a faster rate than anywhere else. We experience 80% of the country’s coastal wetland loss.

Let’s list the values of our Write the list of values on Students list values of wetlands to humans and the board, easel or wetlands of which they wildlife. overhead transparency. are aware.

Wetlands also perform Write the list of functions Students list ecological important functions in the on the board, easel or functions about which environment that we may not overhead transparency. they are aware. think are valuable to us but help to keep ecological balance. Can you list some of these functions?

Some functions also appear on the values list. It’s hard to separate functions and values because they’re interrelated.

Now we’re going to increase our list of wetland functions and value by the use of metaphors.

Does anyone know what a Use common objects in the Students define metaphor is? classroom to help the metaphor if they can. students come up with their own metaphors.

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121 A metaphor is a term Divide the students into Students discuss the connecting one thing or idea groups of two or three (up metaphorical connection with another. You can use to 12 groups) and pass out between the object and a metaphors to help explain the the objects from your function or value of meaning of something. “mystery” metaphor bag or wetlands. Sometimes you have to be box. creative to see the relationship in a metaphor. A metaphor for a cactus might be a pincushion. A beaver might be an engineer. Can you think of other metaphors?

I’m going to bring an object to Write the functions and each pair or group. Your job is values represented by the to use your knowledge of the objects on the board, easel values and functions of pad, etc. wetlands to come up with the function or value that your Students share their ideas object represents. After you with the rest of the class. have decided, each group will share its idea with the class.

Allow enough time for discussion of metaphors before stopping the group and asking the students to share.

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122

Bioindicator Bugs Teacher Instructions

Focus/Overview Grade Levels Students will learn how to indirectly determine the pollution level Upper Elementary of a freshwater body by investigating the type of aquatic animals Middle School living in it. Aquatic macroinvertebrates can be used as bioindicators to initially assess a system’s health. Students will Duration also discuss ways they can help improve the health of local water 50-55 minutes bodies. Setting Learning Objectives The classroom The students will: . Become familiar with the local watershed. Vocabulary . Learn about different types of pollution and how those Bioindicator enter our waterways. Macroinvertebrates . Discover how to use macroinvertebrates as an indicator of Nonpoint-source pollution based on tolerance levels to pollution. pollution . Calculate a pollution index based on number and type of Point-source pollution animals found. Pollutant . Discuss ways to reduce the amount of pollution getting into Pollution local waterways. Surface runoff Turbidity GLEs Watershed basin Science 4th – (SI-E-A1, A2), (LS-E-C2) 5th – (SI-M-A1, A2, A3, A4), (LS-M-D1), (SE-M-A2) English Language Arts 4th – (ELA-1-E6), (ELA-3-E1, E2, E3), (ELA-4-E2), (ELA-5-E6), (ELA-7-E2) 5th – (ELA-1-M1), (ELA-4-M1, M2) 6th – (ELA-1-M1), (ELA-3-M2, M3, M4), (ELA-4-M2), (ELA-7-M4) 7th – (ELA-3-M2), (ELA-4-M2), (ELA-7-M2, M4) 8th – (ELA-1-M4), (ELA-3-M2), (ELA-4-M2), (ELA7-M2)

Materials List . Internet (optional)

Background Information See General Wetlands Information at the front of the curriculum binder for more information on Louisiana’s wetlands and wetland conservation.

The Clean Water Act of 1972 was enacted to regulate water pollution in the United States. In the beginning, the focus of permitting and regulation was on point-source pollution, including

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123 industrial facilities, large businesses and large agricultural farms. In the 1980s, however, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that nonpoint-source pollution also was contributing greatly to the impairment of water bodies. Nonpoint-source pollution is not the result of one particular business or one particular person. Instead, it is the pollution that accumulates in parking lots, roadways, ditches and your own backyard. The EPA relies on communities and individuals, like you, to help reduce the amount of nonpoint-source pollutants that come from various types of land uses. Examples of projects include planting wetland vegetation, picking up trash, awareness programs for proper disposal of vehicle and household chemicals, storm drain stenciling and proper backyard management.

Water pollution leads to the degradation of critical aquatic habitats such as our lakes, rivers, wetlands and oceans. Nonpoint-source pollutants such as those from surface runoff (e.g., rainfall events or overwatering of lawns and gardens) travel over and through the ground, entering nearby ponds, streams and lakes and eventually making their way to rivers and finally to the ocean. The first inch of rainfall runoff carries 90 percent of the pollutants and causes at least half of all water quality problems. Some of these pollutants include trash, fertilizers, pesticides, vehicle chemicals (oil, brake fluid, antifreeze), sediment (soil) and animal feces (fecal coliforms).

The first step in determining if your local water bodies are polluted is to determine what types of aquatic animals live in them. All plants and animals need certain things to survive. Some animals may prefer to eat worms, while other animals prefer to eat flies. Similarly, some animals may be able to tolerate conditions that others cannot. For example, the penguin prefers to swim in the icy cold waters of the Antarctic, while alligators prefer the warm coastal waters of Louisiana. Macroinvertebrates are no exception! Some of these animals can tolerate polluted waters, but others cannot. Because only certain types of animals can survive in polluted waters, these animals are sampled by scientists and used a bioindicators.

Definitions:

Bioindicator – a species used to monitor the health of an environment.

Macroinvertebrates – an invertebrate that is large enough to see without a microscope.

Nonpoint-source pollution – water pollution from a variety of diffuse and indistinguishable sources.

Point-source pollution – pollution from a single, identifiable, distinct source.

Pollutant – a waste material that pollutes air, soil or water.

Pollution – introduction of contaminants into an environment that cause reduced health of an ecosystem.

Surface runoff (runoff) – water flow that occurs when soils are infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain, snowmelt or other sources flows over the land.

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124 Turbidity – cloudiness of a fluid caused by individual particles.

Watershed basin – an area of land where water from rain or snowmelt flows downhill into a body of water.

Advance Preparation 1. Print out pictures of Louisiana watersheds and the watershed drawing to show to students. (Both can be drawn on the board or projected for better viewing.) 2. Make copies of student worksheets.

Procedure 1. Review the Background Information with the students and lead a class discussion on pollutants, especially those found in our water bodies. 2. Ask students to define pollution aloud and list as many forms (pollutants) as they can. Examples given should include nonpoint-source and point-source pollution. a. Write these pollutants on the board for the entire class.

Below are some major pollutants and their effects on waterways:

Pollutant Sources Negative Effects Sediment (dirt, soil, clay, sand) Construction sites, Clouds water (increased agricultural lands turbidity), resulting in reduced sunlight penetration and oxygen in water Fertilizer (excess nutrients) Farms, backyards Algal blooms (low dissolved oxygen) Pathogens (pesticides, oil, other Parking lots, driveways, Reduced plant and animal car fluids, chemicals) chemical plants health Trash/debris Roadways Clogged drainage ways, reduced animal health or death Fecal coliforms Farms, sewage Algal blooms (low dissolved oxygen), human health risks

3. Tell students that Louisiana is divided into 12 main watersheds or drainage basins. 4. Show students the map of Louisiana river basins (on board or projected) and have them determine which main watershed their school or city is located in. a. Optional: You can have the students use the Internet to research your local watershed further. Also, see the lessons “Watersheds” and “Create Your Own Watershed” for more information. 5. Tell students that within their local watershed, all water from rainfall, snowmelt, ponds, streams and rivers ends up in the same large river or may flow directly into the Gulf of Mexico (for those in the South). This means ANY pollutant, whether it be backyard waste, manure from farms, or trash, can eventually end up in our rivers and the Gulf of Mexico.

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125 6. Show students (on board or projected) the diagram of how water travels within a watershed. The overall message from this diagram is that when rainfall events occur, the pond water may overflow into nearby streams and rivers. 7. Explain to students that they can determine the health of a waterway based on the macroinvertebrates they find living in it. a. Note: This is an indirect measurement and does not tell you the type of pollution or the amount. Other water quality techniques would be used to give more quantitative results. 8. Tell students that different macroinvertebrates can tolerate different levels of pollution. Some cannot survive in polluted waters, while some can survive in slightly polluted waters and others can survive in extremely polluted waters. By collecting samples of the macroinvertebrates living in the water, we can begin to determine the health of the waterway. 9. Read this to students: “A local biologist has been monitoring the water quality of the local streams and rivers. Last week, she noticed a spike in the pollution level of one of the streams. She knows there is not a chemical plant or other facility nearby to dump waste into the waterway, so she figures the pollution must be the result of a nonpoint source. Adjacent to the stream are three neighborhoods, each of which has its own pond that the residents use for fishing and boating. When it rains, the water travels from these ponds to the local stream that was found to have high pollution levels. It is your job to determine which of these ponds is most polluted and therefore could be the one contributing to this nonpoint-source pollution. You will do this based on the types of macroinvertebrates you find in each pond.” 10. Pass out the Pond Assessment worksheets. Students can work individually or in groups of two. 11. Tell students to use the Pollution Tolerance Levels of Macroinvertebrates Key to determine which pollution tolerance group each animal belongs to in each pond. 12. Have students mark a 1, 2 or 3 next to each animal on the Pond Assessment worksheet, indicating which tolerance group the animal belongs to. 13. Explain how the health of the pond is determined: a. The basic concept is that the lowest pollution tolerance group present indicates the health. b. If animals from the lowest tolerance group (Group 1) were present, the pond is in GOOD HEALTH. c. If no animals from Group 1 were present, but animals from the semi-tolerant group (Group 2) were present, the pond is in FAIR HEALTH. d. If only animals from the tolerant group (Group 3) were present, the pond is in POOR HEALTH. 14. Based on the numbers they assigned each animal, have students determine the health of each of the three ponds. a. Answer: Lakeview is FAIR; Willow is POOR; and Bluefield if GOOD. 15. After they determine the health of all three ponds, students should complete the Pond Health Report worksheet regarding what they would report to the local biologist. (Make sure they aren’t trying to determine the type of pollution or amount; this cannot be done using macroinvertebrates.)

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126 16. Discuss their worksheet answers as a class and decide together what the next step would be. a. Other analyses could be conducted to determine the source of the pollution, including visual surveys, water quality tests (pH, nutrient amounts, dissolved oxygen) and collecting water samples to send off to a scientific lab (to determine pollutant type). 17. Have an open discussion with students concerning how they would be able to help improve the waterway’s health after knowing what the pollutant was. a. Consider having students organize an activity to improve the health of a local water body.

See table for possible pollutants and ways to improve health:

Pollutant Remedy Trash/debris Organize a trash bash. Vehicle fluids: oil, brake fluid, antifreeze Plant wetland vegetation around perimeter of pond to act as a filter. Excessive nitrogen and phosphorous Education and outreach to residents about fertilizer use in the backyard. Bacterial overload Educate residents about picking up their dog’s feces. Also, investigate whether there is a nearby farm and talk with the farmer about management practices. Too much soil in water column (turbidity) Plant grasses and wetland vegetation to keep soil from eroding into pond.

Blackline Masters 1. Louisiana River Basins 2. Diagram of a Watershed 3. Pond Assessment Worksheet 4. Pollution Tolerance Levels of Macroinvertebrates

Resources Environmental Protection Agency  http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/benthosclean.html  http://www.epa.gov/owow_keep/NPS/index.html  http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/lcwa.html  http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/index.cfm  http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/watewaterpollution.html  http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=6

The Global Water Sampling Project  http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/waterproj/macros.shtml

The Groundwater Foundation  http://www.groundwater.org/kc/kc.html

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127 Western U.P. Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education – Online PowerPoint on using Macroinvertebrates as Bioindicators  http://wupcenter.mtu.edu/education/stream/Macroinvertebrate.pdf

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128 Name Bioindicator Bugs Student Activity Sheet provided by LSU AgCenter by provided

Wetlands Program Wetlands h Yout

129 Name Bioindicator Bugs Student Activity Sheet provided by LSU AgCenter by provided

Wetlands Program Wetlands h Yout

130 Bioindicator Bugs Name Student Activity Sheet Pond Assessment Worksheet School Ponds Benthic Critters Found Lakeview Heights provided by LSU AgCenter by provided Willow Estates Wetlands Program Wetlands Bluefield Acres h

Youth Wetlands Program provided by LSU AgCenter Yout 131 Bioindicator Bugs Name Student Activity Sheet (continued) Pond Assessment Worksheet

Directions: Complete the following questions to provide a pond health report to your local biologist.

1.What are the pond names and what did you determine to be the health of each?

Pond name Health ______

2.How did you determine this? ______

3.What types of pollutants might you find in the ponds? (Remember:These ponds are found in neighborhoods.) ______

4.What steps would you take next to determine exactly which pollutants are in the polluted pond(s)? ______

5.What could you do to improve the health of the pond(s) that are not in good health? ______

Youth Wetlands Program provided by LSU AgCenter 132 Bioindicator Bugs Name Student Activity Sheet (continued) Pollution Tolerance Levels of Macroinvertebrates of Levels Tolerance Pollution

Youth Wetlands Program provided by LSU AgCenter 133 Bioindicator Bugs in the T-3 Format

What You Say What You Do What the Students Do Today we will be learning about pollution and how we can use aquatic animals to determine if a water body is polluted.

Can anyone tell me what Use background Students define pollution pollution is? information to lead students and give examples. What are some examples of in this discussion. pollution? Write examples on board. There are two types of pollution: Use the background Listen and give examples point-source and nonpoint-source. information to define these of nonpoint-source two types for students. pollutants that may be on Point-source pollution comes Probe students for the streets, in their from a known location or output, examples. backyards or from whereas nonpoint-source agricultural farms. pollution comes from discrete Separate examples into locations, such as backyards, point-source or nonpoint- Have students copy down roadways, ditches and parking source. the examples and whether lots. Nonpoint-source pollution they are point-source or makes its way to our waterways nonpoint-source. via rainwater. As rainwater travels over land, it picks up nonpoint- source pollutants (e.g., vehicle discharges, fertilizer, soil, herbicides, etc.).

Can anyone tell me what a Use the information and Listen and observe. watershed is? pictures to guide students to Determine which Can you give an example or do understand what a watershed they reside in. you know which watershed you watershed is. live in? Show the picture of A watershed includes an area in Louisiana watersheds to which all of the water (including students or pull it up on that from rainfall, ponds, lakes, your projector (Louisiana rivers and streams) flows and Department of ends up in the same water body. Environmental Quality Many times it is a larger river, or website). it may be the Gulf of Mexico.

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

134 Let’s draw an example of a Draw the watershed Copy down the watershed watershed to determine how the diagram on the board and diagram. water may travel. show how water travels downhill from smaller water bodies to larger ones and eventually the sea.

Show how rainfall would occur, flowing over the land and into ponds and then into nearby rivers or streams. Because rainfall brings pollution Use the background Listen. to our local waterways and our information to enhance what waterways end up flowing into you tell students. the Gulf of Mexico, it is important that we monitor how Also read the blurb from healthy our local waterways are. procedure No. 7 to introduce the idea of One way to do this is to sample sampling. the types of aquatic animals that are living in our ponds, rivers and streams. The animals are called macroinvertebrates and are bugs that live partly or fully in water.

Different macroinvertebrates can tolerate different levels of pollution. Some cannot survive in polluted waters, but some can. By sampling for these animals, we can begin to determine if the water body is healthy or not Imagine that we went out to these Pass out worksheets. Listen and ask questions three neighborhood ponds and Students can work in groups about how to complete the scooped up macroinvertebrates to of two or individually. worksheets. identify. The first worksheet shows you which animals we found in each pond.

The second worksheet, titled Pollution Tolerance Levels of Macroinvertebrates, shows you which group – Group 1, Group 2 or Group 3 – the animal belongs to.

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135 Macroinvertebrates in Group 1 cannot tolerate pollution. In Group 2, the animals can tolerate a little pollution, and in Group 3, they can tolerate a lot of pollution.

Use the Pollution Tolerance Make sure students Mark group number next Levels of Macroinvertebrates Key understand to mark on the to macroinvertebrate on to determine which group each Pond Assessment Pond Assessment critter belongs to. worksheet. worksheet.

Next to each macroinvertebrate on your Pond Assessment Worksheet, write a 1, 2 or 3. Now, based on the critters we Work slowly through the Students look over each found and the group they are in, descriptions. pond and write which let’s determine the health of each groups of neighborhood pond. Read through the bullet macroinvertebrates are (The basic concept is that the points describing how to present. lowest pollution tolerance group determine health and have present indicates the health. ) them answer aloud what Determine the health of they think about the health the ponds. First, next to each pond, write of each pond. which groups are represented by the animals. Answer: Lakeview is FAIR; Willow is POOR; and . If animals from the lowest Bluefield if GOOD. tolerance group (Group 1) were present, the pond is in GOOD HEALTH. . If no animals from Group 1 were present but animals from the semi-tolerant group (Group 2) were present, the pond is in FAIR HEALTH. . If only animals from the tolerant group (Group 3) were present, the pond is in POOR HEALTH.

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136 We need to now answer some Pass out the Pond Health Students should answer questions that the local biologist Report to Local Biologist. questions 1, 2 and 3 on the sent over about the health of these worksheet. ponds. Students can work independently, in groups of Answer Questions 1, 2 and 3. two or as a whole class.

OK, we now know the health of Probe students to think Students will listen and the ponds, but there is so much about other water tests that answer aloud as you probe more about the polluted ponds can be used to get a better them. that we don’t know. idea of the pond’s health. Answer question 4 on the We don’t know what types of Other analyses could be worksheet. pollutants are in the ponds. We conducted to determine the only know that one of the ponds source of the pollution, is unhealthy. What other tests including visual surveys, could we run to find out more water quality tests (pH, information about the ponds? nutrient amounts, dissolved oxygen) and collecting water samples to send off to a scientific lab (to determine pollutant types) There is so much that you and I Allow students to answer Discuss ideas for reducing can do to improve the health of aloud and probe for more pollutants and improving our local ponds and rivers. Can solutions based on the table local water body health. you think of some things? at the end of the procedure.

Consider doing a service- learning project with your students. Call one of the LSU AgCenter Youth Wetlands Program agents; they can provide materials and guidance.

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

137 Wetland Webs Teacher Instructions

Focus/Overview This lesson introduces the students to the food chain of the Grade Level wetlands. Students play a specific role in the food chain and Upper Elementary eliminate themselves to see how all wetland organisms are Middle School related and rely on one another. High School

Learning Objectives Duration The students will: 50-55 minutes . Create a physical representation of a wetland food web and identify the importance of each component Setting in the web. The classroom

GLEs Vocabulary Science Carnivore 4th – (SI-E-A1), (LS-E-A3, C1), (SE-E-A2) Secondary Consumer 5th – (LS-M-C2M, C3, C4, D1), (SE-M-A2) Tertiary Consumer 6th – (SI-M-A1) Omnivores 7th – (LS-M-C2, C3, C4, D1, D2), (SE-M-A2, A4, A5) Scavengers th 8 – (SE-M-A4) Detritivores High School – (SE-H-A7, A10), (LS-H-D2) Producers English Language Arts Herbivores 4th – (ELA-1-E5), (ELA-4-E1, E5), (ELA-7-E4) 5th – (ELA-1-M1), (ELA-4-M1, M2, M4) 6th – (ELA-1-M1), (ELA-4-M1, M2) 7th – (ELA-4-M1, M2), (ELA-7-M4_ 8th – (ELA-3-M2), (ELA-4-M1, M2) High School – (ELA-4-H1, H4), (ELA-7-H2, H4)

Materials List . Large index cards (1 pack of 100 provided) . Hole punch . Markers (1 pack provided) . Books or magazines of wetland wildlife ( teacher provides) . Ball of yarn

Background Information See the General Wetlands Information section at the front of the curriculum binder for more information on the different wetland habitats found in Louisiana and the types of animals that inhabits those areas.

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

138 All living things need food to be active and healthy and to grow and reproduce. Almost all plants make their own food. Animals must eat other living things to get the food they need. Animals can be herbivores, carnivores or omnivores based on what they eat. Plants and animals make up links in different food chains. A food chain is made up of plants and animals that are connected because they either eat or get eaten by each other. Every plant and animal belongs to at least one food chain.

Definitions:

Carnivores - Animals that eat other animals.

Secondary consumer - An organism that feeds on primary consumers; a carnivore.

Tertiary consumer - A high-level consumer, which is usually the top predator in an ecosystem and/or food chain.

Omnivores - Feed on both plants and animals.

Scavengers - Animals that feed on dead or decaying organic matter.

Detritivores - Feed on detritus, the little-altered remains of living organisms.

Producers - Plants that perform photosynthesis and provide food for consumers.

Herbivores - Animals that eat only plants.

Advance Preparation 1. Complete “Wetland Metaphors” before beginning this activity. 2. Divide the class into 6 groups.

Procedure 1. Discuss with students that the wetlands are one of the most productive habitats on earth in terms of the variety and amount of organisms they can support. Only the rain forest is more productive than a marsh! 2. Wetlands provide habitat for wildlife. Is this a value or a function? (Answer = both) Does it benefit people? Is it something the wetlands do to keep the ecological balance of earth? 3. Give the students the list of wetland wildlife. 4. The first group makes up the producers. What do the producers have in common? How do the producers get their food? 5. Ask the same questions for herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, scavengers and detritivores. 6. Divide the groups into primary and secondary producers. (See T-3 format for additional information.) 7. Now we will make a food chain from our list of organisms.

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139 8. Have the students divide into 6 groups. Each person in the group will choose an animal from one of the groups. All groups of organisms should be represented. 9. The students will decorate an index card with a picture of their organism, its name and what it eats. Punch two holes in the top of the card and string it around their necks, as if it were a necklace. 10. Now the student is his or her organism. 11. The students will now create a food web. The producers should come to the first row, the herbivores behind them, carnivores behind the herbivores, scavengers behind carnivores and detritivores behind all. 12. The teacher will represent the sun. The instructor will pass a ball of yarn to each of the producers. Each producer must then choose an herbivore or omnivore who would feed on it and pass the ball of yarn to them (hold loosely onto the thread). This represents passing the energy along the food chain. 13. Now each herbivore and omnivore must find a carnivore. Pass the ball of yarn, holding on to the thread. 14. The result should be a series of food chains that may cross over to create a web. If some of the organisms cannot find an “eater” to eat them, they can hand the ball of yarn to the scavengers or the detritivores. 15. Ask the questions: Can some organisms eat more than one kind of organism in the web? Can some organisms be eaten by more than one organism in the web? 16. The scavengers and detritivores can actually feed at any level, but for the sake of simplicity they can come last in the food chains. Discuss with the students how the producers can directly feed the detritivores. Also, you can choose to bring in the decomposers which have the job of breaking down the dead plant material and making it more accessible to the detritivores. 17. Now ask the questions: What would happen to the food web if there were fewer plants? What would happen if there were no scavengers? 18. Finally, discuss the following with the students: How would people be affected by these last two events? What would happen if we doubled the number of secondary consumers? If this wetland were drained, which organisms would disappear from the food web? Could this affect people? What might happen if there was an oil or chemical spill? What does this activity tell us about the value of wetland food webs to people?

Blackline Masters 1. Pictures of wetland wildlife 2. Wetland Web Organism List

Resources Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program. Wetland Webs. http://www.btnep.org

Ducks Unlimited Greenwings. Accessed October 15, 2008. http://www.greenwing.org/teachersguide/fall_98_folder/omnivores/More_About/more_about.html

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140 Wetland Webs Youth Wetlands Program Student Activity Sheet Pictures of Wetland Wildlife Instructions: Students can cut out pictures from this page to add to their index card, or they may draw their own wetland wildlife pictures.

Carnivore Producer

Herbivore Scavenger

provided by LSU AgCenter Omnivore Detritivore 141 Wetland Webs Name Student Activity Sheet Wetland Webs Organism List

PRODUCERS CARNIVORES

Smooth cordgrass Golden silk spider Wire grass Alligator Bulltongue Redfish Giant cutgrass Leopard frog

Cattail Cottonmouth Three-cornered grass Great egret Phytoplankton Ibis Alligator weed

Duckweed DETRITIVORES

Amphipods HERBIVORES Fungi Lubber grasshoppers Shrimp Nutria Crawfish Deer Rabbit SCAVENGERS

Turkey vulture OMNIVORES Crawfish Opossum Shrimp Raccoon Blue crab Human Housefly Coot (poule d’eau)

Youth Wetlands Program provided by LSU AgCenter 142 Wetland Webs in the T-3 Format

What You Say What You Do What the Students Do One of the values of wetlands we listed in Activity 1 (Wetland Metaphors) was providing a rich habitat for wildlife. Wetlands are one of the most productive habitats on earth in terms of the variety and amount of organisms they can support. Only the rain forest is more productive than a marsh!

Would this be a value or a The students may reply function of wetlands? Does “both” to this question. If it benefit people? Is it they are uncertain, let this something wetlands do to activity help them decide. keep the ecological balance of the earth?

Here is a list of organisms Hand out student activity The students observe that that live in the wetlands. sheets with pictures of they are all plants. The list is divided into six wetland wildlife and groups. Let’s look at the organism list. first group, the producers. What do they all have in common? Students reply that plants How do plants get their make their own food using food? sunlight, water and carbon dioxide through the process of photosynthesis.

What about the next group, Students reply they are all the herbivore or primary animals that eat plants. consumers. Do they have anything in common?

Now the carnivore group. They all eat animals. We also can call them secondary and tertiary consumers. What do they all have in common?

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

143 What do omnivores eat? They eat plants and animals. What do scavengers eat? They eat dead animals. What do detritivores eat? They eat decaying plant matter.

Detritivores often get overlooked, but in the marsh and swamp ecosystem they are very important. They live on dead and decaying plant material that we call detritus. In the marsh, dead and decaying marsh grass makes up a large part of the food supply at the beginning of the food chain. A lot of energy is locked up in the dead material, and the detritivores’ job is to break down the materials by converting the energy to a form that can be used further along the food chain.

Let’s make a food chain Help the students construct Students construct food from our list. a food chain using the list. chains using the organisms You can add to the list if in the list. We are going to make cards necessary. with the organisms from the Each student chooses an list. We will divide the class organism and makes a card into six groups. Each group representing that organism, will take a type of organism researching information on from the list: producers, the diet of the organism and herbivores, carnivores, drawing or finding a photo detritivores, omnivores, of their organism to scavengers. Each person in illustrate the card. your group should choose a favorite organism and make at least one organism card. Write the name of your organism on the card. If you don’t know what your organism eats, look in one of the books in the

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

144 classroom to find out. Write this information on the card. You can either draw a picture of your animal or plant on the card or find a picture of it and stick it on the card.

When you have finished The students make the cards your card, punch two holes into labels and attach string in the top edge and thread a to hang the labels around piece of yarn through it so their necks. you can hang it round your neck. You then “become” that organism.

Now we are going to create The students organize into a food web. groups of different levels of All the producers come to the food chain. the front of the classroom and make a row.

All the herbivores line up in a row further back.

All the carnivores make the next row (both secondary and tertiary consumers). Now make a row of scavengers.

And finally, in the back of the classroom, make a row of detritivores.

I represent the sun, the source of all energy on Earth. I will pass a ball of yarn to The end result should be a The producers pass the yarn each of the producers. Each series of food chains which to the herbivores and producer must then choose may cross over to create a omnivores, the herbivores to an herbivore or omnivore web. If some of the the carnivores, etc. who would feed on the ball organisms cannot find an (holding loosely onto the “eater” to eat them, they thread). This represents can hand the ball of yarn to passing the energy along the scavengers or the

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

145 the food chain. detritivores.

Now each herbivore and omnivore must find a carnivore. Pass them the ball of yarn, holding onto the thread. Now, what about the The scavengers and The students consider how scavengers? detritivores actually can the scavengers and feed at any level, but for the detritivores fit in to the food What about the sake of simplicity, they can web. detritivores? come last in the food chain. Discuss with the students Students recognize that Can some organisms eat how the producers can some organisms eat or are more than one kind of directly feed the eaten by more than one organism in the web? detritivores. Also, you can other type of organism in choose to bring in the the web. Can some organisms be decomposers, which have eaten by more than one the job of breaking down organism in the web? the dead plant material and making it more accessible to the detritivores.

What would happen to the The students answer the food web if there were questions, considering how fewer plants? imbalances can affect the food web, how the What would happen if there imbalances can affect were no scavengers? people and how people can cause the imbalances.

How would people be The students should see that affected by these last two people are part of the events? wetland food web and that healthy wetlands mean a What would happen if we healthy economy for the doubled the number of human inhabitants. secondary consumers?

If this wetland were drained, which organisms would disappear from the food web? Could this affect people?

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

146

What might happen if there was an oil or chemical spill?

What does this activity tell us about the value of wetland food webs to people?

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

147 Article Wetland Teacher Instructions

Focus/Overview In this lesson, students will learn how to write a newspaper article, as well learn about wetlands and the animals that live there. Grade Level Upper Elementary

Middle School Learning Objectives High School The students will:

. Learn how to write a newspaper/magazine article Duration . Lean about the importance of Louisiana’s wetlands Two 50-55 minute class periods GLEs Science 4th – (SI-E-A1, A5, B1, B6) Setting 5th – (SI-M-A1, B1, B7, C3) The classroom 6th – (SI-M-A1,M A7, B1) 7th – (LS-M-D2), (SE-M-A1, A4, A8) Vocabulary 8th – (SE-M-A4) Wetland High School – (LS-H-D4), (SE-A7) English Language Arts 4th – (ELA-2-E1, E3, E4), (ELA-3-E1, E2, E3) 5th – (ELA-1-M1), (ELA-2-M1, M2, M3, M4), (ELA-3-M2, M3, M4, M5), (ELA-4-M3), (ELA-5-M2), (ELA-7-M4) 6th – (ELA-1-M1, M4), (ELA-2-M1, M2, M3), (ELA-3-M2, M5), (ELA-4-M1, M4), (ELA-5-M1, M2, M4, M5), (ELA-6-M3), (ELA-7-M4) 7th – (ELA-1-M4), (ELA-2-M1, M2, M3, M6), (ELA-3-M2, M3, M5), (ELA-4-M1, M3), (ELA-5-M1, M2, M3), (ELA-6-M3), (ELA-7-M4) 8th – (ELA-1-M4), (ELA-2-M1, M2, M3, M4), (ELA-3-M2, M3, M5), (ELA-4-M1, M3), (ELA-5-M1, M2, M3, M5), (ELA-7-M1, M4) High School – (ELA-1-H3, H4), (ELA-2-H1, H2, H3, H4, H5), (ELA-3-H2, H3), (ELA-4-H1, H2, H3, H4, H5), (ELA-5-H1, H2), (ELA-7-H1, H2, H3, H4) Social Studies 8th – (G-1D-M1) High School – (G-1D-H5)

Materials List . Pencils (one pack provided) . Colored pencils (one pack provided) . Copy of a recent newspaper (optional – teacher provides)

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

148 Background Information See the General Wetlands Information section at the front of the curriculum binder for more information on the various types of habitats found in Louisiana’s wetlands.

The following are major wetland habitats found in Louisiana:

Swamp habitat may be defined as a forested wetland that is flooded for a large part of the year. The dominant vegetation includes baldcypress, swamp tupelo gum and red maple – three species adapted to living in flooded conditions. The animals found in the swamp are also adapted to wetter conditions. They include alligators and turtles, herons and egrets, nutria and swamp rabbits. The swamps are also found in the upper part of the estuary.

Freshwater marsh habitat is characterized by its wide variety of herbaceous plant species including bulltongue, giant cutgrass, water lilies and pickerelweed. Many species of birds, frogs, fish, snakes and other reptiles inhabit the freshwater marshes. The freshwater marshes are found adjacent to swamps, south of forested wetlands.

Traveling toward the Gulf of Mexico, the next habitat is the saltwater marsh. This is a more specialized habitat; fewer species are adapted to living in the harsh conditions of the salt marsh. The dominant vegetation is oyster grass, also called smooth cordgrass or scientifically Spartina alterniflora. Other plants include black rush and black mangrove. The salt marsh snail lives on the stems of the oyster grass. Oysters, shrimp, crabs and numerous species of fish abound beneath the water. The saltwater marsh is the nursery ground for many Gulf species. Brown pelicans also are seen feeding with gulls and terns.

At the edge of the estuary lie many bays and lakes as the salt marsh gives way to the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the life is found beneath the water, as any fisherman knows. Redfish, shrimp, blue crabs, flounder and oysters are some of the many species living in these habitats. Almost half of Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary is made up of shallow open water, which includes the saltwater bays as well as the freshwater lakes further inland.

Finally, the barrier islands represent the last terrestrial habitat before the open waters of the Gulf. The barrier island habitat is harsh; the species there are adapted to an unstable, salty environment. On the Gulf side, a barrier island is made up of a beach and low sand dunes inhabited by grasses and shrubs including groundsel and iva. The bay side of barrier islands is dominated by salt marsh habitats. Barrier islands are subject to rapid erosion rates and frequent storms, but they are very important, specialized habitats for many species, particularly seabirds.

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

149 Louisiana Wetland Facts

Land Loss in Coastal Louisiana . Louisiana has lost 1,900 square miles of land since the 1930s. Currently, Louisiana has 30 percent of the total coastal marsh and accounts for 90 percent of the coastal marsh loss in the lower 48 states. . Between 1990 and 2000, wetland loss was approximately 24 square miles per year – that is the equivalent of approximately one football field lost every 38 minutes. The projected loss over the next 50 years, with current restoration efforts taken into account, is estimated to be approximately 500 square miles. . According to land loss estimates, hurricanes Katrina and Rita transformed 217 square miles of marsh to open water in coastal Louisiana.

Population Living in the Coastal Parishes . In 2000, more than 2 million residents, which is more than 50 percent of the state’s population according to U.S. Census estimates, lived in Louisiana’s coastal parishes.

Shoreline and Flood Protection . Louisiana’s coastal marshes protect the shoreline from erosion by acting as a buffer against wave actions and storm surge. For every mile of wetland, storm surge is reduced by 1 foot. Wetlands near the coast and near rivers will slow surging floodwater, thus reducing flood damage.

Wetlands as a Water Filter . Scientists and engineers around the world recognize the ability of wetlands to filter pollutants and absorb nutrients can be put to work to help purify wastewater. In Louisiana, the abundance of natural wetlands makes the use of wetlands for water purification an option. Wetlands act like the kidneys of the ecosystem because they are capable of filtering pollutants such as sewage, fertilizer runoff (nitrogen and phosphorus) and heavy metals from industrial waste. In Amelia and Thibodaux, studies focus on using distressed wetlands to purify water that has been partially treated in a sewage treatment plant. The wetlands can replace much costlier artificial methods without negative environmental health consequences. In fact, studies have shown that the nutrient-rich water from the sewage plant can help restore a wetland area suffering from the effects of subsidence and insufficient freshwater and nutrient inflows.

Waterborne Commerce . Louisiana coastal wetlands provide storm protection for ports that carry 487 million tons of waterborne commerce annually. That accounts for 19 percent of all waterborne commerce in the United States each year. Five of the top 15 largest ports in the United States are located in Louisiana.

Fishing, Hunting and Harvesting in the Wetlands . In 2005, Louisiana commercial landings exceeded 847 million pounds with a dockside value of $253 million; that accounts for approximately 25 percent of the total catch by weight in the lower 48 States. Annual expenditures related to noncommercial fishing in Louisiana can amount to between $703 million and $1.2 billion.

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

150 . In 2001, hunting-related expenditures in Louisiana amounted to $446 million. . Trapping and fur harvesting in Louisiana coastal wetlands generates approximately $1.78 million annually. The Louisiana alligator harvest is valued at approximately $30 million annually.

Louisiana Wetland Animals . Migrating ducks and geese depend on wetlands for resting and feeding during their long annual treks. Loss of wetlands means loss of waterfowl populations. The coastal wetlands of Louisiana are also important stopover points for neotropical (from tropical South America) birds as they make their migrations in the spring and fall. . A number of endangered and threatened species also depend on wetlands for their survival and thrive in Louisiana’s wetlands. Up to 43 percent of endangered species use wetlands for habitat for all or part of their lives. The bald eagle and the brown pelican are the best known recovering species that live in the wetlands, but there are others, including several species of sea turtles and fish. . The wetlands provide nutrition and shelter for numerous marine species that complete part of their life cycle in the coastal wetlands and the remainder in the open water of the Gulf of Mexico. . Other animals that use Louisiana’s wetlands to make their home include deer, rabbit, nutria, raccoon, humans, fungi, shrimp, crawfish, redfish, alligator, blue crab, grasshoppers, duckweed, coot and opossum.

Definitions:

Wetland – An environment that is transitional between dry land and water. Water is the dominant factor controlling the nature of the soil and, therefore, the types of plants and animals living in and on the soil.

Advance Preparation 1. Make a copy of the Planning a Wetland Newspaper Article activity sheet for every student in your class. 2. Make two copies of the Article Wetland activity sheet. One will be distributed on the first day so the students can write a rough draft, and the second one will be distributed on the second day to make a final draft.

Procedure 1. Ask students if they can describe or define a wetland. Discuss with the class the different types of wetlands and why Louisiana wetlands are important. 2. Pass around a current newspaper for students to review. 3. Hand out the Planning a Wetland Newspaper Article activity sheet to the students and help them fill it out. 4. Tell students to use what they wrote on the Planning a Wetland Newspaper Article to write a newspaper article on what takes place on a day-to-day life in a Louisiana wetland. Make sure students use some facts in their article. 5. Let the students know that this is only a rough draft and tomorrow they will rewrite it and present it to the class.

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

151 6. On the second day, give the students a chance to rewrite their article and decorate it. Once students are done, let them present it in front of the class and let the class vote on who has the best article with decoration.

Blackline Masters 1. Planning a Wetland Newspaper Article 2. Article Wetland

Resources Louisiana Dept. of Natural Resources: Coastal Fact Sheet. http://dnr.louisiana.gov/crm/coastalfacts.asp

Mitsch, W. and J. Gosselink. 1993. Wetlands. New York, NY.

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

152 Article Wetland Name Student Activity Sheet Planning a Wetland Newspaper Article

Follow this step-by-step guide to plan your wetland article:

1. What will your article be about? What is the main message/thesis? ______2. What is your opening sentence? (Grab the reader’s attention by using an opening sentence that is a question or something unexpected!) ______3. How will your wetland article answer these questions? • Who? ______• What? ______• Where? ______• When? ______• Why? ______

4. What will your supporting paragraphs be about? Give the details. Write in the third person (he, she, it or they). Be objective. Use active verbs so the reader feels things are really happening! ______5. Last paragraph: Round off your article. Try ending with a quote or a catchy phrase! ______6. What is the title/headline of your article? A headline is like a short poem. It communicates a lot of information in a small space. ______7. Byline: Underneath the article title, state who wrote the article; “By ....” ______

Youth Wetlands Program provided by LSU AgCenter 153 Article Wetland Name Student Activity Sheet YOUTH WETLANDS OBSERVER

By: ______

______

Youth Wetlands Program provided by LSU AgCenter 154 Article Wetland in the T-3 Format

What You Say What You Do What The Students Do Today you will be learning Wait for student’s response. The students will give you about wetlands and why they their definition of a wetland. are important to Louisiana. Do you know what a wetland is?

A wetland is an environment Go over in detail (from the in that is transitional between background information) dry land and water. Water is what makes the different the dominant factor types of wetland habitats controlling the nature of the unique. soil and, therefore, the types of plants and animals living in and on the soil. Examples of wetlands in Louisiana include marshes (salt, brackish and fresh), swamps, bogs and even barrier islands.

Does anyone know why Wait for students’ responses. Students will discuss why wetlands are important to they feel wetlands are Louisiana? important to Louisiana.

Louisiana’s wetlands are Go over the details of important for a lot of Louisiana’s wetland loss and different reasons. other Louisiana wetland facts from the background information.

What are some ways we can Listen to the students’ ideas Students will give ideas about let people in our communities about letting people know how they can let other people know about Louisiana’s about wetlands. know about Louisiana’s wetlands? wetlands.

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

155 One way we can let other Pass around examples of a The students will look over people know about current newspaper. and discuss the newspaper Louisiana’s wetlands is by articles. writing articles for our local and school newspapers.

You will write a newspaper Distribute the “Planning a Students will fill out the article based upon the daily Wetland Newspaper Article” “Planning a Wetland life in the wetlands. To help activity sheet to the students. Newspaper Article” activity you out, we will first outline sheet. our article using this activity sheet.

Now you need to use the Distribute the “Youth The students will write a outline to write a rough draft Wetlands Week” Observer rough draft of their wetland of your wetland article. handout for the students. article. Make sure you use some facts about wetlands that we discussed earlier.

Tomorrow you will rewrite your article, decorate it and present it in front of the class. So be creative!!!!

LSU AgCenter • 4-H Youth Wetlands Program • 2013

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