Creating Corridors Objective: Grade: 5 Students will learn about extinction events, biodiversity, and how wildlife Subject Areas: corridors can enhance critical habitat. Life Science, Economics, Social Studies Materials • 3 x 5 cards of 4 different the park boundary discussing, Skills: colors . Every student • time piece and a whistle predicting, modeling, needs one of each color. • rope, boards, and fabric observing, role playing, • pictures of fragmented to make obstacles and critical thinking habitat and local or corridors exotic wildlife Duration: 1 hour • a large area clear of tables • tape or flagging to mark Connections: social studies, environment, Standards resource management Strands: Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines Strand 1 — Questioning and Analysis Skills: C) Collecting Information: Learners are able to locate and collect information about the environment and Vocabulary environmental topics. F) Working with models and simulations: Learners biodiversity understand that relationships, patterns, and processes can be represented by models. niche Stand 2.3 —Humans and Their Societies: C) Political and economic systems: Learners understand that government and economic systems exist because people extinct living together in groups need ways to do things such as provide for needs and wants, maintain order, and manage conflict. D) Global Connections: Learners disruption understand how people are connected at many levels—including the global genes level—by actions and common responsibilities that concern the environment. Strand 2.4 —Environment and Society: C) Resources: Learners understand the gene pool basic concepts of resource and resource distribution. Strand 3.2—Decision-Making and Citizenship Skills: B) Evaluating the need public lands for citizen action: Learners are able to think critically about whether they believe action is needed in particular situations and whether they believe they should be habitat fragmentation involved. range California State Educational Standards: extinct Life Sciences 3a: Students know ecosystems can be characterized by their living and nonliving components. endangered Investigation and Experimentation (I and E) 6c: Students will formulate and justify predictions based on cause-and-effect relationships. critical habitat corridors Background

live in isolation. They coexist and interact with an extinct organism is its role in the Gone Forever? with one another within a particular ecosystem. If a species has a primary role, ecosystem. Each species has a particular like pollination, and is no longer there, xtinction events are not unknown niche or role in an ecosystem. A niche is the ecosystem can be disrupted or even Ethroughout the history of life. how an organism makes a living in order collapse. Evidence shows mass extinctions have to survive. For instance, flies and bees happened periodically and somewhat pollinate flowers. As they fly from plant Using the example from above, if insects suddenly following a large scaled to plant they carry pollen with them. like bees and flies become extinct, so do catastrophic event like an asteroid Pollination needs to happen in order for the flowers that depend on them and any impact. As a matter of fact, over 90% fertilization to occur. Many plants depend animals that depended on the flowers. of all species that have ever inhabited on insect pollinators to reproduce. If a This is where biodiversity comes in. our planet are now extinct. Today, an species cannot successfully reproduce, When there are multiple species present, extinction event is happening again, but the population will eventually die out or often one species can fill a similar niche this time it is different. The catastrophic become extinct. Once a species becomes to another species. Therefore, biodiversity event is being caused by the actions of extinct, it is gone forever. Gone along can deter large disruptive events and modern humans coupled with climate change. According to a comprehensive report put out by the MA (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment), humans have changed most ecosystems beyond Local recognition. What happens next, is up to us. Connection

E.O. Wilson, a famous American Humboldt Redwood State Park naturalist, has been studying biodiversity The single largest area of protected redwoods in the world is for over 30 years is a leading expert. He Humboldt Redwoods State Park (HRSP) located along the Eel River. warns that the rate of extinction is higher The park encompasses over 53,000 acres and contains the entire Bull Creek watershed. The ancient redwoods in this park are some of today than it has ever been before. He the most majestic and were highly threatened during construction even predicts that we are losing species of the redwood highway. This is the reason why Save The Redwoods 10,000 times faster today compared to League began a legacy of redwood forest protection inaugurating the background rate of approximately the first protected redwood grove here in 1921. 100 species per year, particularly in HRSP is home to many sensitive plants and animals tropical regions. species like the Humboldt marten, ringtail cats and Coho salmon. Other places inside the park, however, are divided by Highway Biodiversity can be defined many ways. 101, Avenue of the Giants, Honeydew Road and other roadways. One definition is the total number of Barriers besides roads within the park include trails, beaches and species living within a certain ecosystem. campgrounds used by humans. For instance, about 150 bird species and Because of its remoteness, size and proximity to the King 400 different plant species live in the Range NCA (another sizable protected area southwest of the park), action has been taken to create a wildlife corridor connecting the King Range National Conservation Area two places. This idea has been called the Redwoods to the Sea (NCA). In Costa Rica, a country in the Wildlife Corridor and became one step closer to reality in 2008 tropics, about 850 birds species and over when Save the Redwoods League deeded the BLM (Bureau of Land 9,000 plant species have been identified. Management) 216 acres of redwood and Douglas fir habitat within This means that Costa Rica has a higher the gap. Save the Redwoods League has worked with private land biodiversity of plant and bird species owners and has partnered with public agencies and environmental compared to the King Range NCA. organizations to help create this vital link. Since 1999, it has helped Biodiversity is important for many protect 10,000 acres within this corridor. reasons. First of all, organisms do not

Lost Coast Environmental Education Resource 2 prevent ecological collapse. A disruption Habitat is fragmented when isolated they lived. Eons of evolutionary history is something that causes confusion and patches of land and or water result from disappear as well. Humans may never can throw a system into disorder. resources being disrupted. Isolated know the true value of the species that patches reduce the ability for wildlife to are lost. Another reason biodiversity is interbreed, find food and move into new important is because every species is territories. According to Reed Noss, edi- Most evidence shows that the number unique. Every species has accumulated tor of the journal Conservation Biology, one reason for species decline is habitat changes throughout its evolution. habitat fragmentation is one of the most destruction. As people clear forests and These evolutionarily changes are coded serious threats facing conservation today. grasslands for agriculture, habitat is within its genes. Genes are portions He claims that large carnivores and her- lost. When places become too polluted of DNA that code for particular traits bivores may need millions of acres of pre- for living things to exist, habitat is lost. or behaviors. The combination of served land. These animals like mountain When people build homes, roads or different genes within a population is lions and wolves can have normal ranges shopping malls, wildlife is pushed out. called a gene pool. Through sexual that extend hundreds of miles. A range Fifty years ago, people living in and near reproduction, genes are reshuffled is the total area that a species occupies. the King Range NCA, were likely to see producing a unique genetic sequence animals that are rare today, like martens, for every individual (unless they are In nature, nothing is static. Things are badgers and green sturgeon. As species identical twins) within that population. constantly changing. Animals and plants become rare they become endangered. Mutations are another important immigrate into new areas and emigrate Endangered plants and animals are source of variation. Populations with a out of existing ones. The ability to move those whose numbers are so low, they large gene pool are healthier because from place to place helps wildlife survive. are threatened with extinction. Land set as populations become smaller, their Habitat fragmentation makes mobility aside to help prevent endangered species sequences become more alike. more difficult. from becoming extinct is called critical Species that have a shallow gene pool habitat. (small population), don’t have a lot of variation and may end up carrying Uniting Nature As humans become more aware of genetic defects, diseases and suffer from the threats imposed on animals and inbreeding depression. By maintaining plants, steps are taken to save them. genetic diversity, populations have a Today, many parks and preserves have There are two main ways of solving lesser chance of getting harmful genetic human development like towns, freeways, the problem of local extinctions within diseases or losing genetic fitness. and golf courses immediately outside protected areas. The first is to increase their boundaries. These human centered the size of the protected area and the One way habitat, and therefore places create barriers for wildlife. Park second is to establish wildlife corridors. biodiversity, is conserved is through the planners and managers of protected Corridors connect fragmented lands acquisition of public lands like parks, lands have in recent decades been shaken together reducing the number of barriers. reserves and wilderness areas. Public by the facts that many protected places Corridors act as bridges allowing animals lands are public domain and can be do not adequately protect many of the and plants to freely move back and forth visited by anyone. Setting aside land animals and plants that live there. In between areas. By giving animals and for the benefit of people and wildlife one study, 13 out of 14 surveyed national plants places to roam, their chance of is a relatively new phenomenon in parks lost some of the mammals that survival increases along with their genetic the United States, however, people in previously lived there because the areas fitness. Eastern cultures began setting aside put aside are too small. Over 11% of land for spiritual value as early as 500 Earth’s land area and .5% of the ocean Humans have altered many habitats B.C. The first park set aside in the is protected to some degree. Apparently, beyond repair, however, the future does United States was Yosemite State Park, this degree of protection is not enough not have to be all doom and gloom. established in 1864. In 1890, Yosemite and protected places continue to be at Humans can ease the strains put on State Park became Yosemite National risk. wildlife through better education, Park and today is visited by over three changing consumption patterns, and million visitors annually. Yosemite is a World wide over 100 species become new technologies. Making wildlife large park covering over 1,000 square extinct every day. This adds up to over corridors is one way people can reduce miles (2,590 sq. km), however, over 58 30,000 species every year. The majority the negative ecological effects of habitat percent of the world’s protected areas are of these species live in the tropics, where fragmentation. One serious proposal is to relatively small. Most such areas cover forests are being cut down at an alarming connect Yellowstone to the Yukon. This less than 4 square miles (10.3 sq. km). rate. With every extinct species, gone is would make a corridor 2,000 miles long. This lack of space is one cause of habitat their unique genetic makeup and the role With proper management, humans and fragmentation. they had within the ecosystems where wildlife can coexist. The choice is ours. Lost Coast Environmental Education Resource 3 Activity : Creating Corridors

Preparation Have the cards laminated and Materials sorted ahead of time. Since this • 3 x 5 cards of 4 different colors . Every student activity needs a large space, it can needs one of each color. be done outside. Making space in • pictures of fragmented habitat and local or exotic a large classroom or in a multiple wildlife purpose room is also adequate. • a large area clear of tables • tape or flagging to mark the park boundary Procedure • time piece and a whistle 1. Explain to the students that • rope, boards, and fabric to make obstacles and they are going to learn about the corridors. needs of wildlife and what happens sometimes in protected places. 3. Tell the students that as Note: local extinct animals include: Begin asking questions to find out animals and plants become California condor, sea otter, and what they already know. You may rare, they face extinction. Ask: California grizzly bear. Local want to show some pictures of What is the difference between endangered animals include: wildlife and habitat fragmentation something endangered and Aleutian goose, coho salmon, while asking questions. (Option: something extinct? Write these northern spotted owl and Stellar’s have the students take notes) two terms on the board and a sea lion. brief definition. Can anyone 2. Hold up a picture of habitat think of an animal that is 4. Next, briefly explain some of fragmentation and ask them extinct? Endangered? Mention the purposes protected places to describe what the picture is the fact that some animals have and give some examples of showing. What are the different and plants play a vital role protected places both locally and features in the picture? (there may and without them an entire elsewhere. (Yosemite, Community be a road or a town, etc.) What is ecosystem can collapse. Park, Humboldt Redwoods State happening to the habitat in this Park, King Range) Together come picture? up with a list of how protected

• Has anybody ever seen a bear? How about a mountain lion? How about a deer? • Why do you think some animals are more rare than others? • What type of animals are coyotes and mountain lions? (predators). • What do all animals and plants need to survive? (food, shelter, water, and space) • How much space do you think a small mammal needs (example: a mouse)? • Is this amount of space big enough to escape some sort of disaster? What else do animals need space for? • Does the size of an animal change how much space it needs? (in general larger animals need more space). • What kinds of things reduce the amount of space animals and plants have? • What do you think happens to wildlife if it doesn’t get enough space? (get killed, starve, inbreed, overpopulate an area, etc.) • Did you know that some animals like cheetahs are becoming inbred? • What does inbreeding mean? • What is the relationship between inbreeding and lack of space? (mention the role of genes) • What type of areas give animals and plants the space they need? (wild places free of human activity) • Is it important to set aside protected places to allow plants and animals to live?

Lost Coast Environmental Education Resource 4 Activity: Creating Corridors (cont.)

places are used and why they are is sped up in this activity so important to both people and they will actually exchange • What do you suppose wildlife. List these on the board. their genes with four other a habitat corridor is? Stress the fact that in some areas, people. Tell them that the park (accept all answers) especially those widely developed is surrounded by roads and • Who can define what a like Los Angeles or New York, most development and if they leave corridor is? (focus on the wildlife is gone. As more people the park they will die. (you can fact the a corridor is a populate the planet, less space take the role of a truck that narrow strip that things becomes available for wildlife. runs them over) Those that end are able to travel back up having all the same color and forth in). 5. Take a moment to list the become inbred and need to • Who can give an example different needs animals and plants leave the game. Their goal is of a corridor? (road, valley, have for adequate space using to exchange cards with 4 other hallway, bridge, etc.) input from the students (write people during each round before • How does a corridor that these on the board). Take a few the time period is up Limit each you or I might use differ minutes to explain what genes round below to a few minutes. from a wildlife corridor? are and why it is important to mix Inform them that when the • What are types of wildlife genes up to prevent inbreeding. whistle blows, they need to stop corridors? (ridge tops, Competition and mating force exchanging cards. To begin stream beds, trails, etc.) plants and animals to immigrate dispersing they will be given a into new areas. Before they begin sign. (come up with a gesture their activity, briefly discuss what a for this). The game is not a race corridor is and what benefit it may so there is no need to run. Lay to get to the campground, a road have. down some ground rules before is made. Lay down a rope from a beginning. park boundary to the campground. 6. Next, explain to the students Tell the students that roads and that they are going to perform an 8. In the first round, campgrounds are not safe for bears activity where they are going to congratulate any one who was and they can not enter these places be black bears living in a park. In able to get four cards of the or they will be run over by you. this activity, they are not going same color. This shows their You play the role of a truck. Give to be tested on how well they can ability to disperse and their the signal for dispersal. Once a survive, but by how well they can good genetic prospects. Next, student gets all 4 colors, they can exchange their genes. They don’t ask students to raise their hands raise their hand. You may want to want to become inbred. Hold who were not able to collect four congratulate them on their ability up the colored pieces of paper identical cards. If they keep the to disperse and maintain good and explain that these represent same four original colors, they genetics. different genes. Don’t tell them are a product of inbreeding. As their overall goal yet. the rounds progress, alternate Play 6 or 7 more rounds trading between identical cards incorporating the changes listed 7. Before handing out the colored and trading for differently below. cards, inform the students they are colored cards. now a group of black bears that Round 3: Add stores and have just entered a park. Show Round 2: State the fact that a restaurants to the campground to them the boundary of the park visitor center and campground give people something to do while using flagging, tape or imaginary has been developed inside the they are there. Double the size of lines. What they need to do is park. Lay out a large fabric the fabric. find a mate and exchange their covering no more than 20% of genes. Explain, that for fun, time the total park area. In order

Lost Coast Environmental Education Resource 5 Activity: Creating Corridors (cont.)

Round 4: Add a golf course just Round 8: Expand the town and outside of the campground and add a larger zone of influence shops. Add more fabric in an area inside the park boundary. Make outside the campground. the fabric for the town bigger and bring some of it into the Round 5: More habitat park boundary. fragmentation occurs. A town emerges just outside the park Wrap-up: The main intent boundary and a new road is put of this simulation is to in. Place more fabric adjacent to demonstrate how incremental the park boundary and put more development in a park causes rope down from the town to the habitat fragmentation. Habitat shopping center. Pull a little fragmentation makes it more bit of the fabric inside the park difficult for genetic mixing to boundary. This part of the fabric take place. Ask the students if represents the zone of influence. they think it would get easier Once again, any bear seen on fabric or more difficult for the bears or crossing rope will be run over. in future rounds. Explain that things could go either way. Round 6: Inform the students Areas within the park could that an environmental group be closed, like the airport, or has proposed building a wildlife more development might occur. corridor (an overpass) so that Remind them that we usually animals have a way to cross the think of parks as places that road safely. Place a board across a protect wildlife, but even in road to show them what it would these places wildlife is pushed look like. Ask the bears if they are out. Explain that people often in favor of this proposal. Take the have a difficult time saying board away and inform them that “that’s enough”. We love our the government turned down the parks and like to visit them. proposal without asking for the Large corridors in some places bears for their opinion. are being developed to connect places together. This may also Round 7: A small airport strip is be a good time to mention the put in because the campground fact that many of our parks and shopping center is becoming are closing down due to lack of very popular. Because of the funding. Ask them if they think airport, the government has this is this a good or bad thing doubled the width of the road but for wildlife. Have the students has installed two different wildlife share what they learned. corridors across it. Place another piece of fabric down for the airport. Add a second rope to double the width of the road. Add two boards across the road for corridors. The bears can now cross the road safely.

Lost Coast Environmental Education Resource 6 Extensions • Have the students draw a park of their own design following this activity. • Research different endangered species and have the students write a brief report about one. • Invite a local park ranger into the classroom to have them share some of their experiences. • Have the students make classified ads from an animal’s point of view. They should list what they need and want to survive. • Have the students graph statistics about species decline and/or habitat loss in certain areas. • Relate animals and plants to each other by studying how seeds are dispersed. Many seeds travel on the feet and fur of animals. • Take a field trip to a local protected area. References Amos, Jonathan, Study Highlights Global Decline, BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4391835.stm, 2005 Bond, Monica, Principles of Wildlife Corridor Design, Center for Biological Diversity, http://www.biologicaldiver- sity.org/publications/papers/wild-corridors.pdf, 2003 Eldredge, Niles, The Sixth Extinction, http://www.actionbioscience.org/newfrontiers/eldredge2.html, June 2001 Habitat Fragmentation and Genetic Diversity. Teaching Green: The Middle Years. Hands-on learning in Grades 6-8, PUB? pgs. 60—63 King Range National Conservation Area Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact State- ment, U.S. Department of Interior, BLM, Arcata Office, Jan. 2004 Protected Areas: Arks of the 21st Century, Teaching Green: The Middle Years. Hands-on learning in Grades 6-8, PUB? pgs. 56—59 SRL and BLM Management extended corridor of protected lands from redwoods to the sea, http://www.sa- vetheredwoods.org, 2008 Yosemite: History and Culture, http://www.nps.gov/yose/historyculture/index.htm, 2011

Lost Coast Environmental Education Resource 7 Rainforest fragment in Mata Atlantica, Brazil http://www.ufz.de/export/data/1/27865_mata_atlantica_steinicke_waldfragment.jpg

Hydro-Fracking Drill Sites in Dimock, PA http://www.cedclaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Drill-Sites_Habitat-Fragmentation-650x330.jpg

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