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IN YOUR CLASSROOM

Wildlife Refuges: Habitats for Survival

Each year, Geography Awareness Week focuses attention on a significant geographic issue or theme. The National Geographic Society urges teachers across disciplines to weave this theme into their curricula throughout the school year. Geography Awareness Week 1996 (November 17-23) will celebrate “Geography: Exploring a World of Habitats, Seeing a World of Difference.”

Habitats are environments where particular plant and animal species live. Ecosystems are communities of plants, animals, and microorganisms and the physical environments with which they interact. An ecosystem such as a deciduous forest supports many habitats, from the treetops where migratory birds perch to the soil where rodents burrow. Rain forest, salt marsh, alpine meadow, desert—each is a unique ecosystem, and each contains a variety of habitats which support different plant and animal communities. As people modify land, they often displace or destroy the habitats of the creatures that live on it. And if its habitat becomes too scarce, a species can dwindle until it vanishes completely—that is, until it becomes extinct.

Geographic Ideas

The wildlife refuges of the United States are sanctuaries of federal land set aside to preserve habitats for wildlife. There are refuges in every state, and many are close to major urban centers. They provide both a home for resident populations of plants and animals and a stopping point for migrating animals.

Understanding the characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on earth’s surface is one of the 18 National Geography Standards. Students need to be aware of issues surrounding the creation and maintenance of national wildlife refuges and to recognize the important part that refuges play in ecosystem conservation. Students should also have a sense of which animals and plants are endangered, what is being done to keep them from becoming extinct, and why.

Geographic Questions

  1. How do federal lands become national wildlife refuges?
  2. Besides providing sanctuary for plants and animals, what needs do they satisfy?
  3. Is the present network sufficient to protect endangered species in the United States?
  4. Will wildlife refuges endure as human populations increase and open land becomes more scarce?
Classroom Ideas

Nancy Ludowise of Powell Middle School in Wyoming and Jackie McDaniels of Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School in West Virginia contributed classroom activities for wildlife refuges.

           K-4 Activities
Doing Geography
 
Navigation-Compass
 
5-8 Activities
9-12 Activities

See the GeoGuide in the October 1996 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine for more ideas on wildlife refuges to share with your students. The Geography Library has other helpful references.

See Resources for a detailed bibliography and links to related Web sites.

Visit the Geography Education Program.


©1996 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.


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