My brother sent me this photo, from his latest round of golf in South Florida. It is a bobcat, watching his group play golf. I was actually relieved to see a bobcat photo, as his usual photo is of a gator watching them play through.
But in all seriousness, these animals are having their natural habitats encroached upon by human development everywhere, not just in South Florida. We have a large herd of pronghorns that live near our home, in a new and expanding development, in the front range of the Colorado Rockies. My husband has been trying to contact the appropriate wildlife authorities to find out if there are plans to relocate this herd before they are locked in by housing and freeways.
This would be a really good, and hopefully motivating, authentic project for any age group of students. What is a group of animals impacted by local development in your area? Unfortunately, there is almost assuredly a wildlife group impacted. What is being done to help them? What can your students do to help?
*For one really interesting project to help protect wildlife, check out the I-25 Greenland Wildlife Overpass, recently opened in Colorado.
The Educational Journey 