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Teaching Leave No Trace

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 Activity Plan

Our Natural World: An activity to foster understanding of outdoor ethics.

What Your Group Will Learn

After participating in an activity to set the stage for learning outdoor ethics, group members will be capable of:

1. describing simple connections between plants and animals of an ecosystem.
2. predicting changes to an ecosystem caused by human impacts.
3. determining how to choose behaviors that protect natural resources.

Your group will play a game that will help them make connections to the natural world and understand how their behaviors can impact nature. Using a ball of string and cards that represent plants and animals, group members will construct a web of connections between all living things.

Materials Cards approximately 3" X 5" inches. Hole punch. Approximately 4 ft. of yarn per person. 100 feet of thick string rolled into a ball. Paper and pencil for each person. Symbols pictures or words to rep sent sun, clean water, clean soil and air . A copy of directions and Scenario Cards.  Preparation Read the entire lesson plan and Back ground Information thoroughly. This activity will take approximately 45 minutes to complete. Roll up 100' of string into a ball. Have scenario cards available for use by leader or by individuals. Photocopy Scenario Cards laminate (optional), and cut into cards. Follow the directions listed below in Alpine Ecosystem.

Alpine Ecosystem. Write the names of the 17 plants and animals listed in the categories below on the 3" x 5" cards, one name to a card. Punch holes in each card and attach yarn long enough to loop the card over the par shoulders. Distribute all of the cards. If your group is smaller than 17, some group members will have two cards. If your group is larger than 17 you will need to add plants and animals to the ecosystem. Some ideas in berry, bear, coyote, western tanager, hum bird, grub worm. Note: This game can be played with plants and animals from other ecosystems such as a warm desert, a cold desert or a river corridor. Cards and scenarios should be created accordingly.

Grabbing Your Group's Attention: 5 minutes

Before people can choose to Leave No Trace in the backcountry, they often need to adopt reasons for caring for our natural world. This activity will help participants identify some of those reasons.

Have each group member, including the leader, loop a card over their shoulders. In the middle of the room place the symbols, pictures or words that represent the sun, water, soil, and air. Gather the group in a circle around these objects. Give the ball of string to one group member and explain that they are going to play a game called Equate! Relate! The game demonstrates how plants and animals need each other (connectedness) in an alpine setting and will help par pants predict how human impacts can affect those plants and animals.

 Equate! Relate!: A Game of Connections

1. Read and explain the Equate! Relate! game directions to the group.
2. Play the game.
3. Do the Human Impact scenario cards (see game directions).

Directions

The purpose of this game is to: recognize connections among plants, and animals of an ecosystem. describe human impacts on ecosystems.

Everyone assumes the role of the plant or animal listed on their card.

Making Connections: Ball of String The person holding the ball of string looks around the circle and finds one other plant or animal that connects with the card they are holding. They describe the connection out loud, hang on to the string and throw the ball to that plant or animal. For example, the wooder has the ball of string, hangs onto the string and throws it to the aspen saying, I need the aspen to provide insects to eat. The aspen catches the ball, hangs onto a section of the string with one hand and throws the ball of string with the other hand to the ant saying, The ant needs me to find food. The ant catches the ball of string, hangs on to a section of the string and throws the ball to the downed log saying, I need the downed log for a home.

Play goes around the circle until everyone is holding onto a section of the string. At no point should anyone let go of the string. In some cases animals and plants will have received the ball of string more than once and therefore are hanging on to more than one section of string.

Time Out For Discussion: Familiarity with the Background Information will help the leader lead the discussion.

• Have the group observe the web of connections they have made. Discuss what the web demonstrates about connections in an ecosystem, including the human connection.
• Plants, insects, animals, and humans owe their existence to each other. Insects pollinate plants and provide food for small animals; plants provide food and shelter for both animals and humans. Plants also help filter water that is then stored in mountains, streams, lakes, and aquifers. When one member of the web of life is eliminated, other living things are invariably affected. See the Back ground Information for more about the web of life.
• Have each group member think about one item from the middle of the room sun, water, soil, air and then describe one connection they have to this resource. For example, the frog might say, I need the water in which to lay my eggs.

Scenario Cards: Human Impacts on Ecosystems Have the leader, one other person, or four individuals read one Equate! Relate! Scenario Card at a time to the group. Have the group discuss the question at the end of each scenario. As you discuss each scenario have par pants drop their string to show how an impact to one part of the web affects another part. For example, if campers pick all the wildflowers in an area, what else will disappear (mice, coyote)? The persons holding the mice or coyote card would drop their section of string.

Your campers are great problem solvers! Your group knows how to have fun in the outdoors while respecting the importance of all living things. How well has each person learned to protect natural resources?

• While still in their circle, have participants summarize what they have learned from this game.
• Have participants tell one new behavior they will practice the next time they go camping or hiking.
• Have participants explain how this behavior will support the natural resources (plants, animals, soil, water...)

Congratulations on conducting a well-prepared meeting for your group!