XC Summary- Six of the World's Most Endangered Trees

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/blogs/6-worlds-most-endangered-trees-also-look-strangest

Assignment: Read the article and write a one-page summary. XC 40 points

On the TOP-right corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write your name, the class, the period, and the date. On the TOP-left corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write the name of this assignment "Six of the Worlds Most Endangered Trees". This needs to be in the TOP margin at the top of the paper, not in the lined portion.

Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity- Blog Assignment

Assignment: Take notes while you are watching the videos and write after watching each clip or set clips. This approach will allow more time for you to reflect on the material, resulting in better summaries and syntheses. On the TOP-right corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write your name, the class, the period, and the date. On the TOP-left corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write the name of this assignment "Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity- Blog Assignment". This needs to be in the TOP margin at the top of the paper, not in the lined portion.

Due Friday November 20th

Remember, take notes while you are watching the videos and write after watching all of the clips.

1. Watch the video Make Better Seafood Choices - Seafood Watch and write a one- paragraph summary.



2. Watch the video Endangered Ocean: Sea Turtles and write a one-paragraph summary.



3. Watch the following videos about how seafood is caught and write a three-paragraph synthesis.

Long Lining



Gill Netting



Bottom Trawling



Traps



Purse Seining



Dredging



Dredging



Mid-water Trawl



4. Watch the video Fabulous Wetlands with Bill Nye The Science Guy (1989) and write a one-paragraph summary.



5. Watch the video What is an Estuary? and write a two-paragraph summary.



6. Watch the National Geographic video Divers Fight the Invasive Lionfish and write a one-paragraph summary.

Ocean Acidification, Bioaccumulation/Magnification & Eutrophication/Deadzones – Blog Assignment

Assignment: Take notes while you are watching the videos and write your summaries and syntheses after watching each clip or set clips. This approach will give you time to reflect on the material, resulting in better summaries and syntheses.

On the TOP-right corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write your name, the class, the period, and the date. On the TOP-left corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write the name of this assignment "Ocean Acidification, Bioaccumulation/magnification & Eutrophication/Deadzones – Blog Assignment". This needs to be in the TOP margin at the top of the paper, not in the lined portion.

Due Friday November 13th

Remember, take notes while you are watching the videos and write your summaries and syntheses after watching each clip or set clips.

1. Watch the following video about ocean acidification and write a one-page summary.



2. Watch the following two videos about bioaccumulation and biomagnification and write a three-paragraph synthesis.




3. Watch the following five videos about eutrophication, hypoxia/anoxia, and dead zones and write a three-paragraph synthesis.

XC Summary- Climate Change Threatens an Iconic Desert Tree

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/10/151028-joshua-tree-climate-change-mojave-desert/

Assignment: Read the article and write a one-page summary. XC 40 points

On the TOP-right corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write your name, the class, the period, and the date. On the TOP-left corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write the name of this assignment "Climate Change Threatens an Iconic Desert Tree". This needs to be in the TOP margin at the top of the paper, not in the lined portion.

Chapter 9 & 10 Video Extravaganza! – Blog Assignment

Assignment: For “Planet in Peril” write a one-page summary. For all other video clips write a one-paragraph summary for each video clip (7 paragraphs). Take notes while you are watching the videos and then write your summaries after watching each clip. On the TOP-right corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write your name, the class, the period, and the date. On the TOP-left corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write the name of this assignment "Chapter 9 & 10 Video Extravaganza! – Blog Assignment". This needs to be in the TOP margin at the top of the paper, not in the lined portion.

Due Friday November 6th

1. Watch “Planet in Peril”- CNN- Anderson Cooper from the beginning up to 1:02. Skip the Yellowstone section from 29:00 to 39:00 (you already watched this). Write a one-page summary.

2. Watch “PRI: How to save endangered species” and write a one-paragraph summary.

3. Watch “California Condors” and write a one-paragraph summary.

4. Watch “FSC® Certification to Protect Habitat for the Amur Tiger in the Russian Far East” and write a one-paragraph summary.

5. Watch “CNN Explains: Deforestation” and write a one-paragraph summary.

6. Watch “The Swedish Forestry Model: Environmental Atlas of Europe” and write a one-paragraph summary.

7. Watch “HOME - The Deforestation: Soybean, Palm Oil, Eucalyptus” and write a one-paragraph summary.

8. Watch “How Fighting Wildfires Makes Them Worse” and write a one-paragraph summary.

Trophic Cascades- Synthesis Essay

If you look up the definition of "synthesize" you will find that it is to "combine (a number of things) into a coherent whole." In contrast, a summary is meant to "give a brief statement of the main points of (something)." For this assignment, ensure you are synthesizing, not summarizing.  You will be weaving together information from different videos, literature, and articles into one piece of writing that covers all of the ideas and themes presented in the videos, literature, and articles. Therefore, instead of breaking down the main points of each video, article, piece of literature into separate paragraphs, find common themes and differences within the videos, literature, and articles and organize them into your synthesis.  It is a good idea to take notes first, then analyze your notes to determine the common themes to organize your thoughts, and then write your synthesis essay.

You are not required to use MLA citations for this assignment.  However keep in mind that the project at the end of the semester will require both synthesis and proper use of MLA style citations.

You will be synthesizing four different sources.  They are all embedded below.  

1) Video- “Planet in Peril”- CNN- Anderson Cooper.  Watch only the ten-minute segment from 29:34 to 39:04 (you will watch the rest during other chapters).
2) Video- “How Wolves Change Rivers”
3) Book Excerpt- Thinking Like a Mountain By Aldo Leopold   

4) Nature Article- Rethinking predators: Legend of the wolf 

On the TOP-right corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write your name, the class, the period, and the date. On the TOP-left corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write the name of this assignment "Trophic Cascades- Synthesis Essay". This needs to be in the TOP margin at the top of the paper, not in the lined portion.

Length Requirement: 1-2 pages; length is not as important as substance. 

Due Monday October 26th 

Evolution & Biodiversity- Blog Assignment

Part One- Watch the Galapagos Finch Evolution video and write a one to two page summary (front and back of a piece of loose-leaf paper; max). Your summary should summarize what you learned in the video. For the last paragraph of your summary I would like you to explain the weather event known as El Nino that is discussed in the video. To do this you will need to do some internet research. Anything that you learn from your research, that you include in your response, needs to be properly cited using the MLA format (I have included two links at the bottom of this post as resources to help you with MLA formatting). You do not need to cite anything from the video itself; just your El Nino internet research.  Also, be sure to include a reference list, in MLA format, at the end of your summary. 

Part Two- Watch the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity- Official Video and write a one to two page summary (Front and back of a piece of loose-leaf paper; max). Your summary should summarize what you learned in the video.

On the top-right corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write your name, the class, the period, and the date. On the top-left corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write the name of this assignment "Evolution & Biodiversity- Blog Assignment". This needs to be in the margin at the top of the paper, not in the lined portion. Due Friday October 2nd


Use the following resources: MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/2/
Son of a Citation Machine- MLA
http://www.citationmachine.net/mla/cite-a-website

Think Globally, Act Locally- Deforestation & The Hydrologic Cycle

Assignment: Watch the following video and write a one-page summary (Front side of a of piece of loose-leaf paper only). Your summary should summarize what you learned in the video and conclude by answering the prompt given at the end of the video. Your response to the prompt should be at least one paragraph. To answer the prompt you will need to do some internet research. Anything that you learn from your research, that you include in your response, needs to be properly cited using the MLA format (I have included two links below the video as resources to help you with MLA formatting). Also, be sure to include a reference list, in MLA format, on the back of your summary.
On the top-right corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write your name, the class, the period, and the date.  On the top-left corner write the name of this assignment "Think Globally, Act Locally- Deforestation & The Hydrologic Cycle- Blog Assignment".
Due Friday Sept. 25th

Use the following resources: MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/2/
Son of a Citation Machine- MLA
http://www.citationmachine.net/mla/cite-a-website

Jared Diamond: Why Societies Collapse- Blog Assignment

Assignment: Watch the following Ted Talk and write a one-page summary (Front side of a of piece of loose-leaf paper only). On the top-right corner of a piece of loose-leaf paper write your name, the class, the period, and the date. On the top-left corner write the name of this assignment "Jared Diamond: Why Societies Collapse- Blog Assignment".
Due Friday Sept. 11th

Tragedy of the Commons

In December 1968, a scientist by the name of Dr. Garrett Harden coined the concept called the “Tragedy of the Commons” in his article of the same name published by Science Magazine. “The Tragedy of the Commons” is a problem that occurs when a resource –such as the ocean, water, and air- is open to everyone. The following video clips will help you apply your experience from today's "Happy Fishing" activity to the concept of “Tragedy of the Commons”. The goal of this blog assignment is to help you understand the difficulties associated with managing shared resources.

Assignment: Watch the following video clips and write a one-paragraph (minimum) summary for each clip (Chalk Talk 1 & 2 count as one clip; so, three paragraphs total). On the top-right corner of a piece of looseleaf paper write your name, the class, the period, and the date. On the top-left corner write the name of this assignment "Tragedy of the Commons- Blog Assignment". Due Friday Sept. 4th



This video sometimes takes a while to load, but it works.


Bonus- 4th Video Clip & One-Paragraph Summary- 10 points XC- This video suggests an interesting viewpoint.

Using Camera Traps to Protect Big Cats and Their Habitat

Biological conservation researchers have increasingly found camera traps to be a useful tool in collecting data on elusive species of interest.  A camera trap is not a physical trap; rather it is a camera set up, usually on a tree in a remote area where a species of interest is believed to exist.  Animal body heat activates an infrared sensor that triggers the camera to take a picture of the animal when it is near (WWF Camera Traps, 2015).   Members of Felidae, the cat family, are a particularly troublesome group of animals on which to collect data.  This is due to an interplay of factors such as large home range, mysterious behavior, and low population density to name a few (Silver et al., 2004).  The World Wildlife fund reports that camera traps have been used in Indonesia to gain a greater understanding of tigers; their behavior and specific threats to their survival as a species (WWF Camera Traps, 2015).   Watch the embedded YouTube-World Wildlife Fund video clips below to get an idea of the type of footage that camera traps have captured.

In 2013 biological researchers Maputla, Chimimba, & Ferreira used camera traps to conduct a mark recapture population survey of the leopard population in Kruger National Park, South Africa.  These researchers cited that camera traps were appropriate for surveying leopards because of their mysterious and independent behaviors, which make them hard to find (Maputla, Chimimba, & Ferreira, 2013).  Using camera traps, the team estimated that there were nineteen leopards within a 150 km²  area of Kruger National Park (Maputla, Chimimba, & Ferreira, 2013).  Maputla, Chimimba, Ferreira (2013) discussed several challenges to the precision of their population estimates using camera traps; resulting in “unequal catchability”.  Some of these challenges were: the cameras were too far apart and the camera placements were biased to preferred paths of male leopards Park (Maputla, Chimimba, & Ferreira, 2013).  Finally, Maputla, Chimimba, Ferreira (2013) stated that similar research on tigers suggest that they had the inclination to avoid the camera locations. 

Another team of researchers, Silver, Ostro, Marsh, Maffei, Noss, Kelly, & Ayala (2004) used camera traps to conduct a mark recapture abundance estimation of populations of jaguars in the forest of Belize and Bolivia.  Using camera traps, the Silver et al research team (2004) was able to estimate population densities of jaguars in these areas to be between 2.4 and 8.8 per 100 km².   Silver et al explain that using camera traps for estimating population density provides precious data that conservation managers can use to make decisions pertaining to minimum viable population sizes and habitat/range estimates that can be used to support and justify conservation arguments in efforts to allot more protected areas for Jaguars (Silver et al., 2004). 

Jaguar roves near Rosemont mine site; Arizona Daily Star (Davis, 2013) 

A topic of interest to me is environmental degradation due to mining for sulfide oar.  Camera traps are being used to provide justification for protecting wilderness in the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson, Arizona.  This is the location of a proposed Rosemont Copper Mine site.  In 2013 Tony Davis of the Arizona Daily Star reported that camera traps, set up by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, took five photos of a Jaguar roaming in an that has been federally proposed as critical habitat for the endangered jaguar (Davis, 2013).  The photos provide evidence of the existence of this endangered species and help to propel the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s argument that the Rosemont Copper Mine site is “likely to adversely affect the jaguar” (Davis, 2013). Camera Traps have great potential to provide invaluable data and indisputable evidence to justify protection of big cats and their habitat.  

References

WWF Camera Traps. (2015). Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/species/camera_traps/

Maputla, N. W., Chimimba, C. T., & Ferreira, S. M. (2013). Calibrating a camera trap-based biased mark-recapture sampling design to survey the leopard population in the N'wanetsi concession, Kruger National Park, South Africa. African Journal Of Ecology, 51(3), 422-430. doi:10.1111/aje.12047

Silver, S., Ostro, L., Marsh, L., Maffei, L., Noss, A., Kelly, M., & ... Ayala, G. (2004). The use of camera traps for estimating jaguar Panthera onca abundance and density using capture/recapture analysis. Oryx, 38(2), 148-154.

Davis, T (2013) Jaguar roves near Rosemont mine site. (2013, June 28). Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://m.tucson.com/news/science/environment/jaguar-roves-near-rosemont-mine-site/article_e8573513-b55b-553e-934c-e8951555f14e.html?mobile_touch=true