TakingITGlobal

Environmental Studies HUMAN IMPAC T ON ECOSYSTEMS (WETL ANDS) with The Royal Botanical Gardens When you go for a walk in a forest, meadow or wetland, is it the same as it was 100 years ago? Probably not. With the help of Google Earth and GPS coordinates, we'll locate the stressors on Cootes Paradise Marsh (Class 1 Wetland) to discover how the interrelationships of the vegetation, water quality and wildlife have been affected. Can you suggest ways to help restore this wetland? We'll investigate what the Royal Botanical Garden is doing to conserve and preserve these wetlands. C ALLING ALL PL ANET HEROES: FOOD CHOICES with California Academy of Sciences Planet Earth is an incredible—and unique—place in our solar system. It is the only planet that supports a diverse system of life! Earth has been able to support and take care of both plants and animals, including humans. So, how do we humans take care of Earth just like it takes care of us? SE A LION MONITORING with The Alaska SeaLife Centre Students will experience how researchers are collecting data on reproductive success, maternal care and investment, bull territory divisions and behavior, and pup mortality without disturbing the animals or their habitats. Students will observe and record their own data from pre-recorded remote video feeds and identify known animals using natural markings. In addition, they will begin to discuss some prevalent theories for the drastic decline of this population. DISCOVER THE WORLD OF COR AL REEFS with The Vancouver Aquarium Students will be able to imagine themselves scuba diving in the coral reefs of Florida, Australia or Mexico as they meet with a marine educator in front of a tropical sharks habitat. In this program students will learn about the diversity of life that can be found in tropical waters, and how it is all connected through the delicate balance of food webs. They will also learn about important topics such as shark and turtle conservation, and the lion fish invasion of the east coast! Students will have the opportunity to discuss the animals they most want to learn about through a question and answer period at the end. With the incredible coral reef as their guide, students will see how tropical salt waters hold some of the widest diversity in the ocean, and are some of the greatest at risk. OTHER SESSION IDE A S: Wolf Ecology with The International Wolf Centre Bats a Billion with The Texas Wildlife Association Build an Owl With Our Magic Owl Box with The International Owl Centre The Dirt on Dirt with The St. Louis Zoo Human Impact on Ecosystems with The Royal Botanical Gardens Invasive Species and Ecosystems with The Royal Botanical Gardens Ecology with The Discovery Center of Springfield Meet the Expert: Rockin' Reptiles with The Carnegie Museum of Natural History

• Cover