Forest Ecology
__Outdoor Education__________
Forest Ecology
May to October
Instructors will take students to a trail in Summit County where they can make observations about our local forests. They may play a game that uses one of the 5 senses to make observations. They may use keys to identify trees, flowers, tracks or scat.
During the winter, students will investigate how specific traits help animals survive in a cold and snowy environment. Students will search for clues such as tracks and scat to infer what wild animals call the forest their home. Students may even get to observe wildlife firsthand!
Exploration
If teachers choose an exploration lens, they may want their students to focus on one of the following topics within Forest Ecology.
Adaptations
After making observations about plants, students will be asked to make inferences about how the characteristics of those plants help them survive in our forests and high altitude climate.
Fire & Human Impacts
Instructors will discuss and demonstrate how the components of the fire triangle affects the spread of forest fires (don’t worry, we do this safely!). After seeing a demonstration, students will be asked to make observations about our local forests and make inferences about how a forest fire might spread. Students may also be asked to think critically about what types of fire are beneficial or harmful for the longevity of our Colorado forests.
Environmental Issue
This is an academically rigorous selection where students will learn about forest ecology from a stakeholder’s view on a local environmental issue. On the last day, students come together in a “Town Hall” format to debate the issue.
Students will learn about the proposal of a workforce housing development to be built on national forest land. On the first day, students will be given a stakeholder and encouraged to learn about this proposal from that stakeholder’s perspective. Instructors will take students to a trail in Summit County where students can make observations about our local forests and apply their observations to this issue. On the last day of the program, all students will come together in a Town Hall format and debate the issue, focusing on these key questions:
- Should the development project be allowed to proceed? Why or why not?
- What compromises could be made by each stakeholder in order for the project to move forward?
- How can the proposed development be kept safe from wildfires?
At the end of the program, students will reflect on their experience and what it was like to think critically from a different perspective.
This is an academically rigorous selection. Students will still be learning outside but will spend significantly less time team building. If you choose this option for your class, we recommend that teachers are prepared to frontload information in the classroom. If you would like to learn more about this option, please contact us at least a month before your trip at bookings@keystonescienceschool.org.