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CEEP Project Feature
Windy City Students Tackle Invasive SpeciesThe two eighth-grade classes at Chicago Public Schools’ George Washington Elementary School spent the fall months learning about local environmental issues through field trips and research with local experts and resources. Audra Kreger’s students chose the topic of invasive species as their focus for their Earth Force project after learning about the impacts these species are having on the biodiversity of nearby natural areas. The students participated in two class sessions focusing on research and plant identification with Earth Force staff and will be working with local natural resource experts in the coming months as they research a variety of invasive species found in the Calumet region.
The students are targeting their efforts on identifying invasive species found in natural areas near their school, William Powers Conservation Area and Eggers Woods Forest Preserve, by conducting vegetative mapping with Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Site Manager. This data will be used by IDNR to create management efforts for the natural areas. The research the students are conducting on invasive species presence in these two natural areas will also help determine restoration efforts for hundreds of other students at the first annual Calumet Stewardship Day on May 21, 2003.Mighty Acorns (early elementary)
Mighty Acorns, a Chicago Wilderness model environmental education program, connects urban youth (grades 4 to 6) with nature through direct experiences in stewardship and exploration and thereby broadens community involvement in the protection and restoration of natural areas in the Chicago region. The students participate in seasonal field trips to local natural areas to engage in stewardship activities such as seed collecting, brush cutting and planting. www.mightyacorns.org
Earth Force (middle school)
Through Earth Force, young people are changing their communities and caring for the environment now while developing lifelong habits of active citizenship and environmental stewardship. Earth Force educators guide youth (grades 6 to 8) through a balanced investigative process of identifying environmental concerns in their community while exploring possible changes in local policy or practice related to their selected problem. Earth Force youth then implement an action project aimed at sustainable community improvement. Earth Force is a national non-profit organization with eight field offices across the country engaging youth through three programs, Community Action and Problem Solving, Global Rivers Environmental Education Network and Earth Force After School. www.earthforce.org
Illinois UrbanWatch (high school)
A joint program of The Field Museum and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois UrbanWatch is a citizen-scientist monitoring program that tracks the condition and extent of urban green spaces. Illinois high school teachers and students conduct surveys of native species in local urban green spaces, such as schoolyards, corporate parks and cemeteries, and then enter their data into an online database. These online reports are analyzed by scientists to identify long-term trends in the biological quality of the region’s urban areas and by land managers to adjust management plans to reach conservation goals. The data collected also provide a baseline for UrbanWatch participants to engage in conservation action projects focused on assessing environmental and ecological conditions. www.fieldmuseum.org/urbanwatch
To learn more about CEEP and any questions regarding these programs, contact The Field Museum Environmental & Conservation Programs Department staff at kataylor@fieldmuseum.org or (312) 665-7442.
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