Coexisting with Carnivores

The "Coexisting with Carnivores" project focuses on this overall driving question: How can humans and carnivores peacefully coexist--meet our needs while allowing carnivores to meet their needs?

Part 1: Carnivores in Our Community

Part 1 focuses on this driving question: 

• What are the carnivores in our community and what impacts do humans have on their lives?

Humans and carnivores each have needs to survive in this world. Some carnivores like cougars need large open spaces to move, hunt, and live. Increasing human populations require more space for built homes, and that impacts space available for carnivores like cougars.

Watch the Coexisting with Carnivores Introduction Slideshow. During the slideshow, and based on the slideshow and 8 minute CBS News episode, in your journal, fill in your "Notice/Wonder" chart and add to your Venn diagram of human and carnivore needs.

If Time: As a class, we read the Olympic Cougar Project Introduction article. During the article, in your journal, fill in your "Notice/Wonder" chart and add to your Venn diagram of human and carnivore needs.

If instructed, take the Pre-Survey before beginning. 

If instructed, use sticky-notes and put them on the full-class display.

Part 2: Resources in Our Community

Part 2 focuses on these driving questions: 

• What are resources in our community that provide for the needs of us & carnivores? 

• What has changed in this place over time?

Our community has many assets to allow us to live healthy lives. There are carnivores that are found in our community that use the same resources for survival.  In this lesson we analyze maps of our area and discuss the various natural and cultural resources. 

As a class, we watch this slideshow. During the slideshow, in your journal, make and add to a new "Notice/Wonder" chart.  After the slideshow: 

• Individually, on a Chromebook, observe this Sample Map.

• Individually, on a Chromebook, explore the "Carnivore Spotter" website.

• Individually, on a Chromebook, observe the Stevens Middle School Trails Map to help choose a location for a carnivore camera on our campus.

We plan to report our sightings to the "Carnivore Spotter" website and possibly make our own Google My Map (like the Sample Map and Trails Map) of our data.

Optional: We consider how the land has changed over time and the impact to the natural systems in our communities. 

• History of Place

Optional: We share family stories about carnivores spotted in our area and learn about the connection between us and the carnivores that live on the land around us.

• Learning in Places - History of Places Framework and Activity 

Part 3: Scientists Studying Carnivores

Part 3 focuses on these driving questions: 

• What can scientists tell us about the populations of carnivores and the impact of humans? 

• What questions are scientists asking about carnivores?

Scientists are studying populations of various types of carnivores.  Scientist use various technologies to monitor carnivore populations. Wildlife biologists study different populations of animals to learn about animal needs and to keep populations safe and stable into the future. Here on the Olympic Peninsula there is a research project to monitor cougar movement called Panthera. Scientists use tracking devices and camera traps to identify locations of these animals.

We will have a local carnivore researcher present to students.

Part 4: Humans Impacting Carnivores

Part 4 focuses on these driving questions: 

• How do humans impact carnivores?

• What are the patterns of carnivores found in certain areas? 

• What types of human activity affect carnivore populations? 

We collaboratively identify an investigative question and consider data collection methods to help answer our driving question. 

• Wildlife can be observed using camera traps 

• Data from traps can be analyzed to identify patterns 

• We identify a research question connected to learn more about carnivore vs human interactions  

Watch the slideshow. As instructed, discuss in groups and as a full class and decide on an investigative question for our class. 

Links from the slideshow: 

• Investigative Question Ideas.

• Driving Question Board

• Sample Map.

• "Carnivore Spotter" website.

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Part 5: Investigating Carnivores 

Part 5 focuses on this driving question: 

• What is the best investigative method and types of data we can collect?

Data about carnivores can be collected with various methods. Field cameras help us identify what species, how many, and where. Different types of data have both pros (advantages) and cons (disadvantages) when doing a field study. 

The methods we select for our investigation should match with our investigative question.

Possible methods we can use:

• Field camera data 

• Surveys and questionnaires 

Possible products:

• Map with carnivore data collected from across the region 

• Tables to display data 

• Survey

As a class, observe our Investigative Question Ideas and decide on a question and methods.

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Part 6: ?

Part 6 focuses on this driving question: 

• What story does our data tell me?

Images from our camera traps can help us identify patterns of carnivore activity in our area.

Images can reveal how human activity impacts carnivore activity. 

We examine the data collected by our surveys and camera traps to identify patterns to help us answer our investigative question. 

We look across the project at other schools to notice and wonder about the patterns observed in their data. 

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Part 7: ?

Part 7 focuses on this driving question: 

• How can my investigation help people peacefully coexist with carnivores?

Our data reveals certain patterns of carnivores activity compared in various habitats.

Our data also reveals current perceptions of carnivores in our community.

We develop an explanation about carnivores and a resource of interest from the data we collected.

We discuss the limitations of the data we collected and make recommendations to our community for how to more peacefully coexist with carnivores.

Write a Claim - Evidence - Reasoning conclusion.  

Coexisting with Carnivores Extension 1: Google My Map

Make a Google My Map with our data from this project. For help with how to make a Google My Map, use these instructions about making a map of Elwha River fish and these instructions about making a map of campus trails.

Coexisting with Carnivores Extension 2: Wolves in the Olympics Persuasive Essay

Read the Orion Article on Wolves in Michigan.  Watch the wolf predator-prey movie.

Wolves historically lived in the Olympic Mountains, but were all killed off (extirpated) in the 1920's. 

Do you think wolves should be re-introduced to the Olympic Mountains?

Write a 5-paragraph persuasive essay on this topic. 

Note to teachers: This is based on the CWC Project.