The VDGIF (Lisa Sausville and Suzie Gilley) will provide additional training October 14 to project leaders, Virginia Tech Wildlife students, Scott Klopfer (a graduate student in Wildlife
familiar with the GAP analysis), John Ney (Fisheries Professor), and Mike Pinder
(Regional Fish and Game Biologist). They will learn Virginia Wildlife mapping techniques,
and species and habitat identification in order to record wildlife observations and send in data
to the VDGIF for quarterly updates.
The project leaders (three CES elementary teachers trained in WildlifeMapping by the VDGIF) are developing student skills in language arts, science, social studies, mathematics, and computer/technology. Student participants are completing mapping skills (i.e., identifying latitude and longitude on world, state, and local maps), and learning identifying characteristics of the 1,500 wildlife inhabitants in the Christiansburg community on a regular basis (four hours per week). Project leaders are checking out animal (birds in particular) specimens from the Virginia Tech Museum of Natural History to aid students in the identification process. Participants are also beginning to increase their understanding of science inquiry (experimentation, data collection, population dynamics) to represent populations (tables, charts, graphs) through practice observations using field guide books and Global Positioning Systems (eight GPS) units on the CES school grounds.
Saturday trips into the field are planned for October 18,
November 8, December 6, and more dates are planned for winter and spring.
Three locations in the Christiansburg community are identified as field sites for these trips.
Parent volunteers will accompany CES students, project leaders, Virginia Tech Wildlife
students, and other experts.
The CES Wildlife Mapping project is well underway toward meeting these specific objectives: 1) training students to identify the eight basic classes of habitat ( open water, forest, deciduous, coniferous, mix, scrub, disturbed, and herbaceous); 2) teaching students to access the Virginia Fish and Wildlife Information System to determine which of the 1,500 species occur in the community of Christiansburg; 3) instructing students on how to assemble field kits (maps, field guides, binoculars, global position system (GPS), data collection forms) to inventory species in their area; 4) teaching students to perform data collection and monitoring (two hours, once a month); and 5) instructing students on how to send in data collection forms for quarterly updates.
Project leaders (Pat Cross, Catherine Ney, Christopher Walter), along with volunteer Virginia Tech Wildlife students are instructing three classes of fourth and fifth graders (one class of fourth graders and two classes of fifth graders) at CES on Wildlife Mapping. We are meeting four hours a week during the 1997 fall semester to train students on all aspects of Wildlife Mapping. Training does include habitat locations, species identification, mapping techniques, equipment use, and data collection and reporting.
Teams comprised of four to six students, parent volunteers, and Virginia Tech Wildlife students are being assigned designated WildlifeMapping areas at three locations within the Christiansburg community . Thus far, eight complete field kits have been assembled that teams can check out once a month to complete two-hour WildlifeMapping assignments within their designated area. Teams will report back to CES project leaders, and information will be collected and sent to the VDGIF four times per year starting October 18.
Funds Committed as of 9/30/97
Amount
Category VEE MCPS
Wildlife Mapping Project Description
Date Entered: November 29, 1997
Date Updated: March 13, 1998