Exploring Ecosystems Electronically
A Virtual Field Trip
Thanks
to the Internet, students around the world can take a virtual field
trip to Glacier National Park in Montana without ever leaving their
classrooms.
For the second year, a group of wildlife experts has teamed up to provide an in-depth look at this nature preserve via the Web. The resulting "electronic field trip" shows wildlife specialists explaining such topics as the health of the area's grizzly and black bear populations, the benefits of forest fires, and the significance of glacier melting.
The federal government has protected Glacier National Park since 1910, and its 1,000,000 acres now contain one of the largest and most intact ecosystems in North America. The chief concern among scientists involved with the park is the massive meltdown of the area's glaciers. In 1850, the park contained 150 glaciers. Not only has that number shrunk to less than 40, the remaining glaciers cover less than 1/3 of their original area.
Scientists claim that the loss
of these glaciers serves as an indicator of broader ecological
changes occurring around the world due to global warming. The
possible impact of glacier loss is immense, not only for animals
and plants, but for humans, who rely on mountain water for 50%
of their drinkable freshwater.
How to Participate
Those who join the electronic
field trip—presented by Glacier National Park, Kalispell Public
Schools, and the University of Montana—will have a chance to
explore such issues in a variety of ways. They can tune into prerecorded
sessions with experts; view movie clips, slide shows, and photographs;
access K-12 lesson plans; and participate in live Q&A sessions on
May 9 and 10.
Each presentation must be listened to before the live question-and-answer sessions with the experts. Field trip participants will then be able to ask the experts questions by using e-mail, a text chat room, or by calling an 800 number that will be provided during the two-day event. Check out the schedule for the May 9 and 10 events.
Learn More
Access Riverdeep's related materials to further
enhance the electronic field trip.
Read the following Riverdeep articles about the health of various ecosystems around the world:
Experiment with changes in population biology with the following Riverdeep Biology Gateways activities:
- Access a global
warming lesson plan from Riverdeep's news partner, CNNfyi.
- Learn more about Glacier National Park.
Read about the 2000
field trip to Glacier National Park.