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COLLIER COUNTY— The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP)
Learning in Florida’s Environment (LIFE) Program is partnering with Collier
County Public Schools, the Florida Panther Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service), Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, South Florida Water
Management District, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and
the Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge to expose more Florida students to
outdoor learning experiences on public lands.
As part of the 14th LIFE program in Florida, nearly 500 middle school
students from Immokalee, Manatee and Golden Gate Middle Schools will learn
science concepts, methods and skills through hands-on labs at the Florida
Panther National Wildlife Refuge and two other sites in Collier County.
“This unique learning experience engages students in their own scientific
investigations and gives them an opportunity to meet real scientists who
protect, study and manage refuges and wildlife management areas,” said Greg Ira,
DEP’s Director of Environmental Education. “During the labs, students will
explore and measure non-living components of the environment such as
temperature, humidity, light intensity and soil moisture, and learn about the
threats, biology and protection of the endangered Florida Panther.”
As part of the science lessons, students use Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
to participate in a scavenger hunt where they learn more about the Florida
Panther in its natural habitat. One location in the activity leads students to a
pen that is sometimes used to introduce panthers to the area before they are
eventually released.
"Florida Panther Refuge is pleased to host a LIFE program for Collier County
students who might not otherwise visit panther habitat,” said Ben Nottingham,
Acting Project Leader, Southwest Florida Gulf Coast Refuge Complex, Florida
Panther and Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).
Another aspect of the labs requires the students from each middle school to
explore a service learning topic that is related to a local environmental issue
impacting their school. Golden Gate Middle School students will study water
quality in local canals, Manatee Middle School students will explore local
invasive and exotic species and Immokalee Middle School students will examine
common non-point sources of pollution such as oil from old cars and agricultural
chemicals.
Since 2004, more than 6,300 future scientists and environmental stewards have
participated in the LIFE program. The LIFE initiative established a systematic
and statewide network of field-based, environmental-science programs that bring
students out to public lands to learn science.
The goals of the LIFE program are increased student achievement, teacher
professional development in science, increased participation of underserved and
under-represented populations and increased stewardship of public lands. LIFE
program activities are consistent with the new Governor’s Serve to Preserve:
Green Schools Awards program and the field experiences that students participate
in are examples of using the natural environment to green the curriculum.
For more information about DEP’s LIFE and other Office of Environmental
Education programs, visit
www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/ed For more information on sponsoring a
LIFE site or volunteering for the LIFE program, contact Greg Ira at (850)
245-2132. |
