Source
Project Wild - Secondary Activity Guide, Pgs. 193-194.

Objectives
Students will be able to: 1) generate a list of activities done outside that are harmful to wildlife and the environment; 2) discuss reasons these activities are inappropriate; and 3) recommend alternative activities that are not harmful.

Method
Students list activities that might be harmful to wild plants and animals; and then they use photos or drawings to visualize, discuss, interpret and evaluate these activities.

Background
Note: This activity can be used as an introduction to “Playing Lightly on the Earth.” The major purpose of this activity is for students to discriminate between outdoor activities that are harmful to wildlife and the environment, and those which are not.

Materials
Art materials (crayons, construction paper, magazine for photos) to make discussion cards.

Duration
One or two 20-40 minute periods.

Procedure

1. Ask students to help you make a list of activities people do that seem harmful to wild plants and animals. Ask them to think about things they’ve seen or know about that might be harmful. Some of these things could be:

• picking up baby wild animals in the environment (birds, fawns, etc.)
• carving initials in trees
• driving vehicles (cars, motorcycles) over fragile environments
• removing plants from environment, (like digging up cactus)
• destroying bird nests
• illegally killing, collecting, harassing or possessing wildlife

2. Have students use cut-out photos or drawings to make these activities into cards showing pictures and describing what is happening. (Or, teacher can prepare cards in advance, laminate; and use again.) Or, older students can dramatize the situation in skits, commercials, songs, poems, etc.
3. Collect cards. Count students off to make groups of four each. Hand out one card to each group and ask them to discuss (or present the skits, poems, etc.)

• What is happening?
• Does it harm wildlife? How?
• Does it seem to be appropriate or inappropriate behavior? Why?
• Is the person doing it having fun?
• What else could he or she do that would satisfy his or her needs and interests without harming wildlife or the environment?

4. Ask each group to report to everyone else about: a) their feelings concerning what is happening in the outdoor activity shown in the picture; and b) their recommendation for an alternative activity the people could do that would not be harmful.

Extensions and Variations
For Grades K-2:
Ask the students to draw pictures of things they know about or have seen that would hurt wild plants and animals. Ask them to describe what is happening in their drawing, and what could happen instead that would not be harmful.

For Older Students:

1. Choose something you or your family owns, like a care, television, refrigerator, etc. Imagine you are that object, and explore how you...from invention to garbage dump...affect wildlife!
2. Distinguish between actions that are harmful to individual plants and animals and those which are harmful to large numbers of plants and animals. In what situations, if any, does it seem appropriate to harm large numbers of animals or plants? (Remember the definitions of wildlife and domesticated animals. Don’t forget that wildlife includes, but is not limited to, insects, spiders, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians and mammals.)
3. Sometimes it is difficult to decide what is harmful and what is not. Usually if something is against the law, it is harmful in some way. Sometimes actions may be legal or there simply may be “no law against it,” and people differ in their judgment as to whether the actions are harmful or not. Sometimes we may recognize that our actions are harmful in some ways, like some of our choices for housing, transportation, and consumer products in our daily lives, and we still take those actions because of our perceptions of the importance of our wants and needs. One way to examine wants and needs is to categorize them according to: Luxury, Useful But Not Necessary, and Necessary for Survival. We begin to get into the area of personal value judgments. Think about personal ethics. What are ethics? How do we make responsible decisions in our daily lives? See the activity Enviro-Ethics to explore this subject more.

Evaluation

• Make a list of five things which people do that harm wildlife
• Make a list of five things which people do that harm wildlife habitat.
• For each thing listed, describe what you can do about it.
• Make a list of ten things which people do that help wildlife