Environmental Education in Chenega Bay, Alaska This document is a sample of curriculum produced for Chenega Bay Environmental Program 2006

Environmental Education in Chenega Bay, Alaska
Chenega Bay Environmental Program The Native Village of Chenega
	Goals for Successful Environmental Education: ● Information is Factual    and without Bias ● Culturally Appropriate ● Target State and Regional    School Standards ● Use Traditional    Ecological Knowledge ● Utilize Local Expertise ● Instill Awareness of the    Natural World ● Instill a Sense of    Ownership
Chenega IRA Council PO Box 8079 Chenega Bay, Alaska 99574 Chenegaenviro@hotmail.com

 

Environmental Education in Chenega Bay, Alaska Table of Contents Credits 2 Introduction 4 Navigating in the Dark 5 Spring Garden Class 7 What Do Plants Need? 8 Moon and Tides 10 Beautiful Blueberries 15 Bugs & Dirty Water 18 Bugs = Beans 20 What is Waste 22 Interview with an Elder 23 Natural Resources 24 How Long Does it Last? - Chart 25 Explorer’s Journal 26 Environmental Education Curricula 27 Environmental Education Evaluation 29 Tidal Graph 31 Scientific Procedure Sheet 32 References 33

 

Introduction           Class content:	The Native Village of Chenega Evans Island, Prince William Sound, Alaska
The classes presented in this booklet are based on existing curriculums or classes. The exercises were modified to fit the individual needs of the students and community of Chenega Bay. See ist of references on page 32 for resources used in developing the class presentations. A Scientific Procedure sheet is included on page 32 and is intended to be used with classes that offer an experiment. State of Alaska and Chugach regional school district standards are applied when developing each class. General standard topics are listed at the beginning of each class. Current themes the school is presenting as part of their unified teaching methods are taken into consideration and incorporated into presentations. Traditional ecological knowledge and local expertise is used whenever possible in class presentations. The appropriateness and relevance of the material to what the students of Chenega Bay experience in their daily lives is also considered and the material is shaped, as needed, to reflect that. For example, a particular exercise on combustion engines and air quality may utilize a picture of children riding to school on a school bus, which is something most children in the villages do not experience. Instead, a picture of kids walking, riding on a boat or an ATV to school is used in juxtaposition to the school bus picture and the differences are discussed. Natural events, traditional subsistence activities, story telling, art and music are just some of the tools used to capture the students imagination and to instill a sense of connectivity and ownership of the local environment.

 

Beautiful Blueberries State Standards: Art, Culture, Reading, Writing, Geography, and Science
For the Little Ones: Tools needed: Construction/drawing paper Crayons, non-toxic pens or paint Blueberries 1. Alutiiq word for berries is atsuq. Russian word for berries is chernika. 2. Who eats berries? (Bugs, birds, bears, fish, people.) 3. What different things can you do with berries? 4. Draw a picture of your favorite thing about blueberries. Use the paints, pens, crayons or the blueberries themselves to color with. 5. Write a sentence describing your picture. 6. Sort berries into different kinds, sizes, colors, shapes. For the Older Ones Tools Needed: Ruler Magnifying glass Pen/pencil Paper Blueberry specimens Blueberry identification pages 1. Review and discuss above information (1-6)    a) Why are berries sweet? Sugars, to attract eaters, so seeds        will be scattered.    b) Competition for resources. What happens if there are not        enough berries for everyone? 2. How are blueberries used (besides for food)?     a) dyes - Alutiq tradition of dyes made with blueberries for         painting visors, masks and clothing.     b) Fish bait     c) Medicinal properties. Teas are made with leaves. Berries contain important antioxidants 3. Introduce the 4 local species of blueberry.     a) Alaskan blueberry (Vaccinium alaskaense)     b) Oval-leafed blueberry (V. ovalifolium)     c) Dwarf blueberry (V. caespitosum)     d) Bog blueberry (V. uliginosum) (Note: Substitute species used here with local varieties.) 4. Exercise: Each student is given 4 unidentified berry bush samples in separate zip lock bags, one from each species of plant. Samples should include twigs, leaves and berries from each specimen plant. Bags may contain labels with additional habitat or descriptive information on them. Using a handout of printed descriptions, or a plant identification book, students must identify and label each specimen. 5. Discussion:     a) Which species might be “better”? Why?     b) Seasonal availability and habitat zones.         1. Alpine         2. Sub-alpine         3. Muskeg/bog meadows         4. Climax spruce / hemlock forests         5. “Edge” species. Plant Vocabulary Oval - a slightly flattened circle Lance - broader towards one end, tapering towards the other Oblong - longer than broad with parallel sides Elliptical - broadest in the middle and tapering equally toward both ends Toothed - having several to many small indentions along the margin Serrated - similar to toothed, but with continuous teeth Alternate - leaves born singly along a stem Deciduous - leafed trees, will loose their leaves once a year Coniferous - evergreen trees, will hold their leaves throughout the year Lobes - rounded segments Hybrid - a mixture of separate species Species - a population of like things that only reproduce with each other Axils - upper angle formed between leaf and stem Understory - the plants that make up the lower levels of a forest Vein - network of tiny channels in a leaf through which fluid flows Alpine - elevated slopes just above the tree line Muskeg - a wet meadow made up of lichens, moss and wetland plants. Climax forest - a stable stage of plant species

 

Blueberry Specimen Identification Worksheet (reproduce this page as needed) Specimen # Bush shape: Is it a large, tall bush or a low growing, short bush? Twig color and shape? Leaf color and shape? Fruit color, size? Are the fruits glossy or not? What type of habitat was it growing in? Specimen identified as: Specimen # Bush shape: Is it a large, tall bush or a low growing, short bush? Twig color and shape? Leaf color and shape? Fruit color, size? Are the fruits glossy or not? What type of habitat was it growing in? Specimen identified as:

 

 

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