Bats as Bearers of Biodiversity
Halifax Elementary - Massachusetts

Robin Steele teaches enthusiastic 10-year olds who are actively learning about conservation by promoting benefits of the less cuddly creatures. Inspired by the Earthbound3 team’s adventures on Tigga Kingston’s project Bats of Malaysia Halifax students interviewed the EB3 members and shared bat biology with the Boston Globe’s Fun Pages. The class will continue to act for the preservation of all creatures great and small by building bat houses and certifying vernal pools around their campus.  
Suggested resources:
Bat Conservation International, Vernal Pools

Community Caretakers
Kabura Ulwan School - Uranga, Kenya

The Disi Conservation Team is made up of volunteers from the community who inform others about how to care for the fragile ecosystem of the Disi wetlands. The school’s environmental teacher, Patrice Lumumba Aboll provides information to local residents and reaches out to local administrators and village heads. Inspired by the team, more community members are starting their own nurseries since they now know how to manage seedlings. 

Community Connections in the Classroom
Anna McCabe Elementary School &
V.J. Gallagher Middle School, Rhode Island

Cindy Ripley & Bethany Marchetti teach elementary and middle school students in Rhode Island and want to take advantage of all the resources in their community. Rather than depending on text books alone to teach students about environmental responsibility, they will bring in professional conservationists, parents, teaching colleagues and government officials into their classes. Their hope is to engage stakeholders with one another while teaching future leaders about conservation.

Development of Micro-Ecosystems
Aga Kahn High School – Nairobi, Kenya

Peter Ligondo & Francis Mugambi are frustrated that their urban setting keeps their students from being exposed to the wonders of the natural environments. So they plan to create various ecosystems right outside their classrooms. The project hopes to create gardens, a marine and fresh water pond, bird feeding stations and identification flora and fauna.          

Endangered Animal Puppet Shows
Washingtonville High School, New York

Inspired by her 2004 Earthwatch expedition to work Leatherback Sea Turtles in Trinidad, art teacher, Lara Held encouraged her class to organize puppet show about endangered animals to share with local elementary school students. Collaborating with the English and Science Department faculty at Washingtonville High School, Lara’s class researched animals on the brink of extinction and produced an entertaining script that educates children about the threats of pollution and habitat loss to natural creatures. The program hopes to develop new puppet show topics and reach out to more community centers and professional conferences throughout the next few months.
See Lesson Plan

Environmental Preservation Project with Native Plant Species
Lyndon Baines Johnson High School – Texas

Tamara Sevier sees the development of a greenhouse at LBJ High School as an opportunity to bring together all students and teachers to experience hands-on learning. The greenhouse would not only produce an effective laboratory for learning, but could be used to produce food for homeless shelters or raise native plants for transplant.

Finding Solutions for a Sustainable Future
Highway Secondary School and its Environs, Nairobi - Kenya

Graduate teacher, Nancy Wanjiru is ready to activate her school community to enhance the environment surrounding their compound in Nairobi. The surroundings lack any biodiversity, but Nancy is confident that her peers and students will be eager to improve their campus once given direction. The project plans to organize committees, produce educational material, plant trees, and host presentations.

Fruitful Results Using Oranges in Marsh Studies
Glynn County Senior 4-H Club – Georgia

In response to “beach swimming advisories” in their nearby wetlands, Robi Gray’s 4-H Club decided to help the Department of Natural Resources locate the source of the dangerous bacteria by creating a study the first in its class to track marsh water flow. The club members marked and dropped 280 oranges in two marsh tidal creeks during an ebbing high tide. Over several tide cycles they kayaked marsh creeks and combed island beaches, collecting oranges that had washed ashore and recording their locations. The 4-H’ers plan to expand this research and investigate potential marsh pollution.
In the news

Investigating the Health and Effects of Blind Creek
Knox School -  Victoria, Australia

Suzanne Mason works with students and colleagues at Knox School who have been involved in various initiatives to support local conservation research. Their next challenge is to research Blind Creek, a tributary close to school grounds. The study aims to assess flora and fauna, seek funding for restoration projects, survey local home owners and work with area naturalists to develop long-term management tools.

Protecting Our Natural Diversity (POND)
West Ashley High School - South Carolina

Margaret Spigner is an Earth Force teacher at West Ashley High School and has the opportunity to work with an incredible team of student researchers who are investigating the effects of storm water runoff in their community. They are sharing their findings with the Mayor and intend to use their studies to improve the infrastructure and educate their neighbors.
Read about their symposium.

Reducing Invasion by Planting Trees
Pennsbury High School - Pennsylvania

Cindy DeMaria works with a high school club that is concerned with the encroachment of invasive species in the ecosystem surrounding their campus. Using funds collected from other school clubs and a partner school with a tree farm in Philadelphia, the group will be planting 180 native trees around their school. They hope to plan 162 more trees in other school yards and parks while they educate their neighbors about invasive species and the need for open spaces. Read about the Tree planting

Students Take to Trout
Hawken School - Ohio

Save Our Stream team, a student initiated and led group is educating residents and preserving the watershed and habitat of the threatened native Ohio brook trout. They are working with local community agencies to survey the habitat and promote sustainable practices. Many students will gather to create a riparian buffer zone by planting trees.
From Coordinator, Irene McMullen’s Proposal:“A preschool student once told SOS that when she ‘gets big just like you, I’ll come and save the fish from the pollution, too.’  Her desire has prompted SOS to begin an educational campaign aimed at grade school students, so they won’t have to wait to ‘get bigger’ to be a part of the solution.”

Trashy Art
Higgins Elementary, Michigan

Every year the entire school conducts an annual clean up for the surrounding community – but this year has a creative twist. Instead of getting rid of all the trash some of the plastic and metal will be kept to create garbage sculpture to be placed into gardens. Teacher, Linda Keteyian has recruited the help of her artist daughter and friends to help with a few lessons on artistic mediums, environmental dangers of plastics etc, and how to create art that is both emotionally expressive and has an academic message.
Gardening for Kids

Turtle Tracks
New Canaan Country School, Connecticut

Inspired by Florida's Endangered Sea Turtle project, Chris Lener's lower school science students team up with researchers at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida. They will be studying migrating sea turtles via internet from signals emitted by satellite transmitters sponsored by NCCS. First, second, third and fourth grade students all support the tracking efforts in different ways and will be learning about this endangered species through ongoing research participation.
See www.seaturtle.org for more information.