- The Expedition
- Meet the Team
Monitoring mammal populations to determine the impacts of climate change and other environmental challenges.
South Shore region, Nova Scotia, Canada — Nova Scotia is a peninsula of wilderness twice the size of Massachusetts on Canada’s rugged Atlantic Coast. Fewer than one million people live here, mostly along the 7,500 kilometers of meandering shoreline, leaving lots of room for an abundance of wildlife. From white-tailed deer to meadow voles, from lynx to loons, the vast forests, rolling hills, and varied coastlines of the South Shore region provide a rich tapestry of species. Watch beavers busily harvesting wood out on the lakes, see otters fishing on the coast, and enjoy the antics of skunks, raccoons, and porcupines as they forage around the field site in the evening.
Nova Scotia's ecological diversity is a product of delicately balanced environmental conditions, and these are vulnerable to the rapid changes expected with global warming. You can help Drs. Christina Buesching and Chris Newman explore how Nova Scotia's wilderness ecosystem is being affected by climate change, and help understand the implications for forestry, hunting, and tourism so vital to the local economy.
Find out more about this expedition.
RESOURCES
Earthwatch expedition briefing
Essential information for the expedition - daily schedule, research area details, project conditions etc.
Photo gallery from the expedition.
General:
Climate Change resources
Education Resources from the EPA
The GLOBE Program - International Environmental/Science Education Program
Computer simulations of Global CO2 Emissions
NOAA education resources
Center for Instruction, Staff Development and Education
North American Associate for Environmental Education
Climate Momentum Simulation
Recommended reading:
Childhood and Nature by David Sobel
Place-based Education: Connecting Classrooms & Communities, With Index by David Sobel and James Tylor and The Center for Ecoliteracy
Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education (Nature Literacy Series, Vol. 1) (Nature Literacy) by Sobel David
Mapmaking with Children: Sense of Place Education for the Elementary Years by David Sobel
Children's Special Places: Exploring the Role of Forts, Dens, and Bush Houses in Middle Childhood (The Child in the City Series) by David Sobel
Speciesatrisk.ca - info about all species at risk in Nova Scotia with a map of Nova Scotia where species at risk live
Quick facts about mammals at risk in Nova Scotia
Wildspirits.ca – web resource maintained by Drs. Christina Buesching and Chris Newman
Follow our blogs as we experience our Earthwatch expedition Mammals of Nova Scotia March 25 – April 7, 2012.
This Live From the Field program and educator fellowships are made possible by generous funding from private donors.
This site is the result of collaborative efforts from the members of this Earthwatch project and the support of Earthwatch Institute.
Meet the Teachers
Mahru Elahi
City Arts & Technology High School
San Francisco, CA
Blog: melahi.earthwatchblogs.org
Kenta Ferrin
Metropolitan Arts & Technology High School
San Francisco, CA
Blog: sferrin.earthwatchblogs.org
Sarah Heard
Collegiate School
New York, NY
Blog: sheard.earthwatchblogs.org
Jill Nysse
Winona Middle School
Winona, MN
Blog: jnysse.earthwatchblogs.org
Susan Shor
ChicagoQuest
Chicago, IL
Blog: sshor.earthwatchblogs.org
Andi Webb
Alderman Road Elementary
Fayetteville, NC
Blog: rwebb.earthwatchblogs.org
Meet the Scientists
Dr. Christina Buesching is a Research Associate with the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford University; she’s been coming to Nova Scotia for more than 20 years. Christina has a M.Sc. from the German Primate Center, Göttingen, on the reproductive physiology and behavior of the female lesser mouse lemur and a D.Phil. from Oxford University investigating mammalian sociality and communication in badgers. In the past, Christina has worked on a wide variety of mammals ranging from Australian marsupials to Madagascan prosimians and European carnivores and rodents. She is particularly interested in investigating the socio-political and biological implications of the involvement of volunteers in ecological monitoring. She is a founder and committee member of the Tracking Mammals Partnership and serves on the group focusing on volunteer involvement. Christina has two years of experience teaching general zoology to final year students in Germany and has worked as a Science Officer with Earthwatch Europe. Christina is a member of the committee of the Tobeatic Research Institute of Nova Scotia.
Dr. Chris Newman is a Research Associate with the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford University as well as an experienced Earthwatch Principal Investigator. He undertook his D.Phil. on Population Ecology, Demography and Parasitology at Oxford University and now co-manages the Mammal Monitoring and Badger Projects for the WCRU. Chris is the Mammals Officer and senior Animal Care and Welfare Officer for the university’s Animal Ethics Committee. He is extensively licensed and experienced in working with a wide variety of wildlife. He also serves on the executive committee of the UK’s Tracking Mammals Partnership. Chris has studied physical geography, geomorphology and geology, allowing him to set ecosystems in their physical context. In the past, he has also taught wilderness survival skills to students. Chris is a member of the committee of the Tobeatic Research Institute of Nova Scotia.
| Nassau, The Bahamas |
Earthwatch Expedition Briefing
Earthwatch Classroom Earth Case Study
Photographs from the expedition
Year on Earth. Video clip overview of environmental issues facing the coral reefs and various tools used to survey the reefs as told by three students volunteering on the Bahamian Reef Survey expedition.
Blogs from previous teams:
Heather Brown
Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School
Jamaica Plain, MA
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/brown/
Sherrill Dappan
Saint Helena Elementary School
Napa Valley, CA
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/dappen/
Denise Deghi
San Mateo Park School
San Mateo, CA
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/deghi/
Sarah Hahn
Community Academy of Science and Health
Hyde Park, MA
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/boston/
Grace Hancock
Hanover Park High School
Florham Park, NJ
Blog: http://hornetunderwater.blogspot.com
Sarah Mitchell
Johnson Middle School
Bradenton, FL
Blog: http://xit.manatee.k12.fl.us/?blog=SMitchell
Shea Pickelner
City Academy
Salt Lake City, UT
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/pickelner/
Karen Stein
Ridgedale Middle School
Florham Park, NJ
Blog: http://mrsstein.blogspot.com
Consuela Taylor
Charles R. Drew Charter School
Atlanta GA
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/taylor/
Kristina Willmarth
Lydia Hawk Elementary School in
Lacey, WA
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/willmarth/
Map
