Portfolio Project!
Option #2: Help
Save a Natural Area
Conservation is an interdisciplinary subject where everyday
actions of humans have an impact on environments around the world. To help
solve these impacts, it is important to understand how our actions affect the
environment. For this portfolio option you will choose a natural area that you
want to ensure will be around for many generations. It can be any natural area
such as a coral reef, a local pond, the savannahs of Africa, etc. You will
produce a paper about the threats your natural area is facing and how we can
help overcome them. You will also create a pamphlet that you could use to
spread the word about the issues your natural area is facing and encourage
people to help save it. Your paper will address the following elements:
1.
Describe your natural
area, including what species live there, the climate is like, the geography, and
the role of humans in your natural area.
2.
Discuss the threats
facing your natural area. Is climate change causing problems there? Is there a
problem with habitat loss? Is pollution causing problems? What else affects
your area?
3.
Describe how these
threats facing your area affect other natural areas as well. Are the threats
strictly local threats, or do other places experience them as well?
4.
Discuss solutions to
the threats facing your natural area. What solutions have been presented by
others? What solutions can you think of based on what you know?
5.
Choose one way you can
help save your natural area. Try it out and record data to show how your
changes will have an impact. Collect trash there. Start recycling for a week.
Volunteer to weed out invasive plants. Reduce the amount of time you spend in
the car for a week. Is your house drafty? Look into ways to reduce the loss of
heat/cool air and try one out. Reduce the amount you use the heater or air
conditioning by increasing or decreasing the setting a few degrees. What else
can you think of to do? This must be a change in your habits from before so you
can record data on the impact your change had.
a.
Discuss why you chose
the method to help that you did and how it went.
b.
Present the data you
collected from before and after the change to show the impact your change had.
c.
Is this something you
could continue to do? What would be the impact on the environment if you did
continue to implement this change?
Requirements:
- Your written paper should be five to seven pages in length, not
counting the title and reference pages, which you must include. - You need to cite at least ten sources for this
assignment, Six of these sources must come from academic journals. - Your paper must be formatted
according to APA Requirements. - Pamphlet – In addition to the paper you also need to
complete a pamphlet. This pamphlet can be aimed at any audience of your
choosing. The purpose of the pamphlet is to educate your audience about
the issues your natural area is facing and motivate them to help! Make
sure you use plenty of properly cited images. Support your pamphlet with
at least two properly cited references.
1. Discussion:
a.
Submit
a short paragraph
indicating that you will be focusing on a natural area, identify the natural
area you will use for your project, and why you chose it. Feel free to use a
natural area you have discussed in class already or pick a new one. Also, start
thinking about what actions you might want to take to help your natural area
2. This
is your time to act in the name of conservation! At this point you should have
narrowed down your idea to help save your natural area; now, put it into
action. After a week of trying your method to help conserve your species, write
up a paper discussing how it went. Be sure to address the following questions:
1.
What action you chose
and why you chose it.
2.
What planning you
needed to do ahead of implementing the action. What data you recorded before
implementing the change.
3.
How you implemented
your actions. What exactly was it that you did?
4.
How things went while
you were implementing your action. Were there any unforeseen obstacles?
5.
The data you recorded
while or after implementing your change and how it compares to the data from
before you implemented the change.
6.
Present the data in a
figure.
7.
Did you incur any
benefit from the change in your actions? Were you happier? Did it save you
money? Did it bring more animals to your yard? Did you feel better knowing you
were helping save a species?
8.
Will you continue to
implement your action? Why or why not?
Requirements:
·
Your written paper
should be three to four pages in
length, not counting the title and reference pages, which you must include.
·
You need to cite at
least two sources for this
assignment, outside of the textbook. TheCSU-Global
Library is a great place
to find resources.
·
Your paper must be
formatted according to APA CITATIONS
