Background

There have been 5 mass extinctions in the history of the Earth.  Numerous species have disappeared from the planet due to changing climates, potential meteorite crashes, volcano eruptions, competition from other species, and other unknown or speculative reasons.  Some scientists believe that we are in the midst of a sixth mass extinction.  The difference this time, is that the current threat of extinction is not due to a natural disaster, but to human impacts on the environment and the organisms around us.  

 

Currently there are 2,317 species listed on the U.S. Endangered Species List and 41,415 listed worldwide.  In Maine there are 46 species that are endangered or threatened within our state.

 

Task Overview

You an employee for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.  This year, the budget for protecting endangered species has been cut drastically.  The government has decided that it will only fund the protection of 5 species in Maine.  As a part of your job, the government has asked you to recommend one species that is currently on the list to continue to be protected and, to help them make their decisions, one species that is on the list that you feel should not be protected. Your challenge is to convince the council to choose your species to protect and not the species you are lobbying against.

 

 

Procedure

1. Research: Research the current species that are on the Maine endangered species list.  You can find the list and information about each species at the State List of Endangered and Threatened Species

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When researching, consider the following questions:

- What is causing the decline in population for each species?  Is it “natural” or caused by humans?

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- What niche (role in the ecosystem) does each species fill?  Are there related species that would fill their niche?

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- What makes one species more valuable than another?

 

- How many resources are needed to adequately protect this species. 

 

2. Based on your research, Choose Two Species from the Maine Endangered (or Threatened) Species List:

- One species to lobby for protection and support

- One species to lobby against protection or support

 

3. Create: Create a display board or presentation that includes which species you support and which species you do not support and why.  Provide supporting information for both cases.  Remember your task is to convince the government to choose the species you support.  

 

Use the Quality Work portion of the rubric to make sure your product meets the requirements for a ‘3’.  If your product does not meet Quality Work requirements, you will need to revise it until it does. 

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4. Level 4: To earn a ‘4’ on this project do at least one of the following in addition to the level 3 work:

• Include a comparison between an extinct species and your chosen species as part of your argument.  Were humans responsible for the extinction of this species?  Could we have done things differently to prevent its extinction?  How does this scenario relate to the species you chose to save (or the one you chose not to save).

• Address the errors or mistakes in how past strategies to protect your particular species have failed.

• Propose a strategy to efficiently and effectively address the threats to your species.

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