Jeepers Peepers 2006!
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Living here in Maine, we have a sense of the 'rite' of winter's passage into spring. We begin to look for flocks of robins, listen for peepers, and see trees and flowers budding all around us.
Did you know that the changes of spring seem to be happening earlier over the years? Scientists are discovering that the global climate is changing. Will species like the spring peeper and sugar maple be able to keep up with the changes to their habitat?
Join other students around the state for a fourth year of learning more about the effects of global climate change by studying sugar maples and dandelions in your area and keeping track of when their leaves and flowers start to emerge. We have decided to keep climate change as our theme of a second year as it is such an important issue and an ongoing concern.
Administration
Spring Watch: Robins, Peepers, Sugar Maples, and Dandelions Project
The FIRST part of the project involves upper elementary students and teachers around the state. As you and your class learn about robins, spring peepers, sugar maples, and dandelions, you will track when they return to Maine as heralds of spring. Send the date your class observes the returning and emerging animals and plants to the DEP. You and your students will be able to view reports from other classes around the state by checking out DEP’s web site where the progress of spring will be updated. Students and teachers will also track weather measurements such as snow depth, temperature, and lake ice-out dates.
Please note the last five years' results are available on DEP’s web site so that classes can compare with this year's.
Supplemental Activities
The SECOND part of this project involves learning about Lake ice out and climate change through curriculum activities gathered from Project Learning Tree, Green Teacher, The Environmental Protection Agency, our lendable Climate Change backpacks, and other sources. These activities can be found on DEP’s web site or mailed to you upon request. A DEP educator may also come to your classroom to lead a lesson on climate change. The activities have been aligned to Maine’s Learning Results and include assessment tools.
Essay Contest
The THIRD part of this project is an essay contest open to students in grades 4 through 8. The theme for this year’s essay is: Lake Ice Out. Winners have their essays published during the month of May on this website and/or in the DEP newspaper column, "In Our Backyard," which appears in newspapers throughout the state.
Acknowledgments - Thank You!
