Bear - Heckrodt Wetland Reserve

NatureTnaoks
Obiectives:
Studentswill be obleto...
. Discusssimilqrities5etweenpeopleond beors.
. Describethe voriouscomponents
thot mokeup o beor's
hobitot.
. Describethe diff erencebetweenhibernotionond sleeping
ond to understqndhowond why a beor slowsdownfor the
winter by comporingtheir heort rqte to thot
of o sleepingbear.
Resourcesincludedin this packet:
1. Me ond Beor- on interoctivegamethot helpsstudentsdiscoverthe
similoritiesbetweenbeorsondpeople.
2. HibernotionHeortbeot-qn octivity thot helpsstudentsunderstondwhy ond
howq beqr slowsdownf or the winter by comporingtheir heort rqte to thot of
o sleepingbear.
3. HowMonyBeqrsCanLivefn This Forest?- on interoctiveoctivity in which
of their hobitot.
studentsbecomebeorsto look for oneor morecomponents
4. HowMonyBeorsWill Get Fot for the Winter?-on odopted,simplified
"How
versionof
MonyBeqrsCanLivefn This Forest"for youngerchildren.
5. A list of odditionolresourcesoboutblockbeors.
a
Makethemostof vourvisit...
aUI
Bringyounsenseof adventure!
don'thondleonywild onimqls!
Don'tpick plontsor berries...ond
Stoy on the boordwolkor troils to ovoidtromplingdelicoteplonts.
Pick-upondthrow owoyoll trosh. Animqlswill try eatingonything...once!
HeckrodtWetlond Rese?ve,
Locotedof 1305 PlonkRood,Menosho,WI 54952
For info coll: 920-720-9349
AdditionolResources:
1. BfockBeors- eThemes
httpr//emints.more.netlethemeslresources/500000648.h1m
I
Linksto octivitiesond informationregordingthe blockbear.
2. The NorthernBlockBeor(Beorsof Michigon& Wisconsin)
http://www.exp
loringthenorth.com/beors/l
ist.html
information
Bockground
onblockbeqrsin Michigon
ondWisconsin.
3. BeorFacts(BeorsondComping
in NorthernWisconsin)
http://exploringthenorf
h.comlnico
letlbeor.hfml
Bockground
informotionon campingin beorterrifory in Wisconsin.
4. The BlockBeor- OutdoorsOn-line(Milwoukee
JournolSentinel)
http://www.jsonline.comloutdoors/wi
ldIif e/bear.stm
Newspoper
orticlewith bockground
informotion
onthe blockbeorin Wisconsin.
- Animol
(Museum
5. Americon
BlockBeor- TheUniversityof Michigon
of Zoology
DiversityWeb)
http://onimoldiversity.ummz.umich.eduloccounts/ursus/u.
omericanus$norrotive.html
informotionon the blockbeqr.
Background
6. Block Beor - The CyberZoomobile
http://home.q
lobolcrossing.netl-brendel/block.html
Bockground
informotion
onthe blockbear.
7. Environmental
Educotion
fon Kids(EEK)- WI DNR
hltp: / / www.dnr
.stat e.wi.us
/ eek/
Bockground
informqtionon the blockbeqrsin Wisconsin.
8. BeorsAre Curious,by JoyceMilton
9. The Beor,by SabrinaCrewe
10.SleepyBeor,by LydioDobcovich
11.EveryAutumnComesThe Beor,by Jim Arnosky
t2.CopyMe,Copvcub,
by RichordEdwords
13.6rowl- A BookAboutBeors,by MelvinBerger
14.Beorsfor Kids,by Jeff Fcir
15.TheKid'sWildlifeBook,by WarnerShedd
16.KneeHighNotureFoll:A 6uideto NotureActivitiesondFun,by PatWishort&
DionneHayley
17.TheEverywhere
Beor(TheWonderSeries),by SondroChisholm
Robinson
BearsCan Liveln ThisForest?
ow ManyBearsWill Get Fatfor the Winter?
MeandBear
Hunters who have skinned a bear for the first
time are often starded to recognize how
similar a bear's anatomy is to a human's. We
share severalphysical characteristicswith
bears. But Smokey Bear, Paddington@Bear,
the Care Bears@,
and our own teddy bears
show us that we have very special feetings
for bears. Do we see something of ourselves
in bearsf
Play "Me and Bear'?in order to learn more
about bears...and yourself.
Ihe game ineludes:
. The "Bear Grid" on page 45
. 12 "Me and Bear" people cards on
page 43
. Answer key on page 64
You need:
o Scissors
' A pencil
Obfeetlve:
l. To discover the similarities berween
bears and people by matching people
cards to the bear grid, and
2. To make three matches in a row.
Belone playlng:
.
Cut out the people cards on the next
page.
lb play:
I. Shuffie the cards and deal six cards to
each player. Decide who goes first.
2. When it is your turn,look at the playtng
grid, and match one of the six people
cards in your hand with the bear picnre
on the board. Be sure to read the
information on the card out loud before
you place it on the board. Some of the
people cards have false statemens. If the
card is false, you may eirher discard it, or
play it to block your opponenr.
3. Only one people card can be placed on
any bear space.
4. If you are the last player to put down
the card that makes three in a roq you
win that round, as long as all three
cards are tme statements. In order to
win, there must be three correct
matches. If you put down the last card
in a row, and one was incorrect, you
los€! Whoever wins rwo out of three
games is the champ!
Bear
Claur
Nlecklace
i
Theawesorne
pzwer of thebenr is relLresented
bythebearclow,otterfur and.beadnechlace.
Wom byhonoredwanlms and.Ind.ion
leadersin the widwest-
Source:TheEverywhereBear(The WonderSeries)
ilIe andBear Grid
ii
r)\
0
Tb'ln
Food
Twin bear cubsbape been carwd. on this stone
food bowl. In a legend.the twin bear cubs are
changedinto lturuans, but retain their bear
qaalities and becomegreat bunters.
Bear
Bourl
Meand BearPeopleCards
'
/\,vf
---zrdrML
,' '--'''
"ttll ','t
, , i 1. : '
i l ".
't \
\_
)"ffi il
i).
4
-'"-"/
---=--aMV,*-
'.,',,,,11,,,1
rrlti -1,,
-f
I.
Bearsand peopleeat
plants, so they have similar
kinds of teeth-flat molars
for grinding. The polar
bear has shalp molars
becauseit mainly eats
meat.
2.
Bearsoften stand on their
hind legs to see things at a
distance, to sniff, or to
hear better.
A bear track is deeperthan
a human track because
bearsare heavier than
people. Humans and bears
both walk on their toes.
D.
Becausethey are mammals,
bearsand people share
severalcharacteristics.
Their young feed on the
mother's milk. They have
hair. Bears and people are
warmblooded.
^)
.).
The prints of an adult
person and a bear show
five toes, and are about the
sarnesize. Bearsand
people are plantigrade;
they walk with the foot flat
on the ground.
l
+.
7. Bearsand humans have
o
O.
similar needs: clean water.
shelter, food, and "space."
Becausehumans share
these things with bears,
no bear population is in
trouble today.
10.
Like humans, bearshave
binocular vision. Because
the eyesare arranged close
together in the front of
the face, bearsand
humans can judge depth
and distance. The ability
to judge depth is
important to a predator.
t-t
ll.
Mother bears,particularly
gizzltes, are very
protective of thet young.
Fluman mothers share this
maternal instinct.
Humans and bears
demonstrate great
curiosity. In their search
for something to eat,
bears examine everything
in their path.
O.
The bear shows amazing
skill in the use of its front
paws. The bear usesits
non-retractable claws as
tools when diggrg roots,
or as weapons for grppi"g
prey. Young bearsuse their
claws for scaling trees.
9. Eating meat) fruits, and
vegetablematter) bearsand
people are omnivores. In
addition, bears also share
people's love of '"sweets."
l/)
LZr.
Human mothers and
bear mothers are very
protective of their young.
Like human children,
bear cubs will stay with
their mothers until they
are ready to have their
own families.
AnswerKey
ille and Bear
Check below to make sure your three in a
row are all true statements. When laid on
the Bear grid, the correct placement of
people cards looks Iike this:
l. True; 2.True; 3. True; 4. False;
5. True; 6. True; 7. False; 8. True;
9. True; 10. True; II. True; 12. False.
Hibernation Heartbeat
Although bears are not true hibernators,
they still go into a light sleep, waking up
occasionally throughout the winter, even
leaving the den for short intervals.
When a bear sleeps in the wintern its pulse or
heartbeat slows down to help the bear save
energy. Your pulse doesntt slow
down this much when you sleep, but
it is slower than when you are active.
Procedure:
Find out how low your pulse is when
you wake up in the morning by gently
pressing your thumb to the side of your neck in
the groove beneath your jawbone. Youtll feel your
heart beating a pulse, or surge of blood through
your artery. For 6O seconds, count how many
times your heart beats.
Then at another time during the day, when youtre
more active, stop to take your pulse again, ls it
rlla
higher? A sleeping bearts heart beats
rl)
about eight times per minute. How does
at-J-
that compare with your resting heart rate? itQ'
fP
Source: The Kid's Wildlife Book
HOWMANYBEARSCANLIVE
IN THISFOREST?
Stu.d:ltswiil: 1) definea mqjorcomponent
of habitat;
and2) identifya limitingfactor.
cubsandfor denning.With limitsof space,adultbears
wjll kill youngbearsor run tiem out of tie area.
Theseyoungbearsmustkeepmovingaroundeither
until they die or find an areavacatedny tne deathof
an adult.
Studentsbecome"bears"to lookfor oneor more
Whenfood supplies
are reducedby facLorssuchascli_
components
of habitatduringthis physically_involving maticfluctuations,
competition
beiomesmore intense.
activity.
Someadultbearsmighttemporarilymoveto seldom_
usedareasof their homerange,sometimesmany
milesaway.Theymustriveon what food is avairibrein
the area.Theseindividuals
maybecomethin andin
It is recommended
that this activitybe precededby
poor conditionfor winter hibernationor; in
the caseof
oneor moreactivitieson adaptation;
youngbears,be forcedfrom the areaby more
basicsurvival
aggres_
needs;components
of habitai;crowding;carrying
siveadults.
capacity;
habitatloss;habitatimprovemlnt;herbi_
vores,carnivores,
andomnivores;
andlimitingfactors. All components
of habitatare important.Food,wate[
Seethe crossreferences
for suggestions.
For addition_ shelterandspacemustnot onlybe available__but
al informationaboutblackbearqsee..Bearly
mustbe available
Born.,,
in an arrangement
suitableto meet
the animals'needs.For black-bears,
shelter
is especial_
In this activity,the blackbearsarethe focusin order
ly important.
to illustratethe importance
of suitablehabitatfor
wildlife.Oneor morecomponents
AII possibleconditionsare not coveredby the design
of habitat_food,
of
watenshelterandspacein a suitablearrangement_
the activity.Howevenby this simpleilluitration, it is
are emphasized
as oneway to conveythe conceptof
possiblefor studentsquicklyto graspthe essential
"limiting
factors."
natureof the conceptof limitingfaciors.
Blackbearhabitatlimitsblackbearpopulations,
espe_
cially.through
the influences
of snelter,food supply
andthe socialtolerances
or territorialityof the animal.
Shelteror coveris a prime facLor.Blaclibearsneeo
cover-for feeding,hiding,bedding,traveling,raising
Age: Grades3-9 (andolder)
Subjects: Science,
SocialStudies,Mathematics,
physical
Education
computation,discussion,
evaluation,generat_
lllllt' :,1_rlv:is.
.
conceptdevelopment,
tisting,observation,
ifll?i_f
i*Tetic
psychomotordevelopmenr
Duration: ZO-aSniinues or lonoer
GroupSize: 10-45
lglceptuat FrameworkReference:lll.A.1., Ilt.B.,ilt.B.1.,
The mqjor purposeof this activityis for studentsto
recognize
the importance
of suitablehabitat.
Inadequate
food and/orshelterare two Axamples
of
what is calleda limitingfactor_somethingwhich
affectsthe survivalof an animalor a populafionof
animals.
five colorsofconstructionpaper(a coupleofsheets
each,ofred,yellow,green,blue,andoringe; or an
equalamountof light posterboard;oneblackfelt pen;
envelopes
(oneper student);pencils;oneblindfold;
five sheetsgreenconstruclionpaper(for extension).
u r.Dm.D
., .1ru
., .D .z.,
rri .oC,r n.D.4.,
l l l ! 2 , n . 8 .3 .,
ll.E..
ur.E.
r., ill.E.2'
ur.F.,
rrr.F.1.,
rrr.e.2..
iiLi.i.,ur.F.4.,
Iil.F.5.
Key Vocabulary: limitingfactors,habitat,shelter,
cover
Appendices:Simulations,
Ecosystem,
Outdoors
134
".L--
Source:ProjectWILD
@ 1992 Councilfor Environmentat
Education
-
NUMBER OFCARDSTO MAKE
PaperColor
Orange
Orange
Blue
Blue
Yellow
Yellow
Red
Red
Green
Green
Label
N-20
N-10
B-ZO
B-10
l-12
I-6
M-8
M-4
P-ZO
P-10
Number of Students in Group
RePresents
Nuts,20 lbs.
Nuts,10 lbs.
Berries,20 lbs.
10 lbs.
Berries,
lnsects,
1Z lbs.
6 lbs.
lnsects,
Meat,S lbs
Meat,4lbs.
Plants,20 lbs.
P l a n t s1, 0 l b s .
t0-15
16-?;0
Z
3
z
8
z
8
z
3
13
3
13
3
I
z
tJ
3
13
1. Makeup a set of 2" x2" cardsfrom the colored
paper.Usethe tableaboveto determine
construction
of eachcolorto makeandwhat to
many
cards
how
one.
write on each
Asshownin the table,the colorof the carddetermines
the typeoffood it represents:
walnuts,hickorynuts)
orange-nuts (acorns,pecans,
(blackberries,
elderberries,
fruit
and
blue-berries
wild cherries)
raspberries,
yellow-insects (grubworms,larvae,ants,termites)
beaver,
red-meat (mice,rodents,peccaries,
muskrats,youngdeer)
grasses,
herbs)
green-plants (leaves,
the numberof
Thenumberon eachcardrepresents
a cardwith the label
poundsof food. For example,
four poundsof meat.
M-4 represents
2.. Thefollowingestimatesof total poundsof food
for onebearin ten daysare usedfor this activity:
nuts
berriesandfruit
insects
meat
plants
20 pounds (25o/o)
20 pounds (25o/o)
12 pounds (15o/o)
8 pounds (10olo)
20 pounds (25olo)
80 pounds(100o/o)
NOTE:Thesefiguresrepresenta typicalbear'sfood.
21-ZS
5
17
3
1'7
17
3
17
?:6-30
31-35
36-40
47-45
4
5
25
5
25
5
25
5
25
5
6
zv
6
29
6
zv
6
7
33
7
33
7
33
7
33
7
33
?1
4
21
4
z1
4
al
4
17
z5
z9
6
29
of an actualbears dietwill vary
Thecomponents
a bear
andyears.For example,
betweenareas,seasons
in the stateof Alaskawouldlikelyeat moremeat(fish)
andfewernutsthana bearin Arizona.Onesimilarity
amongblackbearseverywhereis that the mqjorityof
material.
their diet is normallymadeup of vegetative
If you followthe tablewhenmakingthe food cards,
thereshouldbe lessthan80 poundsof food per student,so that thereis not actuallyenoughfood in the
"bears"
to survive.
areafor all the
"water"
asa
3. lf youwant,you canalsoinclude
from
additional
squares
by
making
habitatcomponent
to
water
cards
how many
light bluepaper.To calculate
(round
make,multiplythe numberof studentsby 1.25
for a
to the nearestwholenumber).For example,
groupof 20 studentsyou wouldmake20 x 1.25 = 25
watercards.Dividethe water squaresinto five equal
piles(or roughlyequal)and markeachgroupwith the
oneof followingletlers:R, L, ST,SP,and M. Theseletters representall the placeswherea bearcouldfind
water:rivers,lakes,streams,springsandmarshes.
4. In a fairlylargeopenarea(e.9.,50'x 50'),scatter
the coloredpiecesof paper.
5. Do not tell the studentswhat the colors,initials,
Tell
andnumberson the piecesof paperrepresent.
themonlythat the piecesof paperrepresentvarious
they
kindsof bearfood.Sincebearsareomnivores,
gather
should
food,
so
they
of
likea wideassortment
differentcoloredsquaresto representa varietyof
food.
135
6. Haveeachstudentwrite hisor her nameon an
her cubs?Will shefeedher cubsfirst or herselpWhy?
envelope.
Thiswill representthe student's.,densite,,
Whatwouldhappento her if shefed the cubs?Wnafif
andshouldbe left on the ground(perhaps
anchored
sheatefirst? lf the cubsdie,canshehavemorecubs
with_arock)at the startinglineon the perimeterof
in the future,andperhapsricher,years?(Themother
the fieldarea.
bearwill eatfirst andthe cubswiil get whatever,
if
7. Havethe studentslineup on the startingline,
any,is left. Themothermustsurvivb;sheis the hope
Ieavingtheir envelopes
betweentheir feet on the
for a continuedbearpopulation.
Shecanhavemore
'you
ground.Givethemthe followinginstruction
s:
are cubsin her life; onlyoneneedsto survivein orderfor
now all blackbears.All bearsare not alike,just asyou
the population
to remainstatic.)
and I are not exacflyatike.Amongyou is a young mate
12. If you included
thewatersquares,
eachstudent
bear.whohasnot yet found hisown territory. Ilst
shouldhavepickedup at leastonesquarerepresenting
weekhe met up with a larger malebear in tne Oig
a watersource,or he or shedoesnot survivL.Water
terrttory,
and
before
he
get
coutd
away,
he was
c1nbea limitingfactofandis an essential
lear's
component
hurt. He hasa brokenleg. (Assignoie studentas the
of habitat.
iryuredbear. He must hunt by iooping on one leg.)
13. Askeachstudentto recordhow manypoundsof
Anotherbearis a young femalewho investtqated
a
eachof the five categories
of food he or ihe gathered.
porcupinetoo closelyand wasbtindedby tie quills.
Askeachstudentnextto convertthesenumbersinto
(Assignonestudentas the btindbear.ihe musthunt
percentages
of the total poundage
of food eachgath_
blindfolded.)The third speciatbear is a mother bear
ered.Providethe studentswith the background
infor_
with two fairly smaltcubs.Shemust gather twice as
mationaboutblackbearsso that theycancompare
much food as the other bears (Assignonestudent as
their percentages
with what aretypiial percenmges
themotherbear.)"
eaten
by
black
bears
in Arizona.Askeachstudentto
8. Studentsmustwalk into the ,.forest."Bearsdo not
attemptto guesshow healthytheir bearwouldbe.
run downtheir food;theygatherit. Whenstudents
How do the bears'requirements
for a dietseemto
finda coloredsquare,theyshouldpickit up (oneat a
compare
with the needsof humansfor a balanced
.,den"
and
time)andreturnit to their
beforepickingup
nutritiousdiet?
anothercoloredsquare.(Bears
wouldnot actuatty'
14.Askthe studentsto arriveat a classtotal for all
returnto their dento eat;theywouldeatfood ai tney
the poundsoffood theygatheredas bears.Dividethe
find it.)
total by the 80 poundsneededby an individual
bear
9. Whenallthe coloredsquares
havebeenpickedup,
(approximately)
in orderto survivein a ten_day
peri_
the food gatheringis over.Havestudentspick up their
gd. How manybearscouldthe habitatsupporL?'Why
denenvelopes
containing
the food theygatheredand
thendid only_
bearssurvivewhenyour classdid
returnto class.
this activity?Is that realistic?
Whatperientageof the
10.Explain
whatthe colorsandnumbersrepresent.
bearssurvived?
Whatpercentage
wouldhavesurvived
Eachcoloris a kindof foodandthe numbersreDre_
hadthe food beenevenlydivided?In eachcase,what
sentpoundsof food eaten.Askeachstudentto addup
percentage
wouldnot survive?Whatlimitingfactors,
the total numberof poundsof food he or shegath_
culturalandnatural,wouldbe likelyto actuillyinflu_
ered-whether it is nuts,meat,insects,berriesor
encethe survivalof individualbearsandpopuiations
of
plantmaterials.Eachshouldwrite the total weight
bearsin an area?
on
the outsideof hisor her envelope.
,.blind,"
,,iniured.,'
11.Usinga chalkboard,
list
and
"mother."
Askthe blindbearhow muci food shegot.
Writethe amountafterthe word .,blind."
Askthe
WTENSIONS
iqjuredbearandthe motherbearhow muchtheygot
C* paperor posterboardinto2,, xZ,,squares.
andrecordthe information.Askeachof the otherltu_
l; .
5
with a class
dentsto tell how muchfood theyfound;recordeach
Yu!9 squaresper student.For example,
of 30 students,you wouldmake150 squares.Divide
response
on the chalkboard.
Tellthe studentseach
all the squaresinto 5 equalpilesandmarkthe cardsin
bearneedsB0 poundsto survive.Whichbearssur_
eachpilewith oneof theseletbers:B, T n, H andH,
vived?Is thereenoughto feedall the bears?How
TheserepresentB = beddingsites,T = travelways,
D
manypoundsdidthe blindbearcollect?
Willshesur_
= dens,H = hidingcoverandF = feeding
sites.For
vive?Whataboutthe motherbear?Didsheget twice
purposesof this activity,theseare deRnedasfollows:
the amountneeded
to survive?
rn
Whatwill ftannon
136
.u-
O 1992Council
for Environmental
Education
5. Whenthe studentshavepickedup all of the
squaresof paperin the area,havethem return to the
area.Ask
classroomor be seatedin any comforLable
the studentsto separatetheir squaresof paperinto
pilesaccording
to the letteron each.Usinga chalkpad
for a visualreference,askthe stularge
boardor
guess
what the letterson the greencards
dentsto
Ttavelways Bearsrequirecorridorsof cover(made
represent-givingthemthe cluethat eachis an eleup of thick vegetationand/orsteeptopography)to
mentof coveror shelterfor a blackbear.What kinds
enablethem to travel betweenareasof food, water
of shelterwould a bearneed?Whatdo theseinitials
andshelterwithintheir homerange.
represent?Recordhow manybearsgot at leastone of
kind of shelter.How manygot only four kinds?
for
hibernation
each
as
shelter
use
dens
Dens Blackbears
year.
Three?
TWo?How manygot only one kind of shelter?
have
been
Bears
from Novemberto April in each
For the purposesof this activity,onlytfrosebearswith
founddenningin hollowlogs,caves,holesdug into
sheltercansurat leastoneof eachkind of necessary
underbuildingsandevenin culvertpipes.
hillsides,
vivethroughoneyear.Ask studentswhat would hapBearsofbenprepareand mayusemorethan one den,
pen if a bearhasall typesof shelterexcepta den?
of
andmaychangedensduringthe winter because
but
(Thebearcouldlivefrom Apriltirough October,
or if tfredenleaK. Bearsseldomre-use
disturbance
wouldnot havea secureplaceto hibernateandmight
densfrom oneyearto tfte next.
not survivethe winter.)Askthe studentswhat would
happenif a beardid not havetravelways?(Without
as
animals
that
bears
evolved
Hiding Cover Black
travelways,homerangesbecomefragmentedand
escapedangerfrom predatorsandother bearsby hidbearsare not ableto reachneededfood, water or
ing in thickcover.
that the studentsneedone
other shelter.)Suggesting
of eachkind of shelterrepresentsthe importanceof
FeedingSites Bearswill ofLenuseareaswith less
componentof an
appropriateshelteras a necessary
coverthan hidingareasor beddingsitesfor feeding.
animalshabitat.Shelteris a very importantpart of a
Feedingsitesare, however,often found closeto thick
bear'shabitat.A bearneedsshelterin whichto search
danhidingcoverto allowthe bearto quicklyescape
for
food andwater.Bearsalsoneedshelterfor travelger if necessary.
ing throughtheir homerange;andshelterfor bedding,hiding,anddenning.In this activity,how many
NOTE:This informationis basedon actualresearch
"limiting
factor" for this
bearssurvived?Whatwas a
datafrom a studyin Arizona.Thesecomponentsof
population
Whatotherthingsposof bears?(Shelten)
sheltermayvary slightlyin differentpartsof North
siblycouldbecomelimitingfactors?(Waterandspace,
America.
Wouldfood be a limitor territory are two examples.)
(Yes,
bearsare omnihowever
(e.9.,
ing
factor
for
bears?
scatter
area
50'),
50'x
2. In a fairly largeopen
food.)
sources
of
many
paper.
voresandcanutilize
the coloredpiecesof
what
they have
6. Askthe studentsto summarize
3. Havethe studentslineup alongonesideof the
"bears"
of suitablehabitatfor
for
learnedabouttIe imporbance
area.Tellthem that they areto become
bears'survival.How is this similaranddifferentto the
the purposesof this activity.Reviewthe conceptof
needsof otheranimals?
habitat-that a bearwould needshelter,food, water
in orderto surandspacein a suitablearrangement
vive.Do not tell the studentswhat the letterson the
squaresof paperrepresent.Tellthem onlythat they
EVALUATION
"limitingfactor."Describe
of bearhabitat.
oneelementor component
someof the facrepresent
1. Define
"bears"
4. Directthe studentsto moveasindividual
tors whichmaylimit the survivalof an animalthat
intothe area.Eachbearmustpickup as manyof tle
livesin your area.
of habitatas possible.Somecompetitive
someof the
components
Z. Inventa boardgameto demonstrate
as longasit is undercontrol.
activityis acceptable
with wildlife.
limitingfactorsassociated
that if bearsfight,
Bearsareterritorial.Remember
iqjuredand
do,
they
can
become
seldom
whichthey
for
meettheir needs survival.
unableto successfully
BeddingSites Blackbearsare usuallyactivein early
morningandlateevening,andbeddedmostof the rest
of the dayandnight.Beddingsitesare usuallyin areas
of densevegetation,steeptopography,and/orlarge
treeswherethe bearsfeel secure.
137
How Mony Bears Wiil Get Fot for the Winter?
Spread squares of paper ('berries') over a large defined area. Use at
least 10 squares for every player. The players pretend to be bears, and
each one finds a'den'(a tree, bush or chair).
One 'bear'has two cubs, which he or she holds by their hands. T\uo
other bears have problems gathering food: perhaps one has a
porcupine quill in his or her paw and can only hop, and the other bear
has a sore nose and must protect it with one hand at all times.
The leader signals when it is time to start to find berries. Each bear
picks up one square ofpaper and takes it back to his den and then
goesback for more, one at a time.
ri:,
"..:f
when the leader decidesthe players have had enough time, or when
the berries are nearly gone, he or she calls, vinter is here,'and all
the bears must go back to their dens.
Discuss whether the bears with problems and the mother bear, who
had to hrng onto her babies, managed to find as many berries as the
other bears. Will all bears be able to get enough food?
''t,:
'tt:
a'"'"
, .fitti*'
from Projectwild, a simplified versionof 'How Many BearsCan Live in this Forest?,
: :
l+-:::f
i 5
rr*::"9,
@ Knee High I
Source:TheKneeHigh Nature- Fall: A Guideto Nature,Activities andFun