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What Happens at the Marine Mammal Center?

Students tour the Marine Mammal Center's rehabilitation hospital to view elephant seal and sea lion patients. Upon returning to class, students can participate in a discussion revolving around human relationships to elephant seal survival. As a follow-up activity, students can take individual or class action to increase elephant seal survival.

Time required: one hour and travel time Location: Golden Gate National Recreation Area/Marin Headlands Suggested group size: 30 students Subject(s): science Concept(s) covered: rehabilitation Written by: Erin Blackwood, Marine Manmmal Center Last updated: 12/11/00

Stucdent Outcomes
At the end of this activity, the students will be able to:

• Examine human impacts on elephant seal survival.

National Science Standard Links (grades 5 – 8)
This activity is linked to the National Science Standards in the following areas:

• Content Standard C - Structure and function in living systems; Regulation and behavior; Populations and ecosystems; Diversity and adaptations of organisms.



• Content Standard E - Science and technology in society



• Content Standard F - Risks and benefits: important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks

Vocabulary
Conservation, rehabilitate

Procedures

1. Arrange visit
   Read through the Teacher Information Sheet provided at the end of this lesson to arrange your visit.



2. Prepare students for visit
   Have students write down some or all of the following focus questions to use on their visit. Explain the role of the Marine Mammal Center and what students can expect on their field trip.
   • Why are these animals here?
   • Where did they come from?
   • How is this environment different from their wild habitat?
   • How is their behavior different from that in their natural habitat?
   • How can humans learn from rehabilitating elephant seals?
   • How does rehabilitating elephant seals help their conservation?
   • How might rehabilitating elephant seals hinder their conservation?
   • What are some other ways to help elephant seals and other marine organisms?



3. Visit
   Have students bring a notebook and their focus questions to answer.



4. Back in Class: Debate
   Back in the class, have students form teams to debate the pros and cons of rehabilitation to conserve marine mammal populations. Consider the following arguments:
   
   Pro
   • Humans have caused harm and are still causing harm to marine mammals. Rehabilitation can "make up" for this.
   • An individual animal has intrinsic value.
   Con
   • Rehabilitation may interfere with natural selection, releasing unfit animals into the population.
   • Humans should not interfere with wild animals.



5. Stewardship project
   Use the follow-up lesson plan How do I Choose and Complete the Best Stewardship Project? Students write a stewardship action plan and complete a stewardship project that best fits their skills.

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