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How Are Decisions Made for Elephant Seals?

Students will role-play various interest groups involved in making decisions for elephant seals. Through cooperative discussion and reflection on the Marine Mammal Protection Act, students will create a management plan for the future of Limantour Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore.

Time required: 2 - hours Location: classroom Suggested group size: entire class Subject(s): science Concept(s) covered: compormise, negotiations, interest groups Written by: Erin Blackwood, Marine Manmmal Center Last updated: 12/03/00

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

• Represent a specific opinion on a complex issue.



• Negotiate a group management decision.

California Science Standard Links (grades 6 – 8)
This activity is linked to the California Science Standards in the following areas:

6th grade:

5b - organisms and the physical environment
5e - the number and type of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and abiotic factors

7th grade:

3e - extinction of a species occurs when the environment changes and the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient for its survival

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

• Content Standard F - Populations, Resources, and Environments: when an area becomes overpopulated, the environment will become degraded due to the increased use of resources; causes of environmental degradation and resource depletion vary from region to region and from country to country. Risks and benefits: Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks.

Materials
To be photocopied from this guide:

• Elephant Seal Interest Groups activity sheet (44K PDF document)
• Marine Mammal Protection Act activity sheet (48K PDF document)
• Proposed Management Plan for Limantour Beach activity sheet (40K PDF document)

Vocabulary
Generated by student inquiry

Procedures

1. Present scenario
   It is the year 2020. Within Point Reyes National Seashore lies Limantour Beach. Elephant seal populations have been steadily growing. Negative interactions between elephant seals, humans, dogs, and horses have been increasing. The National Park Service Park Rangers will be holding a town meeting to hear different viewpoints expressed and create a management plan for the area.



2. Designate interest groups
   Based on the scenario described above, ask students who will want to voice their opinions at the town meeting. Students can use the Elephant Seal Newspaper to generate a list of interest groups. Record their ideas on the blackboard. These responses should be compared to those listed on the Elephant Seal Interest Groups activity sheet (such as Bird Watchers, Park Rangers, Western Snowy Plovers). If students have an idea for a group not listed on the activity sheet, form another group to let them represent that opinion.



3. Form student teams
   Group students, or allow students to choose which viewpoint they will represent. Each team should receive either the entire Elephant Seal Interest Groups activity sheet or only the paragraph relevant to their position. Teams will nominate a spokesperson and prepare a 3-minute presentation of their viewpoint. The Park Ranger group will receive the entire sheet and devise at least three questions they would like to ask each interest group. Students should record any vocabulary needing clarification.



4. Town meeting
   Have Park Rangers sit in front of classroom. Each interest group will have 3-minutes to present their case. Park Rangers can ask three clarifying questions. No decision is made at this point.



5. Form new student groups for collaborative decisions
   Create several small groups composed of several interest group types. Hand out the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Assign each group a set amount of time to come up with a sample management plan for Limantour Beach with this Act and their various roles in mind.



6. Present ideas
   Each group will present their idea to manage multiple groups at Limantour Beach. Allow time for discussion of these scenarios. Who benefits most? Who benefits least? Park Rangers and various groups decide on one management plan.

Extension Ideas
Identify a scenario in your immediate community with complexity and several interest groups. Students can interview community members, write a class viewpoint, and take action in some form expressing their opinion.

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