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Cuyahoga Valley Self-Guided Field Trip: Activity 4

This activity is one of four parts of a self-guided field trip developed by Teacher-Ranger-Teacher Tan Truong in 2020. Visit the field trip page for more information.

A display board with an eagle statue next to it with grass, trees and a bridge in the background.
Animal display at Station Road Bridge Trailhead.

NPS / Kerry Muhl

Teachers and chaperones can use the discussion guide to facilitate conversations with students about Cuyahoga Valley National Park as a refuge for natural diversity. Students will complete pages 14 and 15 from the Junior Ranger Handbook.

Location

Start at Station Road Bridge Trailhead. Carefully make your way to the animal displays in the grassy area.

Materials

Junior Ranger Handbook

Discussion Guide

Goal

Students will have a better understanding of why it is important to protect nature and wildlife in Cuyahoga Valley National Park and elsewhere.

Objective

Students will be able to explain the importance of protecting nature and wildlife.

Duration

15 minutes

Introduction

Today, we are going to share a story about one of the most famous birds that lives here in the park, one that has not always been here, the Bald Eagle!

Questions to Ask

  • Who or what do you protect in your life? Or
  • Think about who is one of the most important people in your life? Or
  • What is one of the most important things that is yours?
  • How do you keep them safe and protected?

Explanation

One of the things that is protected at Cuyahoga Valley National Park is habitats.

Activity: Bald Eagle Survival

Have students turn to page 14 of the Junior Ranger Handbook and ask a student to read the definition of habitat at the top of the page.

"A habitat is a place where an animal lives. It provides the animal with food, water, shelter, and place. Cuyahoga Valley National Park has many different habitats where wildlife can be found."

Explanation

Around 75 years ago, before Cuyahoga Valley was a national park, the Cuyahoga River was extremely polluted. This meant that animals that needed the river to live in or to find food in, could not survive in this area. This included bald eagles whose main source of food is fish.

Not only could bald eagles not survive in our valley, but they were also struggling to survive across the country. They were heavily hunted and the fish they ate were being contaminated with DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane), a harmful pesticide which left them unable to reproduce.

This meant that the bird that is the symbol of the United States was almost completely erased from this country. In the 1960s, the bald eagle was put on the Endangered Species List.

Question to Ask

What do you think people did to help bald eagles?

Activity: Explore and Learn

Have students explore and read the display signs at this location.

Question to Ask

Bring students back to think about the question asked, what do you think people did to help bald eagles?

Explanation

Two things happened that allowed bald eagle populations to bounce back across the country.

  • First, the pesticide DDT became restricted in 1972.

  • Second, the government enacted laws that prevented people from hunting or harming bald eagles and their nests.

  • However, a third thing had to happen to allow bald eagles to thrive in this valley. The Cuyahoga River was cleaned up. This process began with the first African American mayor of a major U.S. city, Carl Stokes.

In the 1960s-1970s, Carl Stokes saw the Cuyahoga River burn because it was so polluted. He worked with environmental reporter Betty Klaric, and they led the media on a tour of the horribly polluted river. This helped spark a national environmental movement that created agencies like The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Bald eagles have been returning to the Station Road area to nest. A pair raised the valley's first recorded eaglet in 2007. They mostly feed on the fish from the Cuyahoga River.

Activity: Home Sweet Home

Students complete page 14 of the Junior Ranger Handbook.

Optional Activity: Food Web

Have students create a food web based on the animals displayed at this station.

Sources

More about bald eagles

Continue the Field Trip

Explore the rest of the activities that make up this self-guided field trip:

Tags

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Last updated: February 17, 2022