7-12 Activities

The 7-12 activities concentrate on inter-relationships and ecosystem connections. This is one of the major themes for the significance of protecting Glacier National Park. The story of Pluie the Wolf again is a good introduction that illustrates how all of the private and public land in Northwest Montana is connected. The area that is now Glacier National Park is a central piece of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. Get started with the Locating Glacier National Park activity.


Unit One: An International Peace Park

This unit focuses on the relationships between Canadians and Americans, Waterton Lakes and Glacier National Parks, and the concept of “peace.”
Unit One: Background and Introduction

Unit Two: A Serious Economics Nut

This unit focuses on the interrelationships surrounding whitebark pines in the subalpine.
Unit Two: Background and Introduction

  • Activity 1: “Nutcracker Fantasy” – an outside “hide and retrieve” game illustrating the memory capabilities of the Clark’s nutcracker.
  • Activity 2: “It Was a Very Good Year” – dendrochronology and climate change in whitebark pines, and art projects doing tree rings of student personal histories.
  • Activity 3: “It’s Not Easy Being Grizz” – outdoor game illustrating the calories du jour sequence for grizzlies; whitebark pine decline effects and bear relationships with squirrels.
  • Activity 4: “News Bearly Fit to Print” – an archival look at the times and types of bear – human conflicts (related back to whitebark pine); a visit by a bear management specialist (students construct overlay of bear-human conflict locations).
  • Activity 5: “Subalpine Web” – the classic information cards for members and yarn for connections “web game”, removing keystone whitebark pine from the web to show effects.

Unit Three: Parks in the Parks: The Aspenlands

This unit focuses on the interrelationships in the aspen parklands.
Unit Three: Background and Introduction

  • Activity 2: “Leave it to Beavers” – role-playing the beaver’s family; compare to human family (overlay of beaver pond locations – compare to aspen).
  • Activity 4: "Hibernation - Migration Fascination” – side-by-side comparison of bear “hibernation” and marmot/ground squirrel “true hibernation”; same with highland and lowland east side grizzlies.

Unit Four: Land of the Giants

Unit four focuses on the interrelationships in the old growth west side forests.
Unit Four: Background and Introduction

  • Activity 3: “The Secret of Life” – a first-hand examination of soil and recycling of death, and a literary approach.
  • Activity 4: “Fitting In” – a scavenging game illustrating interspecies cooperative feeding and highly specific niches in the old growth.

Unit Five: A Park Not Alone

The study of three-watersheds, biodiversity, and the connections of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park to issues outside of the park.
Unit Five: Background and Introduction

  • Activity 1: “Who Grows There?” – introduced plants, identification, range expansion, with a public service activity / eradication project.

Last updated: November 6, 2017

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PO Box 128
West Glacier, MT 59936

Phone:

406-888-7800

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