Assessing Forest Changes

Grade Level: College Senior seminar

Academic Areas: Environmental Studies

Duration of service: Semester-long

Character Virtues: Respect, Responsibility, Civic virtue and Citizenship

Technology: GIS, GPS, Remote Sensing

Service Areas: Environmental

 

Service Learning Project:

Students will meet with local forest advocacy organizations and US Forest Service personnel to learn about the history of the Finger Lakes National Forest (FLNF), gain a background in basic forest management principles and practices, and assess current and proposed changes to the multi-use objectives of the FLNF.  Using geospatial analysis technologies (GIS, GPS, and remote sensing), students will assess forest cover changes over the last 60 years to identify and map current patches of older growth forest stands within and adjacent to FLNF lands.  They will present this information to a local town meeting to assist efforts to protect target areas for conservation.  The students will also collaborate with community members to develop and test a field procedure guide for residents to use to verify the location and extent of the older forest stands.

 

Goals and Objectives

Academic

Learning Goal: Students will enhance their interdisciplinary problem-solving skills.  They will identify and gather information from multiple sources (US Forest Service personnel and GPS data) to analyze and understand different perspectives on environmental issues.

Standard: Math, Science and Technology

            7. Interdisciplinary Problem Solving -- Students will apply the knowledge and

            thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life             problems and make informed decisions.

 

Learning Goal:  Students will be able to use GPS/GIS technology to collect locations of

            older growth and generate maps thereof.

Standard: Math Science and Technology

            2. Information Systems -- Students will access, generate, process, and transfer

            information using appropriate technologies.

 

Service

Community need: Inadequate protection of older growth areas around FLNF

Possible Community Partners:  US Forest Service, Friends of the Forest

 

Objective: Students will make a map of the older growth forest in and around

          the FLNF.

 

Objective: will present their map to the local town council and advocate for greater

          protection for older growth areas around FLNF.

 

Technology

Learning Goal: Introduction to GPS

Objective: Students will be able to collect data points using GPS technology.

 

Learning Goal: Introduction to GIS and remote sensing technology

Objective: Students will be able to upload data points and generate maps using GIS and remote sensing technology.

 

Character

Virtue: Responsibility and Respect

Objective: Students will take responsibility for the environment by creating maps of older growth areas around FLNF.

 

Virtue: Civic Virtue and Citizenship

Objective: Students will advocate for protection of older growth areas around FLNF at local town meetings.

 

Key Activities

Key Planning Activities

  1. Students will meet with community members to learn about their concerns and with US Forest Service personnel to gather information about areas around FLNF.
  2. Students will review existing and available maps and data layers of areas around FLNF.

 

Key Service Activities

  1. Students will meet with community collaborators to define and refine project goals.
  2. Students will download and analyze land use data layers and images using GIS (generate maps of the areas) and locate areas of interest in the field and record their locations using GPS.
  3. Students will present the results of the project to the community at local town meetings.

Key Reflection Activities

1.      Students will discuss how they view land use management problems after having used GIS mapping technologies. (oral, responsibility)

2.      Students will discuss their understanding of how different values influence the relationship various interest groups have with the environment. (oral, respect)

3.      Students will write an essay comparing ideas and approaches they had at beginning of the project to how they would think about and approach other problems after having worked on this project. (written, civic virtue and citizenship)

Celebration Activity

Students will give a public presentation of their project, after which they will host a FLNF party.  Community members will be invited both to the town meeting and to the FLNF party.