Deer Savers

Grade Level: 6-12

Academic Areas: MST

Duration of service: Year-long

Character Virtues: Respect, Caring, Responsibility, Civic virtue and Citizenship

Technology: GIS, GPS, Remote Sensing

Service Areas: Environmental, Public Safety

Service Learning Project:

Students will gather data regarding deer/car collisions from the NYS DMV data files, local police/trooper reports, by surveying community members (local PTA, Kiwanis, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Chambers of Commerce, Scouting groups, 4H, Cooperative Extension, etc.). Based on interviews with community members (hunters, naturalists, hikers, joggers, etc.), students will map active deer trails near local high use roadways using GPS receivers. Using the collected data, students will utilize GIS software to create maps to educate all community members about high risk deer collision areas on local roadways. Students will present their findings to local town boards, county officials, and highway departments with recommendations for deer crossing signs.

Goals and Objectives

Academic

Learning Goal: Students will learn how analysis of spatial data will enhance highway safety, showing the relationship between deer movement and traffic collisions.

Standard: Math, Science, and Technology 6 - Interconnectedness

Learning Goal: Students will use geospatial technologies to evaluate the patterns of deer movement to enhance public safety.

Standard: Math, Science, and Technology 7 – Interdisciplinary Problem Solving

Service

Community need: Ameliorate highway safety through intelligent deer crossing sign placement based on geospatial data collected. This would reduce traffic accidents and potentially save lives of humans and wildlife. As a result, regional insurance rates may be reduced.

Possible Community Partners: NY State Troopers, local PTA, Kiwanis, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Chambers of Commerce, Scouting groups, 4H, Cooperative Extension.

Objective: Students will provide the community map of active deer crossing locations.

Technology

Learning Goal: Students will learn how to utilize GPS and GIS spatial data to create informative maps and brochures.

Objective: Students will record deer collision and deer trail locations with a GPS receiver.

Learning Goal: Students will learn how to compile and maintain a database and create GIS maps.

Objective: Students compile and maintain a database and create GIS maps using ArcView software.

Character

Virtue: Civic Virtue and Citizenship

Objective: Students will realize the effect of government decisions on their everyday lives. Students also will realize that their involvement in their local community can have a positive influence on community members.

Virtue: Responsibility

Objective: Students will see how citizen science can positively affect the safety of community members by reducing deer collisions.

Key Activities

Key Planning Activities

1. Teacher will contact potential community member partners.

2. Students will complete introductory activities to become familiar with the GPS units and the GIS software capabilities.

Key Service Activities

1. Students will meet with community organizations to both describe their project and elicit help.

2. Students will mark sites where car/deer collisions occurred with GPS units and then make overlays with county maps using ArcView

3. Students will download community data from various sources into ArcView and compile maps from this data

4. Students will present information to government officials and propose where deer crossing signs should be located

Key Reflection Activities

1. Right after the project is presented to students, the students will be given a pre-project online survey which will elicit information on what the students perceive will be the outcome of the project.

2. Interviews will conducted with students at the approximate mid point of the project , to reinforce goals, support outcomes, and determine the students level of comfort with the project.

3. Students will complete evaluation forms at the end of the project to see if goals were achieved(lives were saved)

Celebration Activity

A reception will be held at a local restaurant at the end of the year where all stakeholders will be invited. Students will be recognized for their accomplishments publicly by school and municipal officials. All participants and their families will be invited to the celebration event.