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Bonnie Monteleone is a member of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation board. She is located in Wilmington, I will ask her to come into the classroom after the first lesson. In her classroom visit, she will educate the children on some of North Carolina's endangered species and the general concepts of endangered species, like why they are endangered. The students will get to discuss with her and ask any questions. At the end of the unit, students will get to share their projects with Bonnie and show her all that they are endangered species "experts."

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Students will use their laptops or tablets from the school to learn more information about endangered species. Here, they will learn about habitat loss and what it entails. If they click on each animal, they will learn what type of threat it faces. Students can use what they learn from this website for their Connect, Extend, and Challenge activity.

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Learn interesting information about endangered animals for kids. Find out which animals are endangered and improve your knowledge with DK Find Out.

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-North Carolina Flying Squirrel

This is a picture visual of an endagnered animal in North Carolina. Students will use this visual source for the See, Think, Wonder activity where they will analyze the photo of the endangered species.

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north carolina wildlife resources commission

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North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

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This is a written text article that is appropriate for fourth graders to read on their own. Their are terms highlighted that are important to the topic. They will use this article to think about main idea and supporting details.

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An endangered species is a type of organism that is threatened by extinction. Species become endangered for two main reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation.

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This video is an introduction video that defines what an endangered species is. It can be used to help give a visual and auditory explanation for what endangered species are.

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This video explains why endangered animals become endangered. It explains habitat loss and pollution. Students will use this video to help support their Connect, Extend, and Challenge activity as well as a potential resource for their final project.

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-Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle:

This is a picture visual of an endagnered animal in North Carolina. Students will use this visual source for the See, Think, Wonder activity where they will analyze the photo of the endangered species.

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The State of the World's Sea Turtles | SWOT

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The story starts in the late 1800s in Key West, Florida, which is the former center of the sea turtle industry in the United States. Most of the world's sea turtles had already been identified, but the Kemp's ridley had eluded scientists. Richard Kemp was a businessman and avid naturalist. He had grown up in The Bahamas, where sea turtles were a part of his everyday life. After moving to Key West, just a few blocks from where sea turtles were landed on a daily basis, he became fascinated by a "peculiar" species of sea turtle that did not occur in Bahamian waters but was abundant in the Florida Keys. He sent descriptions and specimens of this new creature to the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, and in 1880 the species was named in his honor because of "the great interest Mr. Kemp takes in the matters pertaining to natural history."

The species now had a name, but the mystery of its biology was just beginning. Kemp noted that it was commonly called the bastard turtle and was thought to be a hybrid between a green and a loggerhead. This belief would stand for the next 58 years, until this peculiar turtle caught the attention of the most famous of sea turtle biologists, Archie Carr.

Archie Carr had just finished his PhD studying Florida reptiles when he was contacted by a colleague who ran a shark fishing business in the Keys. As noted in Archie's 1956 book The Windward Road, this colleague reported that there was an "evil-natured" sea turtle that was flat and gray with a big head and that it would tear up their fishing nets when captured. The locals called it the "ridley," but no one seemed to know the origin of the name. Archie traveled to the Keys in 1938 and saw his first Kemp's ridley with a local turtle fisherman who told him, "We don't know where they lay.... Some say these ridleys is crossbreeds.... They are made when a loggerhead pairs with a green." He also said that "ridleys is always mad.... You can't keep a ridley on its back.... They're crazy; they break their hearts."

Archie noted, "That is how I got to know the Atlantic ridley.... That is how the great ridley mystery started for me."

Unwilling to blindly accept the folklore and notion of a hybrid turtle, Archie spent another two decades unsuccessfully searching for the Kemp's ridley's nesting grounds throughout Florida, The Bahamas, the northern Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. Archie considered the Kemp's ridley to be one of the most mysterious animals in North America, and his eloquent writings set the scene for others who would contribute to the ridley story.

In his book Tales from the Thebaide, Peter Pritchard, a former student of Archie Carr, notes that Archie worried that the great ridley mystery might not end with a bang, but rather with a series of widespread individual nesting reports. In reality, he worried in vain, because the ridley's biology was far more interesting than anyone had ever anticipated.

Solving the riddle of the ridley would require two more individuals. The first was Andrés Herrera, a rancher and businessman from Tampico, Mexico. He was an outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing and hunting, a pilot with his own small airplane, and an amateur 16-millimeter movie photographer. He often flew to fishing sites along the Gulf coast, and during trips to Barra del Tordo (located about 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, north of Tampico), he repeatedly heard that on certain days in the spring, sea turtles would nest by the thousands during the daytime.

Herrera became fascinated with the idea of documenting this amazing biological phenomenon on film. He flew a total of 33 surveys to the area over a two-year period. On June 18, 1947, he hit the jackpot by stumbling upon a large mass nesting event (arribada) in progress, just north of the small town of Rancho Nuevo. He landed his plane on the beach and recorded the famous Herrera film, which not only provides the earliest documentation of the location of the Kemp's ridley nesting beach, but also represents the first documentation of arribada nesting in sea turtles.

Herrera understood the importance of his film as the first documentation of this amazing biological phenomenon, but he did not yet realize its significance in unraveling the Kemp's ridley mystery. For several years, Herrera tried unsuccessfully to market the film to magazines and movie studios, including Life Magazine, Disney, MGM, 20th Century Fox, and RKO. Meanwhile, the answer to the great ridley mystery lay dormant on a closet shelf in Tampico, while scientists continued to search far and wide. Connecting the pieces of this puzzle would require another person who had become fascinated by the great ridley mystery, Henry Hildebrand.

Henry Hildebrand was a college professor specializing in fishery biology at Corpus Christi University in south central Texas. He was a classic field biologist and felt that scientists should learn from nature, not just from books. He was an expert on the biology of the Gulf of Mexico, was fluent in Spanish, and had traveled widely, including many trips to Mexico. His forte as a scientist was his down-home logical approach as he gathered firsthand knowledge from local fishermen about sea turtles and the sea turtle fishery. He had also read Archie Carr's books and articles and was fully aware of the riddle of the ridley; thus he had all the right ingredients to solve the great ridley mystery.

During a field trip to Mexico in 1961, Hildebrand visited the Campo Andrés fishing camp near Barra del Tordo to inquire about sea turtles. The owner of the camp told him that large numbers of sea turtles nested on beaches to the north and mentioned that Andrés Herrera in Tampico had recorded a film of the spectacle. At that point, Hildebrand suspected that the turtles nesting near Rancho Nuevo might be ridleys because they allegedly nested during the day, unlike other sea turtles he knew about. Hildebrand hurriedly wrote a letter to Herrera asking to view the film. Andrés Herrera was elated that the significance of his film might finally be realized, and he immediately sent the film. Hildebrand watched it in amazement; he had found the fabled Kemp's ridley nesting beach and simultaneously discovered an amazing biological phenomenon, the arribada.

Hildebrand showed the film at a scientific meeting that year in Austin, Texas to a captivated scientific audience that included Archie Carr, who had flown from Florida specifically to see the film. To quote Hildebrand's interpretation of Carr's reaction to the film, "He was quite flabbergasted, I'd say for sure."

The mystery of the nesting beach had been solved. Yet at the same time, unbeknown to scientists, the Kemp's ridley was facing its greatest challenge in 6 million years: avoiding extinction. While the scientific community was consumed with the search for the nesting beach, the Kemp's ridley had quickly become the most endangered sea turtle in the world and was on a trajectory toward extinction. The Kemp's ridley's limited distribution and single primary nesting beach made it the most vulnerable sea turtle in the world. Exploitation of eggs at Rancho Nuevo had grown exponentially from local subsistence to commercial scale during the 1950s and early 1960s. This threat accompanied a vast expansion in the Gulf shrimping industry that increased incidental capture and mortality of juvenile and adult Kemp's ridleys.

Fortunately, the Herrera film drew attention to Rancho Nuevo. As scientists visited the beach in the early 1960s, they found that arribadas like the one shown in the Herrera film no longer took place. By 1966, the Mexican government was aware of the situation and sent in a team of biologists accompanied by Mexican marines to protect eggs and nesting females. Despite the Mexican government's best protection efforts at the nesting beaches, the number of nests continued to decline through the 1970s, with the annual number of recorded nests dropping below 1,000 by 1978. The continuing decline sparked intense concern in both Mexico and the United States.

In 1978, multiple U.S. government agencies (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] Fisheries) and the Mexican federal fisheries institute (Instituto Nacional de Pesca) initiated a binational recovery plan that expanded and enhanced beach protection at Rancho Nuevo. The plan also launched one of the greatest scientific experiments ever: to start a secondary nesting colony by transplanting 10 to 20 nests each year from Rancho Nuevo to Padre Island National Seashore in Texas, and then to "headstart" the hatchlings for approximately nine months before releasing them (see SWOT Report, vol. I, 6-7).

Unfortunately, these collaborative efforts were not enough, and the number of nests at Rancho Nuevo continued to decline. By 1985, only 702 nests were recorded, representing 300 or fewer nesting females. Nesting females and hatchlings were being protected, but not enough ridleys were surviving to adulthood because of the thousands of juvenile and adult sea turtles each year that were ensnared in shrimp trawler nets. NOAA Fisheries was acutely aware of the problem, and they developed a solution: the turtle excluder device, or TED. The Kemp's ridley was the flagship species that served as the driving force for implementing TED regulations in 1989. Once implemented, the nondiscriminating TEDs immediately started saving all species of sea turtles in the Gulf and wherever TEDs were used.

The Kemp's ridley story was shaping up to be the ultimate example of how effective conservation can bring a species back from the brink of extinction. After the implementation of TEDs, the species rebounded at a rapid pace, increasing from 702 nests in 1985 to more than 21,000 nests in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, in 2009. Scientists' population models predicted that the exponential growth would continue into the future.

But in 2010, the ridley story once again became a riddle. Nesting numbers dropped precipitously to 13,302 nests in Tamaulipas, a 37 percent decrease from 2009, contrary to what was expected. In 2011 and 2012, the number of nests in Tamaulipas increased to approximately 21,000 nests, suggesting that the population might bounce back to its previous exponential growth rate. Unfortunately, the number of nests per season then exhibited a major downward trend, dropping to approximately 16,000 in 2013 and then to a little over 12,000 in 2014 in Tamaulipas. Had nesting numbers stayed on the exponential trajectory exhibited prior to 2010, nesting numbers would have reached 40,000 nests or more by 2014, a far cry from reality.

The basis of the recent decline is currently speculative, but it is clear that the recovery of the ridley has experienced an unexpected downturn, sending biologists searching for clues. The most obvious possible culprit is the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 (see SWOT Report, vol. VI, 16). An estimated 210 million gallons of oil and 1.84 million gallons of dispersant were released into the northern Gulf of Mexico, a well-documented migratory corridor, foraging ground, and developmental habitat for Kemp's ridleys. But there are other possible factors, such as the major cold-stunning event in 2010 that spanned from Florida to Tamaulipas.

A significant increase in the number of dead stranded ridleys was recorded in the northern Gulf of Mexico during 2010, as might be expected in response to the oil spill and cold stunning, but those increased levels of strandings have remained relatively high in subsequent years. It has been suggested that the recent decline in nesting may simply represent a natural fluctuation in the population, or that the ridley population may be reaching the carrying capacity of the Gulf of Mexico. However, those latter hypotheses are difficult to reconcile with Hildebrand's estimate of 40,000 nests in a single day, observed in the 1947 Herrera film, which suggests the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem historically supported a large population. The simplest explanation for the recent decline is that a combination of factors such as those mentioned earlier may have affected the population and at least temporarily derailed it from its previous exponential recovery rate. If so, the decline represents the loss of possibly a decade's worth of intense conservation efforts.

The basis for the decline has been the focus of intense discussions at recent Kemp's ridley meetings, and scientists are mobilizing to obtain data that may explain the current situation. In the meantime, the Kemp's ridley story continues with yet with another riddle, one that could simply be a bump in the road to recovery or alternatively could threaten the future survival of this critically endangered sea turtle. It is hoped that the continued dedication of scientists and conservationists will provide the answers and, ultimately, ensure the survival of the Kemp's ridley.

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New Riddle in the Kemp's Ridley Saga - The State of the World's Sea Turtles | SWOT

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Kemp's ridleys evaded the notice of scientists until the late 1800s. Once discovered, scientists took nearly 100 years to find out where and how they reproduce. In the past five years, an unexplained precipitous population decline has scientists scrambling to solve yet another riddle, one that will

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The teacher will identify crucial vocabulary that will be used throughout the unit. Then, with the students, the teacher will create a visual that includes the vocabulary. This visual will be displayed in the classroom, and students can refer to it during discussion and instruction.

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Introduction to Endangered Species: Article

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Introduction to Endangered Species: Article

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Students will read an article that introduces endangered species. This will allow them to gain a general knowledge of the topic and prepare them for the unit. After reading, they will organize their thoughts into the main idea graphic organizer. Later, they will use this article for their news paper headline.

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After reading the article about endangered species and filling out the graphic organizer, students will organize their thoughts into a creative Newspaper headline. They will work in partner pairs to use the article and their graphic organizer to come up with a creative headline and drawing about endangered species.

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Students will look at images of endangered species and note what they see, what they think, and what they wonder more about the species.

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Students will analyze what they see in this picture for their OPTIC-al actvity. They then will make guesses on how this helps endangered species (stops deforestation).

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RI.4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

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Guest Speaker Activity: Emoji Reflection

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Guest Speaker Activity: Emoji Reflection

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The teacher will ask students to each pick out three emojis to describe the guest speaker. It could be what they learned or the emotions they felt while she was speaking. In the class Google Slides, students will use emojis to describe what they learned from the guest speaker on their slide. This will also indicate their reactions and feelings about what they learned. The students will have to explain why they picked each emoji.

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Summary

Emojis can be used in a variety of ways to enhance student learning. Students can use emojis to summarize and demonstrate understanding of a topic or text. Additionally, emojis can be used as an annotation strategy or to help students reflect on their own learning. Inserting an emoji into a text can add non-verbal cues that have the capacity to add tone and nuance to the words themselves.

Procedure

1. Curate a gallery of emojis. Follow these steps to create your own gallery of emojis:

1. Open a new Google document.

2. Click on "Insert."

3. Select "Icons."

4. From the available categories, choose the emojis to make up your gallery. See the sample below for an example of what this might look like.

2. After studying a topic or text, provide students with a copy of the emoji gallery and an overarching question or prompt to which you would like students to respond. Invite students to respond to that prompt by choosing a certain number of emojis that express their thoughts. For example, after studying the Declaration of Independence, you could ask students to select three emojis that represent how the British government would react to the Declaration and then three more emojis that represent how the Patriots would respond to the Declaration. You could also ask students to use emojis to summarize the main ideas in the Declaration of Independence or to annotate the text.

3. Ask students to explain why they selected the emojis they used. This may be done in a written format or in a verbal discussion or report.

Wiebe, G. (2019, Sept. 13). Emojis. Cause they're good for kids and fun to use. What's not to like? History Tech. https://historytech.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/emojis-cause-theyre-good-for-kids-and-fun-to-use-whats-not-to-like/

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Authentic lessons, instructional strategies, and engaging activities for 21st Century Learning

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Class Discussion "I used to think, now I think" 

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Class Discussion "I used to think, now I think" 

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Before beginning the lesson about why species become endangered. Students will discuss and answer: "Why do you think species become endangered? After, the teacher will follow up with the question "How do you think species become endangered in our state?" After the lesson, the class will regroup and answer the same questions in the "now I think format."

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After reviewing the different ways animals can become endangered, students will fill out sticky notes with their table group for "Connect, Extend, Challenge." They will connect the lesson with what they arelady know based on the previous lesson or previous knowledge. Then, they will "extend" that knowledge with things they learned from the lesson. After, they will provide something that they challenge, question, or want to learn more from the lesson. Table groups will go around the room after and share their findings.

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Students will walk around the room and view different images of how people can help endangered species. They will take notes on a piece of paper and a clip board. On their paper they will write a brief description or bullet points of what they see and then a title for the image. After students walk around the room, the teacher will visit the different images and ask students for their input about what they wrote down. The class will come to a general consensus of what each strategy is.

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4.L.1 Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations and behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats.

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Endangered Species

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-cause and effect
-change
-behavior

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-interaction
-ecosystem
-species
-geography
-conflict
-community
-resources
-population
-pollution
-endangered
-extinction
-deforestation
-climate change
-habitat

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1. Human interaction through the acquisition of resources disrupts an ecosystem which can lead to climate change and pollution.

2. Deforestation, climate change, pollution, and the acquisition of resources lead to the endangerment of species.

3. Changes in geographical resources and habitats cause endangered species.

4. Human behavior impacts a geographical area by depleting its resources and ecosystems.

5.Humans can help restore endangered species through volunteering, spreading awareness, and changing daily habits.

6.Endangered species are a group of species whose way of life is threatened by the condition of its surrounding environment.

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4.G.1 Understand the role geography has played in the development of North Carolina.

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1. How does human interaction impact an ecosystem?
2. How do pollution, deforestation, climate change, and the acquisition of resources impact a species?
3. How does human behavior change the geographical region of a species?
4. How does a species' population impact an ecosystem?
5.. How are communities impacted by endangered species?

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This is a teacher resource; it is a main idea graphic organizer. Students will use this graphic organizer to organize their thoughts after reading an article. It is one way to check for understanding.

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At the end of the unit, groups of students will use this website to ascertain more information about a specific endangered species in North Carolina. They will use this as a resource for facts in their final poster.

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It's a day to raise awareness for the species we are most at risk of losing. It certainly does not seem like a day to "celebrate" in the traditional sense, particularly when so many North Carolina species - such as Atlantic sturgeon, Carolina northern flying squirrel, red wolf, and bog turtle - are imperiled.

This Endangered Species Day, we will hold conviction and celebration in tension. Conviction to do our part in ensuring endangered species recover. And celebration of the species - such as wild turkey, bald eagle, river otter, wood duck, and certain native pollinator species - successfully restored or kept from endangered status through on-the-ground conservation work and critical wildlife policy.

Spearheaded by NC Senator Thom Tillis and his Democratic co-sponsor Senator Martin Heinrich (NM), RAWA would dedicate $1.4 billion annually toward efforts to help fish and wildlife species in decline, including $97.5 million annually to fund proactive wildlife conservation efforts led by Native American tribes.

In North Carolina, RAWA would help prevent the decline of at-risk fish and wildlife species through efforts to restore habitat, remove invasive species, address wildlife diseases, reduce water pollution and mitigate climate change.
Red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis)
While RCWs take up residence in many types of pine trees, they prefer longleaf pine cavities and feed on insects found on or beneath the bark of the tree. Their abandoned cavities are often used by other wildlife species such as lizards, rodents, and other bird species, making RCWs a keystone species to forest structures. According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), at least 27 species of vertebrates have been documented using RCW cavities.

RCWs typically live in family groups consisting of a breeding pair and up to four offspring who stick around with their parents for years after fledging. These matured offspring are known as "helpers" and participate in a "cooperative breeding system" where they essentially act as babysitters for the nest, incubating and caring for newborn nestling woodpeckers.

Once a common species throughout long-leaf pine ecosystems, the red-cockaded woodpecker is endangered due to the decimation of critical habitat following increased farming practices throughout the state, urbanization, and the failure to utilize prescribed burning as a means to provide essential long-leaf pine habitat for the species. As a result, according to NCWRC , the reduction of suitable habitat has caused the number of red-cockaded woodpeckers to decline by approximately 99% since the time of European settlement. Once considered a common species, the red-cockaded woodpecker now tragically boasts a mere 14,000 estimated remaining birds across eleven states.

The RCW was listed as endangered in 1970 and received ESA protection upon passage of the act in 1973. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the reinstitution of several self-sustained breeding populations of RCWs would meet recovery standards, a goal that has yet to be achieved.
Red wolves (Canis rufus)
Red wolves are one of North Carolina's most popular endangered species among supporters- but also one of the state's most imperiled species and the world's most endangered wild canid.

Red wolves have a historic range from southeastern Texas to southern Pennsylvania. Their thick fur coat is generally light brown with red accents, their namesake color. Though they are often confused with other canid species, they are notably larger than coyotes but smaller than the western gray wolf.

Red wolves are federally listed under the ESA of 1973 and are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). While this level of protection affords red wolves special considerations, it also makes the work of the biologists critically important because species recovery is dependent on the genetic diversity of a limited number of red wolves and the effectiveness of the methods used to increase population numbers. Literally, every red wolf counts.

Red wolf recovery utilizes management techniques such as captive breeding, island propagation, red wolf release, coyote sterilization, and pup-fostering.

Today, according to USFWS, there are approximately 278 red wolves in 49 Red Wolf SAFE (Saving Animals from Extinction) facilities across the country and during the 2021-2022 breeding season, 28 breeding pairs were established and 46 pups were born in captivity - of which 29 survived.

Through the Red Wolf Center, NCWF and USFWS offer educational opportunities and community engagement for the Red Wolf Recovery Program. You can visit the center in person and register to attend red wolf webinars through our website.

In collaboration with USFWS' Partners Program, NCWF rolled out Prey for the Pack, a cost-share program to assist private landowners in making habitat improvements for red wolves and other wildlife on their properties. Any landowners not wanting to apply for the cost-share portion of the program can still support red wolves by becoming a "supporter" and completing a zero-cost agreement.
Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) - when present in inland waters
Atlantic sturgeon are a species of anadromous fish, meaning they spend much of their time in coastal salt water but move along inland freshwater systems to spawn. They are long-distance travelers known to move up to 950 miles in between the ocean and their spawning areas.

Atlantic sturgeon are large fish known to grow up to seven feet in length and to live up to 60 years. They have five rows of protective bony plates called "scutes" and two rows of prenatal shields along their body in addition to a shark-like heterocercal tail, all contributing to their prehistoric appearance. In fact, the species dates all the way back to the dinosaur age and is a member of Acipenseridae, one of the oldest families of fish.

The Atlantic sturgeon population experienced significant declines in the 1900s due to commercial fishing practices, caviar production, and loss of access to their spawning grounds in freshwater systems - largely resulting from dam construction impeding access from coastal waters. Up until the 1800s, the second largest caviar fishery in the US was located in Chesapeake Bay - with lower portions just above the North Carolina-Virginia state line - and utilized unsustainable and largely unregulated harvesting practices. As a result, the Atlantic sturgeon was listed as a federally endangered species in 2012.

The harvest of Atlantic sturgeon is not allowed in North Carolina and any Atlantic sturgeon captured incidental to fishing for other species must be returned to the water alive.

If you encounter a wild sturgeon, please contact the NCWRC's Division of Inland Fisheries at (919) 707-0220. Include the time, date, and location of the encounter, the approximate length of the fish, and a good-quality photograph (showing the mouth and anal fin for species verification).
Carolina northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus)
Their high-elevation population range, combined with their nocturnal behavior, keeps this species hidden and largely unnoticed by human eyes. So hidden, in fact, that the species remained undiscovered until the 1950s. However, it was listed as endangered in 1985, a short 35 years later. Their endangered status came as a result of deforestation and forest fires, which eliminated crucial habitat. The introduction of the invasive balsam and hemlock woolly adelgids further damaged balsam fir and hemlock trees, forcing the squirrels to move to less ideal tree species.

This squirrel species is found in North Carolina, including: Long Hope Mountain, Roan Mountain, Grandfather Mountain, Unaka Mountain, the Black-Craggy Mountains north and east of the French Broad River Basin, and Great Balsam, Plott Balsam, Smoky, and Unicoi Mountains south and west of the French Broad River Basin.
West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)
Often an overlooked North Carolina species, the West Indian manatee, also known as the Florida manatee, is an aquatic that primarily lives in freshwater and brackish marine ecosystems on the coast of the southeast US, where they largely subsist on a diet of underwater grass beds. Related to elephants, they are a very large species and can grow up to 13 feet long and weigh up to 3,500 pounds.

They are considered a seasonal occupant of North Carolina, with most sightings occurring in the latter half of the year, between June and October.

The West Indian manatee has suffered significantly from a combination of habitat loss and collisions with boats. Much of their habitat loss is a result of harmful fertilizer, sewage, manure, and development runoff, which cause algae blooms that are harmful and sometimes even fatal to manatees.

As a species that prefers shallow water habitats, the manatee is at great risk of harm from collisions with boats and other watercraft. Though manatee sightings are rare in North Carolina, it is advised to keep an eye out for manatees when boating in their preferred environments, particularly during the summer season on the coast. In the event that you spot a manatee, be prepared to turn off your boat propeller so as not to accidentally injure the animal.
Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)
Multiple sea turtle species are widely known and recognized as endangered. However, many don't know that the Kemp's ridley is the rarest of all sea turtles, and that more that can be done for their conservation.

Kemp's ridley sea turtles - like West Indian manatees - are seasonal occupants of the North Carolina coast. Spending much of their time hunting for fish and shellfish, they use North Carolina coastal beaches as nesting grounds and are known to return to where they were born.

The Kemp's ridley sea turtle is smaller than most, with a maximum length of two feet and weighing roughly 100 pounds.

They are also a communal species of sea turtle, sometimes coming ashore to nest in large groups, rather than in isolation like most sea turtles. When in Mexico, they may gather by the thousands to lay their eggs in an event known as the arribada (Spanish for "arrival").

Sea turtles rely on historic nesting grounds to lay their eggs, meaning they will return to habitats they have frequented in the past. Because there may be years in between a Kemp's ridley sea turtle's return to a nesting ground, some turtles find that their once welcoming home has been modified in their absence. Nesting sites may become poached or accidentally destroyed by beach vacationers and coastal development. Coastal litter - including nets and fishing gear - also poses a risk of harming sea turtles, often entangling and drowning them.

As a result of these habitat threats, all six species of sea turtle that nest on the shores of the US are listed under the ESA, but Kemp's ridley sea turtle is most at risk. Other species of sea turtle can be found throughout the world's oceans, but the Kemp's ridley sea turtles only nest on a few special beaches - including those on the coast of North Carolina. Though there has never been a recorded arribada, or mass nesting event, the declining population numbers require the protection of the few turtles who nest in isolation or in small groups on the North Carolina coast.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a hotspot for Kemp's ridley sea turtles and, as such, is heavily monitored from May 1st to September 15th, during their breeding season. Unlike most sea turtle species, Kemp's ridley sea turtles often nest during the day, meaning researchers can easily take measurements of the turtles and apply special tags to track both individual turtles and record population data.

If you come across a sea turtle of any kind on your coastal excursions, be sure to maintain a safe distance and report the sighting to the correct authorities. Any interaction with sea turtles could damage nesting sites or cause unnecessary stress to nesting mothers.

You can help endangered species and those of Greatest Conservation Need in North Carolina by helping raise $10,000 by May 31st towards NCWF's Endangered Species May Campaign. Your donation will fund NCWF's conservation policy work, on the ground habitat restoration projects, and public outreach and education of listed species.

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Endangered North Carolina: Taking a look at some of the state's most endangered species, and how you can help - North Carolina Wildlife Federation

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Let's break down of some of North Carolina's most endangered species, and some things you can do to help them.

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At the end of the unit, each group of students will pick an endangered species in North Carolina. They will make a poster identifying the animal, its population, why it is endangered, and what humans can do to help protect their animal. We then will invite Bonnie and another member of her team back into our classroom at the end of the unit to present their posters. Afterward, we will post our posters on the class website and send them to our district representative.

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1. What are some ways humans cause species to become endangered?

2. What does it mean when an animal is "endangered?"

3. What is an ecosystem? A community?

4. How can people help endangered species?

5. What happens when an animal loses its habitat?

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ESS.4.3 Understand changes
caused by human impact on
the environment.

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Students will use this image for the OPTIC-al activity. They will analyze what the people are doing in this picture and how it relates to helping endangered animals.

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1. Do you think there should be punishment for humans harming species?
2. Should North Carolina place restrictions on hunting/plastic items/other things that harm the species?

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Book: Don't Let Them Disappear by Chelsea Clinton

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Book: Don't Let Them Disappear by Chelsea Clinton

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This is a picture book about endangered animals. It is a text resource that can be used during a read aloud to get more information about endangered species.

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Students will use this image for the OPTIC-al activity. They will analyze what the children are doing in this picture and how it relates to helping endangered animals.

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Journal & Topics Media Group - Journal & Topics Media Group | Serving Chicago's Great Northwest Suburbs

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Maggie and Leah run a lemonade stand fundraiser on June 12.
"We are so fortunate to have such a supportive community, filled with generosity and encouragement," said Des Plainesite Bridget Grimaldi, whose 9-year-old daughter Maggie, along with two friends, recently ran a lemonade stand to raise funds for endangered animals.
According to mom Bridget, Maggie Grimaldi has had an interest in saving endangered animals since watching a video at age 3. That emotional video inspired Maggie to do whate...

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DP Pride: Lemonade Stand Supports World Wildlife Fund - Journal & Topics Media Group

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Maggie and Leah run a lemonade stand fundraiser on June 12. "We are so fortunate to have such a supportive community, filled with generosity and encouragement," said Des Plainesite Bridget Grimaldi, whose 9-year-old daughter Maggie, along with two friends, recently ran a lemonade stand to raise funds for endangered animals.

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The teacher will use this book as a read aloud to get students thinking about their own projects and how they can implement change in their own state. This resource will be introduced during the last portion of the unit when the class learns about how to help endangered species.

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"Delivers an eloquent environmental message while demonstrating how kids can change the world through teamwork and perseverance." - School Library Journal A triumphant story of environmental activism, community, and friendship: Acclaimed activist Philippe Cousteau and renowned author Deborah Hopkinson team up to offer a story of the powerful difference young people can make in the world. Meet Viv, who has a new home and a new school by the sea and follow her as she finds her way in a new place and helps bring together a whole community to save the sea turtles of the South Carolina coast.Water Sings Blue . Philippe Cousteau is an award-winning television host, producer, author, speaker, philanthropist, and social entrepreneur. Deborah Hopkinson is the author of many award-winning nonfiction books for young readersFans of

* Explores various important themes like activism, philanthropy, volunteerism, and more
* Features gorgeous watercolor illustrations that are colorful and engaging
* Includes a "Letter to Young Activists" from the author as well as resources to learn more about sea turtles.

* Meilo So is the esteemed illustrator of many books, including Manfish and Water Sings Blue will also enjoy the inspiring storyline and stunning illustrations in Follow the Moon Home .

* Great family and classroom read-aloud book
* Books for kids ages 4-6
* Children's picture books for kindergarten through third grade

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Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles (Children's Story Books, Sea Turtle Gifts, Moon Books for Kids, Children's Environment Books, Kid's Turtle Books)

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Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles (Children's Story Books, Sea Turtle Gifts, Moon Books for Kids, Children's Environment Books, Kid's Turtle Books) [Cousteau, Philippe, Hopkinson, Deborah, So, Meilo] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers.

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Students will use this image for the OPTIC-al activity. They will analyze what the people are doing in this picture and how it relates to helping endangered animals.

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Want to Help Endangered Species? Here's How to Take Action Locally * The Revelator

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Check out this podcast for tips on protecting wildlife and plants in your community, including ideas on where and how you can volunteer.

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Students will use this image for the OPTIC-al activity. They will analyze what the people are doing in this picture and how it relates to helping endangered animals.

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People for Trees " Holden Forests & Gardens

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We are in year three of our People for Trees campaign. Already, more than 10,000 trees have been given away, pledged, and planted by residents of