What About Shady Acres? - A hands-on citizenship simulation activity for Social Studies
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What About
Shady Acres?
A hands-on citizenship simulation
activity for Social StudiesHello!
Thank-you for your interest in our teacher’s guide, What about Shady Acres?
Ranchers, hikers, politicians, developers or environmentalists will all tell you the same
thing: It’s about the land. One of the most important decisions our society can make
concerns how we use the land. Over 6.5 billion humans inhabit the earth and resource
scarcity and land-use decisions are becoming more important than ever. This resource
will guide you are your students through a fun and educational simulation of how
land-use decisions are made, through debate, research and compromise.
Shady Acres was written by Gareth Thomson, illustrated by Ed Carswell and is
produced by the Calgary/Banff Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
(CPAWS). Our mission is to establish new parks and protected areas and ensure that
nature comes first in their management. CPAWS has played a key role in saving almost
40 million hectares of Canada’s spectacular wildlands.
CPAWS Calgary/Banff is the only chapter across Canada to offer formal education
programs. We offer customized workshops and programs for teachers and students on
a variety of topics. For more information, please call 403-232-6686 or visit:
www.cpawscalgary.org/education.
© CPAWS Calgary/Banff 2005. No part of these materials, save the transparencies and
photocopies specifically referred to in the text, may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means without permission of the CPAWS Education Director.
Table of Contents
Activity Page #
What About Shady Acres? 1
The Trouble with Compromise 25
Outdoor Activities 33
Pen Power 36
Getting Connected 38
Take a Stand 42What About Shady Acres? Shady Acres - sounds like a nice place, doesn’t it? This simulation activity is modelled after a controversial land development process that actually took place in the Town of Canmore in 1996 - but it is reminiscent of land development and land use issues that occur throughout Alberta. In this activity, students work through the process of municipal government to decide on the future of Shady Acres; they decide whether to preserve the Shady Acres natural area, an untouched forest that provides shade, peace, and homes for animals; or to create the Shady Acres subdivision, providing much-needed economic development and affordable housing for humans. Or perhaps they’ll find a way to compromise... Time Required Approximately four hours for all six parts - see below. Materials ❏ Make overheads of all graphics contained in this activity ❏ photocopies, as detailed in part II ❏ a hammer or wooden mallet to use as the Mayor’s gavel ❏ sign to sling around your neck that says ‘Mayor’ on one side and ‘Planner’ on the other CPAWS Education Program 1 What about Shady Acres?
Curriculum Tie-Ins
These activities can be used to teach the following Alberta Learning curricula:
Grade 4: Sense of the Land Grade 5: Geography & People
Grade 6: Local Government; Citizens in Descision Making
SS 10: Citizenship in Canada SS 11: Interdependence in Global Environment
SS 12: Political & Economic Systems
Instructions for the Teacher
This lesson will extend over several class periods and can be used as a summary or as an
introduction. It is composed of the following sections:
Part 1 (30 minutes): Introduction of Town Council, description of Shady Acres natural area
and proposed development; first reading of new land use bylaw;
scheduling of Public Hearing
Part 2 (30 minutes) : Discussion: pros and cons of nature and development
Part 3 (50 minutes): Assigning Roles, preparing lobbying and presentation strategies
Part 4 (60 minutes): Public Hearing: presentations in favour of and in opposition to the
proposed bylaw
Part 5: (30 minutes
or more): Decision by Council: Second and Third Reading of the Bylaw
Part 6 (30 minutes): After the decision - group discussion
Part 1:Introduction
1. Tell students that they will be participating in a simulation activity that is very similar to
how decisions actually get made by Local (Municipal) Governments. Tell them that in
this simulation, they all play the part of citizens of Happy Valley, Alberta; but, despite
the name, people in town are not very happy at all! The town is being wrenched apart
by a controversial plan for the Shady Acres area.
Further, tell students that in this activity they will each be asked to take a position on the
future of Shady Acres, and ask them to listen closely as you play the part of the town’s
Planning Officer as you tell them what has happened.
2. Next, select four of your more mature students to play the part of the four municipal
Councillors. Have students sit at five desks at the front of the room, with a full-page
picture of each councillor taped to the desk the students sits in (see the illustration at the
beginning of this activity). Leave the Mayor’s desk vacant for now, telling students that
this seat will be occupied by a “Mystery Mayor.” It’s probably best if you occupy the
Mayor’s seat; but you might wish to invite an actual member of the local Council
(thoroughly briefed on Shady Acres, of course!) to take this chair.
3. Open the proceedings by telling students that the council meeting is about to
CPAWS Education Program 2 What about Shady Acres?commence, and that you, the teacher, will play the part of Planning Officer for the town
of Happy Valley. Put on your Planner sign. Students sitting in the regular part of the
classroom play the part of concerned citizens; the four at the front of the room play the
role of Councillors. Throughout this presentation you, as Planning Officer, should use
objective and value-neutral terms as you address Council.
4. Using an overhead projector, begin the presentation by showing the map entitled “The
Existing Shady Acres natural area”. Point out that...
• the area measures approximately 700 m. by 400 m. wide, covering 28 hectares or
approximately 60 acres.
• Describe the different natural regions found with the area, mention the existence of
fauna and flora, and tell students that recent studies by the Cashman group’s
biologist have shown that most big animals originally found in the area are still here,
including deer and even bear and the occasional cougar.
• This land is currently zoned as Recreational Green Space.
5. Next, use the same neutral tone to describe the map entitled “The Proposed Shady Acres
Subdivision” (as Planning Officer you’re not supposed to have an opinion on this
proposed development). Point out the following to students:
• the 115 residential lots (referred to as Affordable Housing by the developer) the three
sites for commercial development (stores, etc.) and the school and playing fields.
• Point out that about 5% of the original area surrounding the two ponds will be left
undeveloped “because of drainage problems.”
• Tell Council that this subdivision is being proposed by the developer, Leonardo
Cashman, and his financial backers, who have an option purchase this land from the
Province and have applied to rezone the land to Commercial/Residential.
• The bylaw to rezone the land, 98-102, is what Council is being asked to vote on. This
proposed bylaw 98-102 (to change the zoning of the land from Recreational Green Space
to Commercial/Residential) is the all-important change in land use that will determine
the future of this area.
• Council is required to vote on bylaw 98-102 three times. Each vote is called a
“Reading”; the vote for first reading is required to “get the ball rolling” so that
Council can hold a public hearing to collect input from the public before making
their decision. The last vote (“Third Reading”) is the one that makes the change
official.
6. Next, move to the Mayor’s Chair (if you are playing this role) and tell students that for
the rest of this activity you will play the role of Mayor and wear your Mayor sign. Ask
one Councillor to hold up their hand and say
“I move that we give this Bylaw 98-102 first reading, and schedule
a public hearing for... (choose a time two periods away so that
students have time to prepare their submissions to Council).
Emphasize that First Reading is just a formality, that all Council should vote in favour of
CPAWS Education Program 3 What about Shady Acres?the motion, and that they’ll get to do some “real voting” later on!
Once the Councillor has made the motion, say:
“Alright, there’s a motion on the floor. Is there any discussion on
the motion from Council members?” (Allow time for questions
from Council). Then say: “All in favour of the motion” and have
Council vote.
Now you must end your meeting. Following the above procedure ask for a motion to
adjourn, have councillors vote, then say,
This Council will reconvene at [give time].
Case Study:
The Eagle Terrace Development, Canmore, 1996
As mentioned, this simulation activity is modelled after a
controversial land development process that actually took place
in the Town of Canmore in 1996. Eagle Terrace Development
purchased environmentally important land in Canmore and
asked Council for the right to develop more than 90% of the
area. After a difficult process that polarized the community,
Council voted to allow development on just under half the area
- and through negotiations with the developer, had the
remaining undeveloped land protected through a Conservation
Easement.
Was this a win-win situation, or did just one side of the debate
win? Ask students for their thoughts.
CPAWS Education Program 4 What about Shady Acres?Part 2: Discussion: pros and cons of nature and
development
1. Have Councillors return to their normal seats and, as a group, brainstorm the pros and
cons of Shady Acres natural area as it currently exists. This activity serves as an excellent
review (or introduction) to the Grade 6 Science unit “Trees and Forests.”
2. Ask the students to help you come up with as many reasons as possible why our society
should seek to preserve Shady Acres (and other similar areas). Answers might include
the following:
• provides free ecosystem services (e.g. it is a source of fresh air and clean water
• provides animal habitat
• ‘makes you feel good to be there’ (e.g. provides peace and tranquillity, and relaxation
to human visitors)
• so much of nature has already been developed, and this is what is left
A number of activities suitable for exploring nature with your class are provided in the
Going Outdoors activity.
3. Ask the students to help you come up with as many reasons as possible why our society
commonly ends up developing areas such as Shady Acres. Answers might include the
following:
• growing human population in the area, and their need for homes
• development interests who meet this demand and generate profit in the process
• people’s expectations of a certain quality of life and style of accommodation (e.g.
single family residential homes are desirable in our society)
• ignorance of the importance and value of natural areas
Part 3: Assigning roles and preparation of presentations
1. Assign different roles to different groups in class. You’ll need to prepare the following:
❏ one photocopy of the attached page entitled “Description of Roles”
❏ eight photocopies of the page entitled “Preparing for your Presentation”
❏ one photocopy of the Regional Map that shows the nearby wildlife refuge and national
park.
2. Ask students to brainstorm what kind of different groups might be found in town that
might organize to speak in support of, or in opposition to, the proposed bylaw. Write
these on the board.
Assign different roles according to the “Description of Roles” page, and give each group
a copy of the page entitled “Preparing for your Presentation”. Give the Regional Map to
CPAWS Education Program 5 What about Shady Acres?the group representing CPAWS.
Tell students:
“As you will recall, there is a public hearing date scheduled
for (give time). Each of your groups will have to present to Council
at this time and speak in support of or in opposition to the
proposed bylaw. For example, if you are a group that is opposed to
the bylaw, it will be your job to convince Council that they should
NOT proceed with the proposed bylaw, but instead rezone the
entire area to a higher level of protection, such as Municipal
Parkland (write this term on the board).
“Use the sheet entitled “Preparing for your Presentation” to
help do this. These sheets will be handed in so I can check to
make sure you are ready to present to Council, as Council’s time is
important”.
3. Put up the overheads of the Council profiles. Tell students:
“You are encouraged to lobby the Councillors before and during
the Public Hearing. To help you, I’ve done some homework on
these four individuals that you might find useful”.
Read each profile to the group, and ask them to predict which way they will vote and
what arguments might sway each Councillors’ decision. Post the Councillor profile
pages in the classroom for easy reference.
4. The remainder of the planning time is devoted to preparation and filling in of the
“Preparing” sheet. During this time, Council members should think about how they feel
about this bylaw, given what they stand for and their personal values; and also wander
through the classroom to get a sense of what the “community thinks about this issue.”
Allow 15 minutes near the end of class for some intensive lobbying of Council members!
Note regarding the Regional Map: the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS)
group should be introduced to this map and its significance. Sometimes natural areas
are important for more than just the animal habitat that is found there. This map
illustrates the regional importance of the Shady Acres area, as it allows some larger
animals to travel back and forth between the wildlife refuge and the national park.
Shady Acres therefore acts as a wildlife corridor connecting the two parks. During their
presentation, CPAWS should point out that this is why some large animals (bears and
cougar) have been seen here, and that development of this area would eliminate this
corridor. Animals would be trapped in the wildlife refuge and the local extinction
(“extirpation”) of some of the bigger animals would occur in the wildlife refuge because
of the development on the Shady Acres property.
CPAWS Education Program 6 What about Shady Acres?Part 4: Public Hearing
1. Have Councillors take their seats. The position of the Mayor is taken by you; your job
is to run the meeting, and you get one vote, just the same as all other members of
Council.
2. Open the public hearing by saying:
“As Mayor, I now call the public hearing to order.” The bylaw to
rezone the land, 98-102, is what Council is being asked to vote on.
This proposed bylaw 98-102 (to change the zoning of the land from
Recreational Green Space to Commercial/Residential) is the all-
important change in land use that will determine the future of this
area. If Council votes in favour of this bylaw, then this land will
become developed.
Continue by reading verbatim the page entitled “Public Hearing Procedure”. Then, ask:
“Is there anyone here prepared to speak in support of the proposed
bylaw?”.
Have each group raise their hands and let them each take a maximum of 5 minutes to
state their case. You may wish to enforce this strictly and give each group a 30 second
warning, as this is common practice in Public Hearings; or you may wish to be more
lenient than this). During all presentations, the gallery (i.e. the rest of the class) must
remain silent. Ask that all Councillors and class members take notes on each
presentation. Following each presentation, Council members are allowed to ask
questions of each presenter.
3. Next, ask:
“Is there anyone here prepared to speak in opposition to the
proposed bylaw?”
Have each group raise their hands and let them each take 5 minutes maximum to state
their case. As the CPAWS delegation has a bit of a surprise in store (the Regional Map)
you may choose to have them speak last.
4. After all submissions are completed, declare the public hearing over, tell everyone that
Council will reconvene to discuss their thoughts in an open Council meeting (tell
students when this will be) and call for a motion to adjourn. One Councillor must raise
their hand and say: “I move that Council adjourn” and then all members of Council vote
in agreement. Remind all students who play the role of Councillors that they must try
to remember to stay in their roles as they make their decisions on this issue.
CPAWS Education Program 7 What about Shady Acres?Part 5: Decision by Council
1. Reconvene Council members, caution the members of the gallery that they must remain
silent unless Council asks to hear from them, and say “I now call this meeting to order.
We are here to discuss the proposed bylaw 98-102, a bylaw proposed to change the
zoning of the Shady Acres area from Recreational Green Space to Commercial/
Residential, in order to create the Shady Acres subdivision. I’d like to hear from each
member of Council on whether or not they support this bylaw.
2. Allow each Councillor to state their position on the issue. Request that they “address
themselves to the chair” (that’s you!) - i.e., speak to you and other members of Council,
not to the whole room.
3. Next, ask:
“Do any Councillors wish to make a motion?”.
` This is the chance for, perhaps, Bert Suitman to say
“I move that Council approve bylaw 98-102”
or for Bill Greenaway to say
“I move that Council reject Bylaw 98-102, and request our planners
to prepare a new bylaw to rezone the Shady Acres area to
Municipal Parkland, in order that this area be preserved forever.”
If a Councillor makes a motion, say:
“There is a motion on the floor by Councillor (name) - is there any
discussion on that motion?”
This is a chance for Councillors to reiterate their position, and try to convince the
Council colleagues to vote the same way as them.
4. The chance to compromise. Before the vote takes place (or ideally, before there is even a
motion on the floor), you in your role as Mayor should make a short statement about
how damaging you feel this whole process has been to the community, with different
factions pitting themselves against each other. Tell the whole group that you have a
compromise to propose that will give each side at least some of what it wants.
Again as Mayor, show the overhead entitled: The Proposed Shady Acres Subdivision - A
COMPROMISE. Tell students that your line, which divides the area in half, would allow
animals to continue to travel between the wildlife refuge and the national park. It would
also allow development to occur on the southern half of the property. Note that the
roadways would have to be realigned, but this is just a detail). The dividing line goes
CPAWS Education Program 8 What about Shady Acres?through two of the three lakes, allowing people desirable places to live along half of the
shoreline while allowing wildlife access to the other half.
At the conclusion of your presentation, you can do one of two things...
1. If there is already a motion on the floor, you can make a motion to amend the
exist motion to incorporate your compromise. Then Council as a group
would have to vote twice: once to amend the exiting motion, and then (if that
vote passes) to accept the existing motion as amended.
2. If there is no motion on the floor, then make a motion! Say
“I move that Council adopt Bylaw 98-102, as amended by this drawing.
Motion on the floor - is there any discussion on this motion?”
At this point you may also wish to allow some of the citizen groups in the gallery to
comment on your proposed motion.
5. How will the vote go? You won’t know until it is all over! (Remember - sometimes
Mayors can lose a vote too!) After a suitable length of discussion time amongst Council
members, you should say:
“We have had enough time to discuss this motion. The motion on
the floor is... (repeat the wording). I’m now going to call the
question. If you wish to vote in favour of the motion, please do so
with a show of hands.
(Have Councillors vote here). “All members of Council opposed to this motion? (Have
Councillors vote). Remember that you, the Mayor, have to vote as well - it might be that,
as the fifth voter, you end up casting the deciding vote!
6. You just voted on second reading. If the bylaw was defeated, the activity ends here. If
second reading of the bylaw was given (i.e. Council voted in favour of the original or
amended bylaw) you’ll need to quickly repeat the voting process: ask a Councillor if
they are willing to move Third Reading of Bylaw 98-102. After the vote, ask if there is
any further discussion on the motion. There usually is none at this stage. Call the
question (i.e. have Council vote) once again.
7. As Mayor, you can then summarize the decision of Council in laymans’ terms, and
conclude with a few well-chosen remarks. It is appropriate at this time that you address
the gallery (.e. the rest of the class) who doubtless who will be feeling left out right about
now!. Last, call for a motion to adjourn the Council meeting, and vote on this motion.
The last thing you get to say as Mayor is
“I declare this meeting adjourned!”
Ask Councillors to return to their seats.
CPAWS Education Program 9 What about Shady Acres?Part 6: After the decision - group discussion
1. After the vote, ask all students who were involved in this process - as Council members
or as part of a group giving submissions - what they thought about the process. Some
useful discussion questions are given below:
• Did you agree with the final decision?
• Would you vote again for all these Councillors if there were an election tomorrow?
• Did you think that the meeting was well run by the Mayor?
• Was this a good democratic process?
• What will happen to all the plants that live in that part of the forest that is due to
become developed? What about the animals?
All the plants will die. Similarly, although the animals will move away from the
development, they have no place to move to - just as there are no vacant human homes
just sitting there that we can move into if our home disappears, there is no vacant habitat
in nature. Without habitat to live in, the animals in this area will also die.
• Do you think the northern half of Shady Acres (or whatever part of the area Council
decided to save from development) has been saved forever?
This last question is an interesting one. The bylaw that this council passes to maintain
some land as Recreational Green Space could readily be reversed by the next Council to
be elected, if the new Council turns out to be a very “pro-development” Council, or if
priorities change. In this scenario, more natural area would be lost.
The activity entitled The Trouble with Compromise is an important one, and it is highly
recommended that you go through it with students. It shows how the process of
incremental development means that even a well-intentioned compromise doesn’t
always work in the long term - and it also gives a number of solutions and action items
for students.
Students should realize that all laws can always be overturned by another group later
on. The best way to try to avoid this happening would be for someone like Councillor
Bill Greenaway to pass another motion to get the province and/or the federal
government to also protect this area; and to have a group like the Canadian Nature
Conservancy ºbuy a Conservation Easement on this land, which would mean they
would buy the rights of the landowner to develop the land. This concept of
“overlapping layers of legal protection” makes subsequent development of this land
more difficult, if not impossible.
CPAWS Education Program 10 What about Shady Acres?Councillor Bert Suitman
Councillor Bill Greenaway
Councillor Barbara Homebody
Councillor Susan Justright
Mayor of Happy Valley
Preparing for your Presentation The name of my group: _____________________________________ How we feel about the proposed bylaw (to develop Shady Acres): ❏ in support of the bylaw (i.e., we’d like to see a housing development) ❏ opposed to the bylaw (we’d like to see the park preserved as it is right now) Which Councillor(s) we need to lobby, and what we plan to say. _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ The strategy we will use to get what we want is... _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ Who will do our 5 minute presentation to Council: _________________________ What overheads or other visual aids will you use? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ CPAWS Education Program 16 What about Shady Acres?
Description of Roles
(cut along the crop lines and distribute to each group)
Shady Acres Development Friends of Shady Acres
Group
Your group, only recently created,
represents all those people who live
Your group consists of Leonardo
close to the natural area, use the area for
Cashman and his financial backers who
recreation, and disagree with the
have invested their money to buy this
proposed development.
property so that it can be developed.
Happy Valley Chamber of Happy Valley Girl Guides
Commerce and Boy Scouts
Your group represents business Your group represents all members of
interests who feel that continued the scouting movement who regularly
economic growth and development is use Shady Acres to earn their camping
the only way to keep the community and birdwatching badges.
healthy and prosperous.
Canadian Parks and Happy Valley Affordable
Wilderness Society, local Housing project
chapter
Your group represents all those people
who hope to create subsidized housing
Your group represents those concerned
in town and keep house prices at an
with preserving wildlife habitat and
affordable level.
protecting wilderness areas.
Happy Valley Happy Valley Fish and
Urban Development Game Club
Institute
Your group represents hunters and
fishers who regularly use Shady Acres
Your group represents all those people
for hunting and fishing.
who are involved in the development
industry: real estate agents, land
developers, etc.
CPAWS Education Program 17 What about Shady Acres?Public Hearing Procedure
(Note: these are the procedures actually used by
the Town of Canmore, Ab.)Profile of Profile of
Councillor Councillor
Susan Justright Barbara
Homebody
Susan is famous for
wanting everything to Barbara is a
be ‘just right’. She is birdwatcher, even
the local bank though she is quite
manager in Happy short-sighted and doesn’t know her birds
Valley. Because of her leadership, her very well (to her, everything is either a
bank gives money to support the local Robin Redbreast or a Jenny Wren).
women’s shelter. Susan was elected She likes the environment, but is a little
because she promised to help Happy upset with Bill Greenaway, who built his
Valley with its finances, and to help house in a subdivision located on land
create affordable housing in town. She where she used to ride her horse. She
is a girl guide leader and takes girl has several children who have grown up
guides camping in Shady Acres. and left home, and was elected because
she promised to use the skills she
gained through motherhood to help run
the town. She has not yet decided how
she feels about the proposed
development.Profile of Profile of
Councillor Councillor
Bill Bert Suitman
Greenaway
Bert is one of the
Bill is just about nicest people in
the greenest guy town, which is one
you’ll ever meet! reason his business
He recently built does so well (Bert
Happy Valley’s first environmental home, sells cars and also works part time as a
complete with energy efficient light bulbs real estate agent). He believes in
and composting toilets. He believes that keeping people happy in Happy Valley
Happy Valley runs the risk of growing too by stimulating the economy, providing
big, and that the town will start losing the playing fields and gyms, and keeping
things that make it a great place to live - house prices low so that the long-term
like a small-town friendly feel, and residents aren’t forced to move away.
abundant clean air and fresh water. He Bert was President of the Happy Valley
also believes in social justice and Chamber of Commerce for many years,
helping the poor. Bill and Bert commonly and only stepped down to become a
end up voting differently on the issues. Councillor. Bill and Bert commonly end
up voting differently on the issues.The existing Shady Acres natural area
The Proposed Shady Acres Subdivision
Protect this
t
area as a park
Allow
development
to proceed
The Proposed Shady
Acres Subdivision
- A COMPROMISERegional map of the Proposed Shady Acres Subdivision (showing how it would separate a national park and a wildlife refuge) Significance of the Regional Map: Sometimes natural areas are important for more than just the animal habitat that is found there; this map illustrates the regional importance of the Shady Acres area, as it allows some larger animals to travel back and forth between the wildlife refuge and the national park. Shady Acres therefore acts as a wildlife corridor connecting the two parks. During your presentation, CPAWS should point out that this is why some large animals (bears and cougar) have been seen here, and that development of this area would eliminate this corridor. Animals would be trapped in the wildlife refuge and the local extinction (“extirpation”) of some of the bigger animals would occur in the wildlife refuge even though no development would occur there; extirpation would occur because of the development on the Shady Acres property.
The Trouble with Compromise...
Compromise. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? What good Canadian wouldn’t want to
compromise? Well, when you’re dealing with land, compromise can lead to incremental
development, which - despite our best efforts - can eat away at the natural ecosystems that
provide us with things such as fresh air and clean water. Here’s how it works...
Time Required
40 minutes
Materials
Make overheads of all graphics contained in this activity
Instructions for the Teacher
1. This lesson works best when it follows What About Shady Acres?, a simulation activity
in which students strive to make a decision on whether to turn the Shady Acres natural
area into the Shady Acres subdivision.
Remind students about the Shady Acres process, and revisit the decision eventually
made by the Town Council. They may well have reached a compromise - and if no
compromise was reached, propose a hypothetical compromise that might have taken
place. For instance, they might have decided to just develop the southern part of the
property, leaving the entire northern section of the property intact so that animals can
travel between the wildlife refuge and the national park.
2. Show students the series of overheads
on the following pages. Although the
graphics are relatively self-
explanatory, use the following
comments to help you interpret these
diagrams to your students.
Overhead #1: A development proposal
for a natural area.
Ask students what animals are shown in
this image (bear and deer). Ask them if
they see the developer (bottom right
corner) - and ask them if they think the
developer is a bad person. Students should
realize that, although the developer stands
to profit from developing this land, they are
also meeting a need for humans for more
housing.
CPAWS Education Program 25 What about Shady Acres?Overhead #2: A compromise is reached with the land manager. Ask students what a “land manager” is. (Usually this is a local, provincial, or government body that is put in charge of public land). Ask students if any animals have disappeared from the diagram (the bear has - this represent the fact that the area is no longer large enough to support a population of bears in the long term). Ask the students if, despite this, they feel okay with the compromise that has been reached. Overhead #3: 20 years later... Ask students if they were expecting this. If they are like adults, the answer is “Probably not!” Also, ask them if after 20 years some people might have forgotten about the original decision to develop half the total area. (Yes, 20 years is a long time, and people might have forgotten). Ask students what they think is going to happen next. Overhead #4: ... and another compromise is reached Ask students why the newer houses are more closely packed together (there is now less room to put these houses). Also ask students if they think people in the original subdivision were grumpy about losing half of their park (probably - but some of them might have thought ‘change is inevitable’). Introduce the concept of ‘quality of life’ (define this if necessary) and ask students if they think people’s quality of life is declining in this area. This is a very subjective term - but there certainly is less green space for people to enjoy, and the benefits that can be obtained from ecosystems - such as fresh air and clean water - are now lessened). This phenomenon is known as ‘incremental development’. Write this term on the board and analyse its meaning with the students. This is development which proceeds in an area over a long period of time, in which development - a hotel here, a small subdivision there - proceeds in increments or stages to gradually remove undeveloped land from the area. Humans tend not to notice small changes in our environment or quality of life, especially if they occur over a long period of time! This phenomenon is also called the Boiling Frog Syndrome: a frog when placed in a gradually heating pot of water is not equipped to notice the fact that the water is gradually warming over time, and will eventually die as the water reaches boiling - even though it could jump out of the pot at any time. Ask students: Do you think that growth and development are inevitable? Overhead #5: ... 20 years later Ask students if they have noticed a pattern! Ask them what they think the future of this area will be once house construction has finally ceased. Overheads #6 and 7: Introduce the empowering concepts of possible, probable, and preferred futures, using the last two overheads. Define the following for students: A possible future is one of a myriad of possibilities; a probable future is one that is likely to take place if present trends continue; and a preferred future is one that we would like to have happen CPAWS Education Program 26 What about Shady Acres?
Discussion
Remember to ask students if the overhead entitled ‘Preferred Future’ is truly the one they
would prefer. Some students might wish for a little more green space in this drawing!
Ask them what things they would need to do now in order to achieve a preferred future that
includes substantial green space and natural habitats for humans and animals alike to enjoy.
Some ideas are given below.
Notes:
1. the CPAWS activity Guide Inventing the Future is full of activities that teach about
futures.
2. Most of Alberta has been transformed from wilderness to human-dominated uses. The
fertile plains have been especially affected in this manner, while the rocky mountains -
more difficult for humans to live and grow crops in - are as yet undeveloped. To quote
biologist Dr. Paul Paquet on the topic of further protection of land that is not yet
developed: “As far as land goes we do not hope to protect the best of the best: we hope
only to protect the best of the last”.
Solutions
• Help protect natural areas. When making decisions about land use, decide on the
future of an area, and think of ways to make that future come true. For example, after
the first compromise was reached (the one that resulted in half the total area being
developed and the other half still natural), the land manager could well have decided to
take the undeveloped - and unprotected - area and turn it into an official protected area
which would never be developed. (See the CPAWS activity Pen Power).
• Be proactive, not reactive. Both this activity and Shady Acres were started by a
developer proposing to develop land, forcing environmental groups into a reactive
position. How would things have been different if it had been an environmental group,
instead of a developer, proposing that the entire area be preserved from development?
CPAWS attempts to take this proactive approach in its attempts to create more parks and
wilderness areas in Canada.
• Practice democracy. People elected to represent us make regularly make decisions that
affect us. For democracy to work, students should get used to the idea of keeping track
of what our politicians are doing, and look for ways to hold politicians accountable for
their actions and to regularly input into the decision-making process. As the saying
goes: “We get the government that we deserve.” See the CPAWS activity, Pen Power.
• Lifestyle. All of the nice things that students have - from washing machines to light
bulbs to skateboards to a new bicycle every few years - have an environmental cost
associated with them. This cost is shown not just with houses, as in the example shown
here, but with mines, power generating plants, clearcuts, etc. Living ‘more lightly on
CPAWS Education Program 27 What about Shady Acres?the land’ lessens the pressure on natural ecosystems, letting them survive longer (or
perhaps forever!). (See the CPAWS activity How We’re Connected).
• Lifestyle part II: Housing choices. Consider whether every family needs to live in a
single-family dwelling with a big backyard. Many cultures, such as most cultures in
Europe, accept small apartments or row housing as a standard. These styles of housing
are much less wasteful in terms of land area and natural resources such as electricity and
building materials.
• Think carefully about human population. The growth of humans on the planet - we
currently have a population of 6.5 Billion - is seen by many to be the root of all environmental
problems.
CPAWS Education Program 28 What about Shady Acres?CPAWS Education Program 32 What about Shady Acres?
Outdoor Activities
...And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the wind longs to play with your hair.
Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
On average, Canadians spend only 4% of each day outdoors (Gov’t of Canada’s Green Plan,
1991). Yet humans need nature. Not only does it provide us with essential ecosystem
services, it also helps us relax and feel peaceful and aware and alive - all of which are
marvelous experiences to accompany and enrich our teaching!
Materials
For outdoors activities you’ll need
❏ to remind students to dress appropriately
❏ clipboards and writing materials for each student
A Special Place
1. Tell the students about a special place in your life. This could be a favourite spot on one
of your favourite walks, or a special hiding place that you had when you were the same
age as your students. (It needn’t be outdoors either, although these special places
usually are!)
CPAWS Education Program 33 What about Shady Acres?2. Tell your students that you are about to take them to a large natural area that is one of
your very special places. Choose a pleasant, calm area - preferably within walking
distance of the school.
3. At the area, invite students to spread out and find a place that they like or feel is special.
Remember to set a boundary on how far they can go. Have them sit in their special spot
and write about how that spot makes them feel - this could be a drawing, a poem, or a
few paragraphs.
4. Ask the students:
• What do you like most about nature? How does it make you feel?
Students may tell you that nature makes them feel good, or relaxed; they may tell you
that they find nature to be pleasant or enjoyable. Humans need to experience nature not
only because it is essential for our survival (see the SOS activity Endangered Species - so
what’s the Big Deal?) but also because nature makes us feel good!
Mini-trail
This is an exercise in imagination! Each student requires a 3 m length of string, a dozen
toothpicks, and a magnifying glass (optional). Take the students to an area where the
vegetation is varied: bushes, trees, tufts of grass, rocks, etc. Tell the students about
interpretive trails and how they are used. Then, ask students to put together an interpretive
trail for an imaginary friend who is new to the area - and is only one centimeter high.
Tell them to find a spot in their area and, using the string as a pathway, mark points of
interest along the pathway with their toothpicks. You may wish to model this for your
students: have them get down on their hands and knees and look closely at the variety of
things that comprise the “story” of your trail. Encourage students to narrate their trails to
you, to other adult volunteers, or to their peers. You may wish to have the students draw a
picture or write a description of their favourite “toothpick stop.”
The Observation Game
The Observation Game shows students that, when they take the time to really look, amazing
things can appear before their eyes. Have the class surround an object of interest - a stump,
perhaps, or a tree trunk, bush, or fallen log - and have them observe as much as they can for
thirty seconds. Then have them turn so that their backs are to the object and quiz them about
its details: what colours did they see, what types of insects, what was the shape of the leaves,
etc. You may decide to let them have a second chance at observing the object and then quiz
them again.
CPAWS Education Program 34 What about Shady Acres?Viewing Party Tell the students that the following activity is an adaptation of a Japanese ceremony, in which the participants spend time together in a natural area, simply sitting together in silence and appreciating nature’s gifts. Tell the class to follow you silently for a few minutes to an area (out of sight of any human development, if possible) that offers a feast for the senses. When you get there, have the students sit comfortably within a short distance of one another, facing in the same general direction. Together you can spend the next 10 to 15 minutes silently using your senses to help you enjoy the natural place; a spicy drink (the Japanese use plum wine!) served by the leader midway through the ceremony helps engage the participants’ sense of taste. After the viewing party, allow time for students who may want to share with the group some of the feelings they felt or some of the things they observed. Magic Spot activity At an attractive spot, ask students to find themselves a spot to sit (within earshot of you) where they can’t see anyone else. Participants will sit in silence for “ten or fifteen minutes”. Encourage them to use all their senses to take in the area. You may wish to give students a question to help them focus: “How does this area make me feel?” Discussion - Talking Stick . Call the group back with pre-arranged signal and then do a “Talking Stick” activity: only he or she who holds that stick can talk. Ask students to share ‘one thing they noticed, or something they felt”. Stick can go around the circle multiple times. CPAWS Education Program 35 What about Shady Acres?
Pen Power
As someone once said: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Many teachers commonly ask
students to write and send a letter that expresses how they feel about nature or particular
environmental issues to local decision-makers.
Send CPAWS copies of your letters so we can feature your class on our Awesome Action
webpage at www.actionchallenge.ca
“Without action, environmental education is just talk, talk, talk....”
(source unknown)
Instructions for the Teacher
Tell the students that, now that they have studied natural areas and local governments, the
time has come to do something to help preserve nature.
The CPAWS Education Director was once... a municipal politician! Here’s what he has to say
about the power of letters:
When I was on Canmore Town Council, we paid close attention to letters that we received -
especially when they were from children, and especially if they were from smart, well-
informed children! We used to calculate that for every letter we received, there were
probably a hundred others out there who felt the same way - but never cared quite enough to
write. So we treated each letter as a message from a much larger group of people, and dealt
with each letter carefully.”
If you aren’t aware of any upcoming land use issues or decisions in your area, contact a local
environmental
group or Town
Councillor, and
have someone
come and present
to your group
about this issue.
Then have your
well-informed
students write their
opinions about this
issue.
CPAWS Education Program 36 What about Shady Acres?CPAWS’ tips for
writing effective letters
Keep the following tips in mind as you write your letter:
❏ state your purpose for writing
❏ make a very specific request
❏ tell them about what you’ve been studying, mention any
outdoor field trips, and state how you feel about the issue
❏ if you have made any commitments to lessen your
environmental impact, consider mentioning them
❏ check to make sure that the person you’re sending the letter to
the right person. Ask yourself if the letter should be copied to
anyone else.
❏ if possible type your letter, using a business letter format -
however a neatly handwritten letter can be just as effective.
❏ be honest: include only necessary and truthful facts
❏ be concise, brief, and organized. It would be nice if your letter
fits onto one page
❏ be courteous: there is no harm in being polite
❏ ask for a reply
❏ check your letter before sending it: edit, revise, check for
spelling and grammar
❏ keep a copy for your records
❏ SEND a copy to CPAWS for our Awesome Action webpage
CPAWS Education Program 37 What about Shady Acres?How We’re Connected
It’s easy to look outwards, to try to fix blame on others who you think might be at fault -
whether we’re referring to endangered species or to other things in life. In this activity
students are encouraged to take a hard look at the impacts of their lifestyles on the
environment...
Materials
❏ overhead projector and screen
❏ overhead of two graphics: the ‘thinking boy,’ and Effective Environmental Consumer
Choices
Instructions for the Teacher
1. Ask the students:
• Name some of the things you use in your daily life. These could be food, water,
toys, school materials, etc.: anything that touches your hands during a typical day.
Record this list on the board without comment.
2. Ask the students to define the word “need”, and ask each student to use it in a
sentence.
3. Ask the students to define the word “want”, and ask each student to use it in a
sentence.
4. Go through the list of words on the board and circle those items that students agree
that they all feel they actually need in order to survive (needs are things that are
required to sustain life: these should be variants of food, water, shelter, air, and
space). Are there any needs that aren’t included? (for example, students may feel
that love, family, etc. may constitute needs). If so, add them to the list and circle
them. Tell the students that the items not circled should be those things that are
nonessential wants.
(television, bicycle, VCR, etc.).
5. Next, ask the students for their assistance in circling all of those needs that a wild
animal also has. Students should realize that most wildlife uses only the basics -
unlike most of us humans. Show students the graphic of the thinking boy. Ask
students:
• What do you think the boy is thinking about?
Students should realize that this individual has made a connection between his
lifestyle (as shown by all the goods surrounding him) and the impacts of his lifestyle
on nature (as shown by the homeless elk, the clear-cut forest, and the belching
CPAWS Education Program 38 What about Shady Acres?How We’re Connected CPAWS Education Program 39 What about Shady Acres?
smokestacks of the plant generating electricity.
Ask students to focus on the items inside the thought bubble. Ask them:
• Think about the people who cut down the forest or who are operating the plant. Are
they bad people?
No! They are simply employed in businesses whose job it is to provide things like paper
and electricity to people like... school students!
• What do you think the environmental cost is of all the "wants" that you identified?
This may be the hardest question that you have ever asked them! It is difficult to
calculate the environmental cost of, say, building a television set. Have students
imagine where the metal came from (probably a mine). The plastics were using oil
resources, and the electricity required to manufacture it and to operate it is generated (in
Alberta) by burning coal - which pollutes the air and creates carbon dioxide, a
greenhouse gas. And of course there are other costs...
The overhead on the following page details which of our consumer activities do the
most harm to environment - and show what things we can do to help.
Tell students that if they want to help nature and to protect endangered species, then
one of the best ways we can do that is to look at your lifestyle - which is
environmentally very costly - and find ways to change our lifestyle to decrease these
environmental costs. This then puts less demand on our environment: less trees are cut,
less coal is burned, etc. For example:
• choose to NOT buy new goods (such as Nintendo or the latest kind of sneakers)
• ride a bike more often, rather than accepting rides
• look for ways to use less paper (the three R’s come in order: reduce consumption,
reuse that which you are forced to consume, and then recycle rather than throw it
in the garbage)
7. Have the students brainstorm to come up with a list of other actions they could do to
help the environment. Suggestions may include education component (i.e. making
posters), collecting information, making phone calls, writing letters, planning a fund-
raising campaign, etc. Keep a record of this list.
8. Ask them if they agree with the statement that ‘Not all actions have equal impact.”
(This statement is all too true!). Ask students which of the suggestions brainstormed
above are truly the most effective in helping the environment. This discussion may
rapidly lead into some evocative and science-based discussion!
Have students examine the overhead entitled Effective Environmental Consumer
Choices. This summarizes an excellent analysis done by scientists on which are our
activities harm the environment most - and what our actions and guidelines for
consumption should be.
9. Have students write a note that begins: "I commit to doing the following to help the
environment..." (Note to the teacher: you might wish to model this for them...)
CPAWS Education Program 40 What about Shady Acres?Effective Environmental Consumer Choices
1. THE MOST HARMFUL
CONSUMER ACTIVITIES
Cars and light trucks
Meat and poultry
Fruit, vegetables, and grains
Home heating, hot water, air conditioning
Household appliances and lighting
Home construction Based on these
Household water and sewage activities, here
are ...
2. ELEVEN PRIORITY ACTIONS FOR CONSUMERS
TRANSPORTATION
1. Choose a place to live that reduces the need to drive.
2. Think twice before purchasing another car.
3. Chose a fuel-efficient, low-polluting car.
4. Set concrete goals for reducing your travel.
5. Wherever practical, walk, bicycle, or take public transportation.
FOOD
6. Eat less meat, and especially red meat.
7. Buy certified organic produce.
HOUSEHOLD OPERATIONS
8. Keep your house size small.
9. Reduce the environmental costs of heating and hot water.
10. Install efficient lighting and appliances.
11. Choose an electricity supplier offering renewable energy.
3. SEVEN RULES FOR
...plus some RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION
general
1. Give special attention to major purchases
guidelines ...
2. Reduce the weight of the things you own
3. Analyse your consumption quantitatively
4. Don’t worry or feel guilty about unimportant decisions
5. Look for opportunities to be a leader
6. Buy more of those things that help the environment
7. Think about non-environmental reasons to reduce consumption
(from The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices; practical advice from the Union of Concerned
Scientists, by Michael Brower Ph.D. and Warren Leon, Ph.D. 1999. Random House, 291 p. ISBN 0-609-80281-X.)Take a Stand
Behind every environmental crisis lurks an issue, and the biodiversity crisis is no exception.
Here, students begin to think critically about some difficult questions and examine their own
values as they “take a stand” on a difficult issue. An exercise in empathetic listening helps
them improve their ability to respect others’ viewpoints...
Instructions for the teacher
1. This activity works best when you as a group have discovered an area of controversy
in your study, and can easily be done in an outdoor setting.
Tell students:
• I am about to make a statement that you may find controversial and may not
necessarily agree with - and that is okay! I’ll repeat the statement once and then will
ask you to physically “take a stand” on how you feel about the statement I’ve made.
2. Designate areas where students are to stand. This can be done in any one of several
ways:
Simply state: “Standing in this part of the room means you strongly agree with the
CPAWS Education Program 42 What about Shady Acres?statement; standing here means you strongly disagree with the statement; and by
standing somewhere between these two points you can show where you stand in the
spectrum.”
This can also be done by hanging signs within an room (indoors) or on a tree limbs
(outdoors) that say “strongly agree”; “somewhat agree”; “no opinion”; “somewhat
disagree’; “strongly agree”. Or you can have students grasp a rope somewhere along
its length, where one end represents “strongly agree” and the other end represents
“strongly disagree.”
3. Make a deliberately controversial statement that you feel will divide the group - and
that ties into your unit of study. Try and use a local example upon which students
may have already developed an opinion. Some examples follow:
• "If a critically endangered species of snail is found to live in (give name of local
subdivision] some other homes in the area should be bulldozed and the area restored to
provide the snail with habitat.”
• “The government should bulldoze all homes and businesses on the outskirts of the
town of Banff to provide for more animal habitat.”
• “If humans don’t have any use for a plant or an animal, then it might as well not
exist in the first place.”
• “All of the remaining old growth forest habitat of the endangered Spotted Owl
should be preserved, even if it means that many loggers and their families end up poor
and on welfare.”
4. After students have taken their stand, emphasize that in this matter there are no right
or wrong positions, since everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Then play the role
of interviewer and ask individuals from different “camps” why they are standing
where they are. Allow students to react to statements made by their peers, and then
tell them that this “clash” of opinions - resulting from people’s different values - is
precisely what makes issues and land use decisions so difficult.
If the Yellowstone to Yukon plan is to be successful, it will be because the majority of
people and groups decide that they value the things that the Y2Y can offer them. The
same holds true for any other plan to protect the environment.
5. Decision-making
Ask the students:
• What would happen if we took a vote on this issue right now?
Obviously, the majority would win! This would be analogous to a binding plebiscite, in
which everyone’s vote counts.
Ask the students who lost the vote how they feel, and tell them that you are about to
learn a little about another way of decision-making.
CPAWS Education Program 43 What about Shady Acres?You can also read
