Polar Bears in Jeopardy

Global warming is melting the polar ice caps, robbing the bears of the ice floes they need to hunt prey. Forced to fast for longer periods, polar bears will become too thin to reproduce and many scientists predict they could become extinct by the end of this century. At the same time, their natural habitat is under increasing assault from expanded development

TASKS

1. Discuss:

• What are the consequences of global warming on the polar bear?
• The polar bear is the most polluted animal. What do you think, is the reason for that?
• What is the "development" that harms the polar bear habitat?
• If the polar bear went extinct, what would be the consequences?

2.

Rewrite the first two sentences using relative clauses instead of the participles.

Gorillas and cell Phones

Toronto Zoo has a cell phone drop off program called "Phone Apes". If you decide to take your class for a visit there,maybe you'll find this material useful not only to teach the language, but to instill some Earth watcher's ideas along.
Conservationists point out that recycling cell phones protects landfills from the many potentially hazardous chemicals found in the phones, including antimony, arsenic, copper, cadmium, lead, and zinc.

But cell phones also include coltan, a mineral extracted in the deep forests of Congo in central Africa, home to the world's endangered lowland gorillas.

Fueled by the worldwide cell phone boom, Congo's out-of-control coltan mining business has in recent years led to a dramatic reduction of animal habitat and the rampant slaughter of great apes for the illegal bush-meat trade.

"Most people don't know that there's a connection between this metal in their cell phones and the well-being of wildlife in the area where it's mined," said Karen Killmar, the associate curator of mammals at the San Diego Zoo.

Mystery Things

1.
They are called "monarchs of the mist".
They are the highest of all living things on earth although they grow from seeds not larger than tomato seeds.
They were far more spread during the age of dinosaurs. Their fossils have been found in Asia,Europe and North America. Now their natural range is reduced to a belt 35 miles wide and 450 miles long, from extreme southern Oregon to Monterey County, California.


2. It looks like a mass of dead leaves, moldy fungus or a termite's nest when you see it high up in a tree,hanging upside down. It lives only in Central America, where it is very rare. It has long, coarse hair and four long limbs. It has three long claws that look like hooks. Its face looks like it is always smiling.It moves extremely slowly because it drags its body as its legs do not support it. It spends 18 out of 24 hours sleeping.

ANSWERS: 1. redwoods (sequoias); 2. three-toe sloth

Saving South African Leopards with Fake Fur

(adapted from www.care2.com)

Use the active or passive form of the verbs in parentheses:

 

This is one example of a major conservation blind spot in southern Africa right now: the widespread and rapid loss of leopard populations to an illegal yet culturally entrenched skin trade. The most frightening thing is not the rate at which these magnificent big cats ___________ (hunt), but just how little the public___________ (know) about the trade.

The major demand for skins ___________ (create) by the four million strong religious group known as the Shembe church. The Shembe ___________ (adopt) leopard skins into their ceremonial life from their traditional place in Zulu culture where for hundreds of years the skins ___________ (serve) as a sign of the royal family. Now, what was once the reserve of the elite ___________ (search) after by millions of people, and at a single gathering upward of 600 leopards skins can ___________ (see). In a country highly sensitive about race and culture, stopping a practice like this -- however illegal -- through the use of the law, is almost impossible. It is an accepted norm for too many people.

 

are being hunted, knows, is created, have adopted, served, is sought, be seen

GROUNDHOG DAY

This mp3 was shared with me by John Warren of Alter Eco, who is a poet, visual artist, musician, environmentalist and a very fine person.If the URL below doesn't open, please copy and paste it in your browser and click enter.
https://alter-eco.sslpowered.com/ThisOldGuitar/audio/Groundhog%20Day%20Slaughter.mp3


SCRIPT

Groundhog Day

So you wanted to know all about G Hog Day, eh? Well it's not as lucrative as to drive the economy like Xmas, Valentines Day, Halloween, but it ranks somewhere way down with Lunar New Year. hahaa Here's some info:

*NB For those who are not familiar with this old folk lore, every year on Feb. 2nd, the groundhog is observed coming out of his hole at high noon to see if it can see it's shadow, or not, to determine if it will be a long or short winter. If it sees it's shadow it means that there will be at least 8 more weeks of winter! If not, then spring will come within 6 weeks! That's what they say. Quite frankly these days, I put my money on the appearance of the geese returning to the north! I mean what if the groundhog didn't come out on the 2nd, like it didn't want to, overslept, died! And even more relevant, how does it account for global warming? Well one way or another, it has become a crucial factor in the local tourist economy bring badly needed jobs to the now poor rural areas at this time of year, and as usual, there's nothing more satisfying than milking those city slickers again! At one time it was considered an accurate factor in making farming decisions, and in fact the theory was pretty damn accurate. But nowadays it is a big media event, surpassing the Annual Polar Bear Swim! If only they could ensure that the groundhog would co-operate. Simple, read the following:


Wiarton Willy - Wiarton, Ontario, Canada
Punxtatawney Phil - Pennsylvania, USA

The boomers in their beemers come from miles around.
The pilgrimage to this site, their fortune to be found.
With cells in ears, these laptop jokers
Keep in touch with their stockbrokers,
In L.L. Beans and hats from Tilly's.
The locals think they look damn silly,
To seek the wisdom of Wiarton Willy.

Big black mercs are filled with jerks, further south in Pennsylvania.
They filed a claim they were first with this similar critter mania.
They've complained most bitterly to the WTO.
Unfair is the weather where it's 40 below.
It gives the advantage of advanced knowledge
And tilts the profits away from their college!
To Punxtatawney Phil this is cultural pillage!

Quietly, below the ground,
Peacefully sleeping, safe and sound,
Phil and Willy dream away
Completely oblivious of the day.
And all the folks and paparazzi gather
And off the truck comes the ground tamper!

But known to none that fateful day,
Some bears nearby had chosen to lay
And spend their winter in solitude,
And not expecting an awakening rude!
Most certainly not to such a crowd
So arrogant and selfish and insultingly loud!

"Pop the cork!" The town Mayor did say.
"Christen the tamper with cheap beaujolais!"
"A swig all round!" said a wino there.
No one heard him and none who would care.
The church clock rang noon
"Pull the cord you buffoon!"

With a sputter and a thump that made the thing jump
It nearly got away til it ran into a stump,
They dragged it back again
Over the top of it's den
But it killed the poor hog
That had slept like a log!

They thumped and they thumped wondering what was the matter.
By now they were drunk and mad as a hatter!
To their shock and surprise
Standing before their eyes
A mother of a beast
To make them a feast!

It ranted and roared like a true nature's pet.
And lumbered and swiped at as many as it could get.
The scene it was gruesome
There was none who could lose him,
Except for the winehead
Whom it thought he was dead!

All was still as the bear went back to bed,
The tamper tamped off and the groundhog was dead.
But faintly the sound of cell phones and pooters
Like an orchestra gone mad without a conductor.
Their brokers were freaking and all in a panic
The market was stalled and the WTO was frantic!

When the poor sod came to, he didn't know what to do!
The place was a mess like feeding time at the zoo!
"I must be delerious,
This plonk is injurious,
I think I've had enough."
And swore off the stuff!

He tried a cell phone to call up his business,
And then call the Missus and beg her forgiveness,
But the batteries had died
And the stock market fried
And the sod lost his job
He fell in with the mob!

So there you have it, The Groundhog Day Slaughter!
And legislation was passed to change it to otters,
Or maybe to beavers, or possibly eagles,
Or maybe to rabitts, or maybe to beagles,
Now it's tied up in squabbles at the UN, I think,
But no longer groudhogs because they're extinct!

Some Facts Related to the Meat Consumption

With the obvious exception of humans, it's odd to think that any animal could seriously damage the environment. Beef cows, however, are giving it a go, and apparently they've been successful. Conservationists now refer to the animals as "hoofed locusts," and not only because they trample, pollute, and destroy all land they graze. Studies also show that cows play significant roles in deforestation, soil erosion, water scarcity, global warming, depletion of fossil fuels, and loss of biodiversity. Odd as it may sound, the environmental impact of the cow is perhaps even more calamitous than the automobile.

Of course, the problem is not really with the cows, but with eating them. Every time you swallow a piece of beef, you consume both food and natural resources twice. The same land, labor, water, and fuel used to raise, slaughter, package, and transport livestock is also needed to grow and harvest feed grain. And this double use of resources leads to a seemly preposterous statistic: while the average vegetarian consumes between 300 and 400 pounds of grain per year, the average meat-eater consumes over 2000. Of course, eighty percent of the meat eater's total is first digested by cows, pigs, and chickens. Needless to say, this process is both and extravagant and inefficient.

Given the above, anyone environmentally conscious enough to recycle should also consider reducing his or her meat consumption. Doing so is arguably more beneficial to the environment, and, in many ways, easier. While it's no picnic sorting and recycling trash, not eating beef requires little or no work at all. You only have to pick something else on the menu.

Finally, here's a modest proposal. Why not cut beef production in half and convert the cattle ranches of America's tornado alley into wind farms? Given the growing scarcity of fossil fuels, surely the plan holds enough economic potential to offset resulting job losses in the cattle industry. Until that happens, though, here are a few facts to consider about the environmental impact of the beef industry.

* Nearly half of the total amount of water used annually in the U.S. goes to grow feed and provide drinking water for cattle and livestock.

* In the US, 33% of all raw material consumption is used solely in the production of meat, egg, and dairy products.

* The annual beef consumption of an average American family of four requires more than 260 gallons of fuel. The result is 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, or about as much as the average car over a six month period.

* According to some estimates, supplying the entire world with a western, meat-centered diet would deplete the planet's oil reserves within ten years.

* Cattle produce nearly 1 billion tons of organic waste each year. The average beef cow produces more than 47 pounds of manure every 24 hours.

* From 1995 to 1997, more than forty animal waste spills killed some 10.6 million fish.

* 85% of topsoil loss in the US is the result of livestock production, with each pound of steak resulting in 35 pounds of eroded US topsoil.

* 260 million acres of US forests have been cleared for cropland to produce grain for livestock.

* From 1960-1985 40% of the Central American rainforests were destroyed to create gazing land for cattle.

* According to the US General Accounting Office, more plant species in the United States have been eliminated or threatened by livestock grazing than by any other cause.

* In an effort to combat "nuisance" animals preying on livestock, in 1989 the US Department of Agriculture killed 86,502 coyotes, 7,158 foxes, 1,220 bobcats, 236 black bears, and 80 wolves. Four hundred pet dogs were inadvertently killed in the process.

* Cows produce significant amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, three gases largely responsible for global warming. Through daily belching and flatulence, cows emit over twelve percent of the total methane released into the atmosphere per year.

Saving Birds

LETTERS FROM READERS…
(Abridged letter to On the Bay, holiday edition 2008, by George K. Peck, Research Associate, Ornithology, Royal Ontario Museum)

The nesting bird colonies on Nottawasaga Island are of a far greater importance than saving a now obsolete, manmade Lighthouse.
There are more than a dozen nesting bird species on the island, of which seven are in colonies. Among the latter is our province’s largest and most northerly colony of Great Egrets, now increased to 135 nesting pairs, from its appearance on the island in 1985. This magnificent all-white heron and the other island nesting birds have been monitored and an annual census is done annually by the Canadian Wildlife Service and myself. The island has been posted to keep visitors away during the nesting season.
If it is necessary and financially possible to repair the damaged Lighthouse, I would strongly suggest the importance of making those repairs outside the birds’ nesting season (the beginning of April to the end of July). Any work done within that period would seriously jeopardize the bird colonies, which should be regarded as a precious part of our heritage.

TASKS:
1. Reading comprehension questions (for higher levels):
Who is the author of this letter? Which Bay does the magazine relate to? What article in a previous issue does the author respond to? What point does he make?
Why does Mr.Peck think that birds are more important?
Name some of the birds in Ontario. Which of them exist in your country?
What does the writer mean by “a precious part of our heritage”? Can you think of anything else as a Canadian heritage?
What do you know about bird watching / bird counting?
In your opinion, should engineers, builders, city developers and other experts consult with biologists? Why or why not?
[Learn more: Janine Buyens: Biomimicry, see our book list]

2. Check the meaning of these words: nesting birds, bird colony, bird watching, bird census, ornithology. Find more words related to the birds.

3. TRUE / FALSE (for lower lvels)
1. Nottawasaga Island is a home to many birds.
2. There is a lighthouse on the island.
3. The lighthouse is not in use.
4. All the birds on the island are egrets.
5. The Great Egret is a white heron.
6. There are more than 12 bird species on the island.
7. There are 270 Great Egrets on the island.
8. People can not come to the island.

Find the words in the text that give answers to these statements.


4. Match the words on the left with the explanation on the right:

Obsolete - not in use any more
Colony - group
Appearance - show up
Magnificent - beautiful
Census - counting population
Jeopardize - endanger
Annual - yearly
Precious - dear
Heritage - part of the culture
Monitor - watch

5. Use the words above in these sentences:

The lighthouse on Nottawasaga Island is ________.
__________ies of birds live on the island now.
The first ________________ of Great Egret on the island was in 1985.
That _____________ bird is a part of Canadian _____________.
The island is ______________ because many species of birds live there.
The birds have been ______________ed.
An ____________ ___________ is taken to count the birds on the island.
Building works on the island during the nesting season can ______________ the birds.

6. Divide the class in two teams: those who are in favour of repairing the lighthouse and those who oppose it. Debate it.

Write a letter back to Mr. Peck defending the lighthouse restoration.
.
Write a post that the Canadian Wildlife Service would put on the island. Write more posts for the places you know need protection.

Write a letter to a newspaper suggesting a repair of some site that you would like to protect.

Write a letter to the Canadian Wildlife Service offering your help as a volunteer. Mention at least three reasons why you would qualify.

Eat Local Food

Why Eat Local? 10 Lucky Reasons.

1. Taste the difference.
At a farmers’ market, most local produce has been picked inside of 24 hours. It comes to you ripe, fresh, and with its full flavor, unlike supermarket food that may have been picked weeks or months before.

2. Know what you’re eating.
Buying food today is complicated. What pesticides were used? Is that corn genetically modified? Was that chicken free range or did it grow up in a box? People who eat locally find it easier to get answers. Many build relationships with farmers whom they trust. And they can also drive out to the farms and see for themselves.

3. Meet your neighbors.
Local eating is social. People shopping at farmers’ markets have 10 times more conversations than those who shop at the supermarket. Join a community garden and you’ll actually meet the people you pass on the street.

4. Get in touch with the seasons.
When you eat locally, you eat what’s in season. You’ll remember that cherries are the taste of summer. Even in winter, comfort foods like squash soup and pancakes just make a lot more sense than flavourless cherries from the other side of the world.

5. Discover new flavours.
Ever tried artichokes? How about asparagus, quail eggs, cranberries, or fiddleheads? These are just a few of local products. Count the types of apples of Ontario on offer at your supermarket. Maybe two? Small farms are keeping alive more varieties.

6. Explore your home.
Visiting local farms is a way to be a tourist on your own home turf, with plenty of stops for snacks.

7. Save the world.
A study found that a regional diet consumed 17 times less oil and gas than a typical diet based on food shipped across the country.

8. Support small farms.
We discovered that many people from all walks of life dream of working the land–maybe you do, too. In areas with strong local markets, the family farm is alive.

9. Give back to the local economy.
Buying from local food producers keeps the dollar at home, and everybody profits.

10. Be healthy.

We should eat more vegetables and fewer processed products. And more fresh food at its nutritional peak. Eating from farmers’ markets and cooking from scratch will make all the family healthy and happy!

Check these websites:
http://www.torontolife.com/guide/food/markets-farmers-markets/farmers-markets/
http://www.evergreen.ca/rethinkspace/?p=148
http://www.foodshare.net/
http://www.thestop.org/

www.veg.ca/environment
http://www.toronto.ca/parks/programs/community.htm (about community gardens)