Background Conservation activities must operate in the context of an interested community. Citizen concerns prompt conservation activities, as well as constrain them. Newspapers are a primary source of information. The daily newspapers express the interests and understanding of the public. It is likely that almost every biology teacher reads a newspaper with scissors nearby.
Any relevant article is clipped and filed since it has the potential to stimulate student interest.
Each such article may become a starting point for a new lesson. It is nearly impossible to imagine a biology classroom without a few newspaper articles posted on the bulletin board. Some student will develop a life-long interest in a topic because she read one of these items. Conservation organizations follow the newspaper with similar interest. It is their way to see if their message is getting through to the community.