In my own walks with kids through parks here in San Francisco, I often point out one of the darkling beetles laboring across a path and then we stop to watch its progress. Our discussion then leads naturally into how trails might adversely affect the life cycle of the beetle. In other words, the discussion has some relevance to the student's daily life. Thinking globally may make sense to adults, but acting locally in a responsible way is where it's at when it comes to kids making a real, positive connection with their environment. I enjoyed the article on Mono Lake in California Wild , Summer 2000 issue.
Mono Lake is a natural habitat for many forms of life that are important to our ecological system.
From the natural food chain of grebes who feed off brine shrimp and so on, if any of these living creatures are destroyed by mankind's infringement upon their territory, this whole lake habitat could be destroyed. It would be like a domino effect with dire circumstances. It was pleasing to see that a wake-up call is taking effect with ladpw teaming up with the Mono Lake Committee in the restoration of Rush Creek, a vital source of replenishment for Lake Mono.