 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Education
The Diablo Trust has prepared information and worked with local schools for the purpose of involving a greater cross-section of the greater Flagstaff community in land conservation and restoration issues.
In 1997, the Diablo Trust, with funding from the Flagstaff Arts and Science Commission and the Arizona Council for Environmental Education, began the development of a field trip unit for grades six through twelve. The unit begins with a 45-minute classroom visit by four Trust members in which students are introduced to basic biological, historical and social concepts and information as they apply to rangeland today. They are also introduced, through a brief skit and slideshow, to current rangeland controversies.
They are provided with a packet of selected reading materials. Teachers agree to devote at least one class period to discussion of this content and to ask each student to prepare questions for the field trip. The all-day field trip includes six stops on the Flying M ranch, each selected to illustrate important topics. Students are provided a guide to the tour, which includes fill-in sections pertinent to each site.
Trust members serve as 'instructors' based on their experience and knowledge. A subsequent in-school session is devoted to concluding the unit by further discussion and answering of questions. Pre- and post-content tests along with student and teacher comments are used in evaluation.
During the following two years, five classes from grades six to eleven took part in the unit. Evaluation showed that the unit was judged favorably by students and teachers and that important though limited gains were made in student knowledge. Three limitations were evident. The first was the need for more preparation of teachers who are unlikely to have much background in unit content; the second was the need for additional student materials. Finally, the time required of Trust members and in logistics was a problem.
To address these issues the Trust applied for and received a second grant from the Arizona Advisory Council on Environmental Education that resulted in the production of an instructional video based on the field trip unit. It consists of three fifteen minute segments which include the following:
- Video 1- a) the popular introductory skit b) ranch stewardship c) economic, governmental, legal and development threats to ranching d) the Diablo Trust and its ranches.
- Video 2- a) healthy rangeland requirements b) causes of unhealthy rangeland c) the water, mineral and energy cycles.
- Video 3- a) land ownership and rights b) economics of ranching c) rangeland products d) landscape goals e) ecological restoration f) rangeland stewardship g) human impacts and potential improvements h) the role of collaborative groups.
Periodically, each video is interrupted and one or two questions shown followed by a pause for students to respond. The questions ask for student evaluation of what has been presented and what further information they would like.
The video was produced by the media production unit at Northern Arizona University, which filmed substantial portions on the land and created effective visual graphics used in conjunction with existing photos. The video is accompanied by a brief teacher's guide along with a copy of the video script annotated with suggestions and references to accompanying written materials. The video and materials were reviewed by seven environmental educators who judged that they are well done and achieve the objectives. Twenty copies of the video and supplements were distributed to all middle and senior high schools in the Flagstaff Unified School District. Further distribution awaits additional funding.
Diablo Trust is currently working to produce a 15-minute edit of the video to bring the issues and innovative solutions presented to a greater segment of the community.
Learning from the land and sharing our knowledge...
So there will always be a West.