WildLink Students and Families in Harbor City Perform Community Water Testing at Machado Lake

WildLink Program Director Mandy Vance and Yosemite Institute Field Science Instructor Adam Burns joined Harbor City Boys and Girls Club staff, WildLink alumni, new recruits and their families for a very special day at Machado Lake (in Ken Malloy/Harbor Regional Park) on Saturday, April 2. This park, one of the biggest urban parks in the Los Angeles area, has a rich history with both the community of Harbor City and the wildlife that lives there. The park has reportedly suffered a decline in recent years, and Harbor City Boys and Girls Club, who also participates in bird walks led by the Audubon Society in the park, has been doing their part to take care of this resource by volunteering for regular litter pickup sessions.

Since their attendance at the WildLink Teacher Training in October 2005, Boys and Girls Club staff members Enrique and Pedro, and member Pablo, felt that water quality testing at Machado Lake would be both educational and a good way to further commit to helping improve the park. Last week Mandy and Adam delivered the testing kits and led the group of 20 participants through their first testing experience. The Club plans to conduct periodic testing of the lake, and will be working closely with WildLink througout the process. Stay tuned to learn more about this ongoing project!

A great big thank you and expression of appreciation to both Enrique and also all the WildLink alumni, new recruits and families who are making a difference in their community. Harbor City Boys and Girls Club, you rock! Keep up the good work.

New Teaching Resources Online: Check out our Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Debate

One of our major objectives at WildLink is not to teach our students what to think; rather we want to teach them how to think critically about big world issues and come to their own conclusions. In cooperation with several former Yosemite Institute instructors, we are happy to offer a new teaching module for you to implement in your classroom or organization.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge debate was developed for children of critical thinking age levels, to explore an environmental issue of national importance. Through a mock debate designed to present multiple perspectives, students will engage in lively discussions on whether or not the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should be opened to oil drilling, an issue currently debated throughout America. This activity will assist teachers in addressing land- use issues by investigating the balance between economic development and wilderness preservation. Students will become exposed to the different sides of a nationally debated issue, learn the importance of developing educated opinions, and gain insights into their individual perspectives and ability to affect change. Through the examination of one issue, students will become aware of the many issues that exist in their local community, nation, and across the globe.

Click here to view the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge debate.

WildLink Expedition V Braves a Spring Snowstorm

After weeks of promising spring-like weather, WildLink Expedition V students from Madera High School arrived for a big spring snowstorm that left us almost two feet of fresh snowfall at our destination, the Merced Grove of giant sequoias. The group bravely pushed on, decked out in winter clothes and snowshoes, and discovered the reward that can only be found in a snow-shrouded, age old silence of these great ancestor trees.

The group made short work of the many group challenges presented to them; had an afternoon of fierce and passionate debate in a critical thinking exercise about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; created their own eco-art (check out the pictures below!); did extensive wilderness and self-explorative journaling; explored the science and the magic behind the giant sequoias; and we can't forget all the laughter and adventures that connected the group so well. Thanks for a wonderful week, Expedition V; we look foward to more adventures to come later this year!

Wilderness View Module: A Great New Distance Learning Tool

Have you ever traveled far beyond the end of the road? . . . Can you imagine a place where the only sounds are rushing winds and raging waters? . . . Do you long to reach for the farthest horizon? . . . Could you carry everything you needed for a week on your back, and yet want for nothing? . . . Can you learn from the past and look with hope to the future? . . . Are you willing to test yourself and perhaps become a different person? . . . Then step into wilderness, a special place. The roots of wilderness run deep in the ground and in our hearts. Come, begin your adventure and discover the wilderness within you.

These words, accompanied by images of wilderness areas and original music, invite everyone to explore wilderness by using the Wilderness Views Module. An interactive multimedia computer program, Wilderness Views is based in the Views of the National Parks website. It was released in late 2004 in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Similar to the history of the Wilderness Act, Wilderness Views evolved as an interdisciplinary, interagency effort to preserve public lands through education for present and future generations.

WildLink has established a permanent link to this site on our Activity Zone page.

Click here to explore the Wilderness Views Module.