Light Blue Clur Grup Water Yu Lking At Time: 15 minutes Activity Overview: The Heart lake bardwalk is used fr this hike and scavenger hunt. Students are led alng the bardwalk and are instructed t lk fr bjects placed in hidden lcatins alng the way. Observatins are als made f any nature activity (birds, vegetatin, fish etc.) Objectives: Students will develp bservatin skills and explre varius habitats alng the shreline f Heart Lake, emphasizing the diversity f wildlife that is fund in the area. The imprtance f cnserving water in rder t balance ur need fr water, and natures need fr water will be discussed. Setup: This activity is set up befre the water festival. The first and last grup f the day may need t hide sme f the mre fragile scavenger hunt bjects (the deer antler, turtle shell, frg life cycle, and ty birds) ut n the trail in their designated lcatins, and put them back in the strage bin at the end f the day. Safety: Encurage students t be safe while ging thrugh the activity. Stay n the trail Dn t pick anything Materials: Snapping turtle shell - Ziplc bags Ty birds (Canada Gse; Rbin) Bird tracks Canada Gse Laminated fish & frg picture Plastic bxes t put ty birds in when sitting utside in wet weather. Backgrund Infrmatin: Heart Lake was frmed abut 13,000 years ag when the ice glaciers melted and mved ut f suthern Ontari. Heart Lake is als knwn as a kettle lake because kettles are large hles created by buried pieces f ice that brke ff the glacier that cvered this area. The hles eventually filled with water t becme kettle lakes. Many plants and animals have adapted t live in the lake and at the waters edge. A slar pwered circulatr is in the centre f Heart Lake. This draws water frm the bttm f the lake and spreads it t the upper water level, effectively mixing the water. This helps t decrease the nitrgen levels in the sediment t help cntrl the weed grwth in the water, which wuld therwise be harmful fr fish and unpleasant fr swimmers. Amphibians such as the green frg are cmmn alng the shreline. The Great Blue Hern and the Belted Kingfisher are birds that hunt fr small fish in the shallw waters.
If lucky, yu might see the majestic Osprey, an eagle-sized bird f prey that als feeds n fish frm the lake. If we get far enugh alng the bardwalk we will see a nest platfrm built fr the Osprey. Canada Geese and Mallard ducks are cmmn aquatic birds n the lake. Mammals are harder t find but we shuld see Eastern Chipmunks and Grey Squirrels alng the trail. The frest trees are mainly maple and beech with a smaller number f ash and aks. There may als be sme late spring flwers still in blm such as trilliums and dg-tth vilets. Cnservatin cnnectin all f the plants and animals that live here are affected by surrunding human ppulatins. This activity gives participants an pprtunity t cnnect with cmmn aquatic species. What will I be ding? (Prcedure): Befre yu start yur presentatin check with the teacher r chaperne that the entire grup is present and ready t start. Intrductin (beginning f bardwalk) Wh needs water? Is water nly used by humans? N! Water is needed by bth peple and by nature t survive. Tday we will see wh uses the water arund Heart Lake. The student leader tells the grup that they are ging n a shrt hike n the bardwalk t lk fr plants and animals that live in and arund Heart Lake. The students are als ging t take part in a type f scavenger hike. There are 5 prps representing cmmn animals f Heart Lake alng the bardwalk that the students are t find. Befre starting the actual hike the student leader will tell the grup that; They are ging n a shrt hike n the bardwalk t lk fr plants and animals that live in and arund Heart Lake. Watch and listen fr birds, mammals, fish and amphibians as well as any flwers and ther interesting plants. The students are als ging t take part in a type f scavenger hike. If the students see smething interesting they shuld tell the grup and have all take a lk at it Keep n the path as there is pisn ivy. Stp 1 Pisn Ivy (Prp Ty Rbin, Ty Wdpecker, Antler) Set up befre the pisn ivy area. Can hang frm sme trees if it s nt raining. Or put in plastic bx. Have the students guess what animal each prp represents, pass arund the deer antler etc. Explain that each f these animals has ne thing in cmmn with a plant that peple dn t like t much, has three leaves and makes us itchy pisn ivy. Althugh we dn t like it, all these 3 animals depend n it fr fd. Pisn ivy has a gd side. Berries are eaten by migrating birds, wdpeckers and rbins. Identify pisn ivy alng the trail. Infrm what actins t take if cntact pisn ivy - Wash area with warm sapy water.
Stp 2 Pumpkinseed Fish (Prp Laminated Fish Picture) Ask grup t lk int water and ask what they can see (hpefully can see pumpkinseed fish). Explain that many species f fish live in the lake, including the pumpkinseed (a sunfish) that yu will prbably see in the shallw water at the lake edge. These fish are spawning nw r sn. The male pumpkinseeds are guarding the nest hllw they have dug t attract a female t lay her eggs in. Have the students try and cunt hw many nests they can see. *Cnservatin Cnnectin: Fish cmmunities, and the aquatic envirnments in which they live, can be affected by pllutin. Fish in cntaminated water can be unsafe t eat, as cntaminants build up mre in their bdy because they are higher in the fd chain what wuld be an example f a fd chain here at Heart Lake, invlving the pumpkinseed fish? Ie. Insect -> pumpkinseed fish -> bass -> hern cntaminants becme strnger and mre cncentrated as they mve up the fd chain. Stp 3 Green Frg (Prp Laminated Frg Picture) Lk fr the clue at this statin. The green frg sunds like the plucked string f a banj. Ask the grup t use their vices tgether t make the call f the green frg. Spring peepers are als fund in this area and make a sund that ges Peep Try t make bth calls tgether t create a symphny f sunds. Frgs depend n bth land and water envirnment t survive. Lk at the shreline t see if any are sitting n lgs r in the shallw water. *Cnservatin Cnnectin: Frgs, tads, salamanders and ther amphibians are very sensitive t changes in their envirnment because they breathe thrugh their skin. This makes them gd indicatr species as their health and well-being reflect the health f the surrunding envirnment. The number and lcatin f these creatures ften changes when water quality changes. Stp 4 Snapping Turtle (Prp Snapping Turtle Shell) Lk fr the prp. Ask what type f reptile the shell cmes frm Where des this reptile live? (Answer - pnds, lakes, streams - may have t differentiate frm sea turtles) Lk t see if yu can find a turtle basking n a lg r rck. Ask students hw they think the snapping turtle gt its name. These turtles are knwn fr their pwerful beak-like jaws and their snake-like head and neck. They can snap r strike (similar t snakes) with amazing speed and pwer. They can als stretch their necks halfway back acrss their wn shell t bite. As a turtle, yu like t eat bth plants and animals, such as invertebrates (creature with n backbnes, such as insects), fish, frgs, reptiles (including snakes and smaller turtles), unwary birds and small mammals. In a few mnths (early summer), females lk fr a place n land t lay her eggs. Pretend t scp away the dirt t make a hle. Depsit 25-80 eggs and cver with a bit f sand. The eggs are rund, white and have a thin, hard shell, like ping png balls! Raccns and fxes are sme animals that lve t eat them.
*Cnservatin Cnnectin: Turtle habitat is disappearing at an alarming rate in Suthern Ontari alne we have lst ver 80% f ur wetlands already. Nt nly d we need t cnserve water itself, but we need t cnserve wetlands and lakes. Stp 5 Canada Gse (Prp Canada Gse Bird Track & Ty Bird) Lk fr the prps. When fund, ask a student t make an imprint in the dirt r mud with the bird track. Explain that the Canada gse has 4 tes, but the hind te is lifted and des nt leave an imprint. Lking at the track, determine where this bird lives (water r land). It is webbed, shwing that the Canada gse relies n water t survive, build its nest and find sme f its fd. Lk fr any Canada Geese that might be n the lake and listen t their call. Squeeze the ty bird and listen t its call. Imitate their hnk, hink call and ding a chrus tgether. The call f the male is thught t be lwer than that f the female, and when a pair flies verhead, yu may be able t distinguish the tw sunds. *Cnservatin Cnnectin: Canada geese and ther migrating birds use lakes and wetlands as resting areas while travelling lng distances, and als as mating grunds in the summer. Species that yu have a very gd chance f seeing (r hearing) n the walk: - Green frg - Painted turtle r snapping turtle - Canada gse - Pumpkinseed fish - Chipmunks & squirrels - Dragnflies (especially ver the shallw water)
Additinal Backgrund Infrmatin Canada Gse Descriptin: Brwnish bdy with black head, lng black neck, cnspicuus white cheek patch. Habitat: Lakes, bays, rivers, and marshes. Often feeds in pen grasslands and stubble fields. Vice: Rich musical hnking. Discussin: Well knwn fr their V-shaped migrating flcks and rich hnking, Canada Geese are amng the mst familiar f Nrth America's waterfwl. Can live 20 years. Mate fr life and stay tgether thught the seasns. Green Frg Descriptin: (5.7-10.8 cm). Variably green r greenish-brwn frg with dark bltches r markings. Typically green n upper lip. Belly white with dark lines r spts. Vice: Call sunds like the twang f a lse banj string; it is usually given as a single nte but may be repeated rapidly several times. Habitat: Lives clse t shallw water, springs, swamps, brks, and edges f pnds and lakes. May be fund amng rtting debris f fallen trees. Discussin: This frg is nt particularly wary. Smetimes if crnered it inflates itself and stands tall; gives high-pitched "eek" befre leaping int water. It is active bth day and night, mainly frm April t Octber. Say Free fun frg facts 5 times! The frg's diet cnsist mainly f insects, small animals like earthwrms, minnws and spiders. Mst frgs have a sticky tngue. T catch an insect, the frg flips ut its tngue rapidly, get the insect and retracts its tngue. Frgs will swallw their prey in ne piece because they nly have teeth in the upper jaw. Desn't d much fr chewing! Frgs hunt mstly at night. Cmmn Snapping Turtle Descriptin: Snapping turtles have rugged, muscular builds with ridged shells (thugh ridges tend t be mre prnunced in yunger individuals). The upper shell length in adulthd may be nearly 50 cm. These turtles have lived up t 47 years in captivity and in the wild fr abut 30 years. Habitat: Cmmn habitats are shallw pnds, shallw lakes, r streams. Discussin: Cmmn snapping turtles smetimes bask -- thugh rarely bserved -- by flating n the surface with nly their shell expsed. Sme will als bask n fallen lgs in early spring. In shallw waters, Cmmn snappers may lie beneath a muddy bttm with nly the head expsed, stretching their lng necks t the surface fr an ccasinal breath (nte that their nstrils are n the very tip f the snut, acting like snrkels.)
Pisn Ivy Descriptin: Three leaves. White berries. Clur ranges frm light green t dark green and bright red in the fall. Smewhat shiny. Habitat: Frests, rcky areas, pen fields, disturbed areas. Discussin: Yu get a rash frm cntact with the plant (tuching). It feeds wild birds and animals wh eat it withut ill effects. It hlds the earth very well against ersin near the earth. Nrth American native peple wuld dry leaves and set t fire when enemy appraching. - early frm f bilgical warfare Pumpkinseed Descriptin: Rainbw f clurful stripes and spts. Its belly is range t red-range, and its back and sides are brwn t live. The sides and back are speckled with range, yellw, blue and emerald spts, als fund n the rear, bttm and tail fins n sme fish. Habitat: Pumpkinseeds live in pnds, small lakes in shallw areas. Discussin: Small pumpkinseeds are eaten by all predatry fish like yellw perch, bass, walleye, nrthern pike and ther sunfish. Like ther sunfish, the pumpkinseed builds a nest where they spawn when the water get warmer. Males sweep ut a saucer-shaped hle in the lake r streambed with their tail and mve rcks with their muth t frm nest in late spring. Nests are built in clnies, which may have as many as 10-15 nests. Females may prduce frm 1,500-7,000 eggs, which are fertilized by the male as they swim tgether in circles. The eggs hatch in tw t three days and males prtect the yung. Pumpkinseeds live an average f nine years. Specific Reminders fr Students: Be aware f pisn ivy. Give students pprtunities t discver the natural highlights arund them. 6/6