Lesson 2: Value Assessment of the MONUMENT
Goal:
Develop an increase in awareness for students to be stewards of the PTNM,
communities and their environment.
Learning
objective: Students will classify reasons uses of the PTNM and reasons for
preserving the fossils and managing the PTNM.
Common Core Standards for English
Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical
Subjects for 6-8 grades:
- Writing # 10- Routine
writing
- Speaking and Listening
# 1 and 2- engage in discussions and interpret information
New Mexico Science
Standards and Benchmarks Strand III Science and Society Strand I: Understand
how discoveries, inventions, practices, and knowledge are influenced by
individuals and societies.
Materials:
two simple complete puzzles (these do not have to be age appropriate because
students will assemble in just a few minutes), envelopes and stamps or if email
is available.
Background
information: The Prehistoric Trackways
National Monument is a unique resource even before it was made into a Monument.
People have used the area for recreation, grazing animals and for
removing rock for building structures (mining) for many years previous to the
area becoming a Monument. Scientists from around the globe have remarked and
testified that the trackways found in the Monument are unique. Learning from
the fossils is still and will continue to be important to the earth’s living
organisms and ecosystems. According to the Secretary of Interior’s Report (2000) these fossils should be preserved for our American
heritage, scientific study, and public education. Therefore understanding the
connections and unintended consequences of our actions are important for the
PTNM as well as our own communities and ecosystems. If students
see themselves as stakeholders in the Monument, the objectives for the Robledo
Mountain can be utilized.The BLM has a OHV website for the Robledo Mountains OHV in the
Robledo Mountains. The BLM
perspective is for multi use but this is a special area.
Procedure:
1. Tell the students that scientists, community members and students
come to the PTNM to see the trackways because they are so special. Explain that
there is little known about these kinds of fossils and that the tracks can tell
us how animals lived long ago. Explain that it is like a riddle, puzzle or game
to put the pieces together and guess how the animal lived.
2. Split the class into about three or four groups in different
places in the classroom.
3. One group will go to a spot that has all the pieces to a puzzle
while the other groups have some of the puzzle pieces and the fourth group just
has one piece.
4. Have them assemble as much of the puzzle as they can and then
describe what the puzzle tells them to the other groups.
5. Explain to the students, if not already obvious by the
descriptions, that the fourth group may have little to tell but will still be
able to see, enjoy, and learn something, while the group with the complete
puzzle will be able to see, enjoy and learn the most.
6. Discuss using these concepts. Encourage students to listen and
share their feelings here.
o Can you imagine these puzzle pieces being a resource of the
Monument?
o How easy was it to reconstruct the puzzle?
o How important would it be for a scientist to find all the pieces
of the puzzle?
o Even if you had all the pieces of the resource, how would you feel
if someone destroyed them? Could you still enjoy them?
o Are all resources of the Monument the same?
7.
Tell the students that they
will roleplay some of the stakeholders to find out if the resources and values
of the Monument can be conserved, protected and enhanced in the monument. The
setting is a public meeting and students will be acting out the characters of
the different stake holders.
8.
Pass out the Public Meeting
Agenda and the different roles of the stakeholders.
9.
Follow the Agenda Meeting
schedule and have the students act out a public meeting.
10.
Tell the students that they
can make sure that the Monument fossils are protected by informing the District
Manager of the Las Cruces BLM. They may write a letter to him stating their
ideas and how the Monument is a treasure for all of us to enjoy and learn from.
District Manager: Bill
Childress
1800 Marquess Street
Las Cruces, NM 88005-3371
1800 Marquess Street
Las Cruces, NM 88005-3371
11.
Student letters should be
edited and shared among the class.
Evaluation: Student letter should explain to
others that the fossils in the PTNM should be left in the Monument for everyone
to enjoy and learn from. All recreational activities should have a say in how
the fossils are preserved, but some students will have other ideas. Allow for
all comments and ideas to be accepted as long as the objectives and mission of
the Monument are kept.
Extensions: The class can make their own
character’s that are stakeholders. Students and teacher can interview people or
research the people that use the Monument area to create a more relevant
characterization.
Another Extension or alternative: Students and
teachers can research the use of the Monument. Starting with BLM websites and
documents. Learning the processes for identifying the Robledo’s as a Monument
on the way. The politics, environmental and community problems and the
solutions to the problems may initiate a Problem Based Learning experience that
will go beyond the classroom into a Participatory Democratic Community that
includes the classroom.
Some beginning resources and back ground
information:
Public Meeting on Prehistoric Trackways National Monument use
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Rules:
1.
Each presentation is
limited to 5 minutes, followed by 5 minute question answer period.
2.
Respect the moderator and
do not talk when he/she is talking.
3.
Respect the presenters
and do not talk when they are talking.
4.
Respect each other and do
not talk when someone else is asking a question.
Tourist
from Albuquerque - Justice Done
Justice Done is a
frequent visitor to Las Cruces and she hikes the trails in the Robledos for the
scenery as well as the unique trackway fossils. She is shocked at the amount of
trash and broken signs that are destroyed on the Monument. She believes in the
Monument idea, that these places are set aside to protect and preserve the
natural and cultural heritage of America for future generations. Justice Done
suggests that law enforcement be more severe. She suggests raising the minimum
fine from the current $275 for littering and vandalism to $1000. The BLM should
make more arrests and put thieves in jail. The Monument needs hidden cameras
everywhere so that rangers can identify and arrest even more. She encourages
other visitors to report litter and vandalism. In her Neighborhood Watch
program at home a lot of crime is stopped by neighbors reporting suspicious
activity.
Local
Landowner - Letem Haveit
Letem Haveit owns land
near the Monument. He loves walking through his property and beautiful rocks
that may have fossils. He owns the land, therefore he owns the fossils he finds
and can do whatever he likes with it. Letem Haveit suggests that visitors be
allowed to wander through the park and pick up one small piece of trackways for
themselves. He wants others to experience the same joy he does, as they find
their very own, personal piece of fossil from the land, and not from a gift
shop’s barrel of rocks. He argues that since the Monument is federal land, it
belongs to everybody; so everybody should be able to take home some rocks from
it.
Local
Business - Earnest Mymoney
Earnest Mymoney owns a
local rock shop near the park. He does a good business selling rocks that he
collects from his land or buys from other landowners. He spends a lot of time and
money polishing up the best of his rocks and making unique items to sell. Earnest
Mymoney suggests that the BLM get more strict with visitors who take rocks,
because when they take their own rocks, they won’t buy any from him and it
takes away his business. He suggests that every car leaving the Monument be
stopped and searched for stolen rocks. He’s willing to donate flyers to hand
out to visitors at the entrance of the Monument that explain the policy and
provide directions to his rock shop so that visitors can legally take
home their own piece of the Monument.
Conservation
Group Member - Saveitfor Thefuture
Saveitfor Thefuture wants
stricter law enforcement in the park with more publicity when a thief or
litterer is caught. She suggests that park rangers carry video cameras in their
patrol vehicles to document violations. The video tapes could then be sold to a
news station or True Crimes show. The money made would help pay for the
increased law enforcement. The publicity around the world would help visitors
understand the importance of the Monument and the consequences of stealing it
before they even stepped foot in the park.
Private
Tour Guide - Noah Itall
Noah Itall leads guided
tours into Monument for clients from around the world. He believes that because
of the personal attention he gives to his clients, he has prevented a lot of
litter and fossil destruction. Noah Itall suggests that all visitors through
the park must be part of a guided group. No one should be allowed to travel
through on their own. Guides would provide the best and most personal
interpretation of Monument to encourage its protection, instead of theft,
destruction and littering by visitors.
BLM - Ranger
Trackways
Ranger Trackways is
looking for creative ideas to help protect the Monument without impacting
visitor enjoyment, meeting the mission of the BLM. She listens closely to all
the suggestions presented and has the following thoughts. Increased fines for
stealing, destroying and littering would have to be done at the Washington level.
Distributing free pieces of rocks and fossils to visitors was tried once, but
many thought, If one is OK, why not two? So fossils were still lost. If a
lettering, theft or destruction report comes to a park ranger with a vehicle
description, that vehicle is stopped and searched. This takes time and often
leaves visitors very unhappy. Videotaping would definitely generate some
publicity, but it may not be the kind the park wants to have. Requiring visitors
to have a guide is already done in some Monument sites, but only in certain
areas within the Monument - not the whole park. Ranger Trackways tells those
attending the meeting that she will take all the ideas presented today back to
BLM and present them to the Superintendent and other administrators. She thanks
every- one for coming and sharing their ideas. She hopes that they continue to
have new ideas and that they will share them with the BLM.
Four
Wheelin Club President -Rock On
Rock On and his family have been using the
Monument trails for years. They enjoy riding in places that are tough to get to.
The Robledo’s have some of the best trails for four wheeling and rock climbing
in the Nation. He should know because he travels all over the country
participating in trail riding events. He wants the monument to build protection
barriers over the fossils so that he can still ride on the trails. The Monument
can start collecting entrance fees to help maintain these protection barriers
for the fossils and cameras for littering.
Shooting Club- Target Bullseye
Target Bullseye is an avid gun owner and uses
the Robledos for practicing shooting his gun. He supports the Monument but does
not want his use of the area for target shooting. “I use all the precautions
and rules posted by the BLM and make sure I pick up my trash.” He goes on to say that others in the
area are making the most trash and not following the proper use when target
shooting. He proposes more oversight of the Monument by having a free, BLM
controlled target shooting range on or near the Monument.
No comments:
Post a Comment