Here at the Mountain Park Environmental Center, we have just begun our 4th Earth Studies session with 5th graders from District 60 schools. This session is all about mammals and tracking, and is one of the most popular with the staff as well as the students. We teach the children about mammals that are common up here at Pueblo Mountain Park including bear, bobcat and fox; having them study the skulls, skins and prints of each one. This generates much enthusiasm from the group as they examine the teeth of each skull and the paws and claws of each track. Then each 5th grader gets to learn the basics of tracking before going out into the forest and looking for animal sign themselves. Once out in the park, every animal track and pile of scat hold new interest for the students as they search the ground, excitedly letting everyone know when they can identify a track with their new skills. They get to follow animal trails, look for deer beds, see the carcasses from an animal’s recent kill, and hopefully see some of the mammals that they just learned about out in their natural habitat.
Some other important topics that are taught and opened to discussion are food chains, extinction, extirpation and restoration of a species (specifically talking about the wolf in Colorado). Discussions like these are vital to children learning about their planet and becoming aware of the important environmental issues that are taking place all around them. This also helps to fulfill MPEC’s goal of instilling understanding and respect for the natural world into its citizens.