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CAMOSUN BOG PROJECT

Spring Term

CAMOSUN BOG PROJECT


Initial bog visit. MEET AT  19TH AND CAMOSUN STREET 1230   APRIL 25 AND MAY 1

read 
http://camosunbog.ca/
http://camosunblog.blogspot.ca/


April and May
The purpose of the Camosun Bog Project is to learn about Kingdom Plantae in a real
ecosystem and to gain experience with habitat restoration. Students will become familiar with
bog species: examples of bryophytes, tracheophytes, monocots and dicots. They will learn
about the bog as a place where different plants compete and where abiotic conditions favour
one or the other to win the competition. Finally, they will learn how restoration biology can
restore abiotic conditions and bring an ecosystem back to life.

Schedule and Evaluation:

April schedule:


1.  form groups for Camosun bog project: two to four per group.  Your group will eventually lead a group
of elementary kids. 
2.  Begin the draft of your project.  You will make learning materials to show elementary students during a tour of camosun bog. You will lead a tour at the bog. 
3.  Go to a bog rehearsal.
4.  lead a bog tour showing your materials. 

May  Schedule
bog rehearsal and bog orientation: 
Your group needs to make  flashcards 
bog story and games  for peer review.

Entire group comes. Bog Buddy program rehearsal.
Day of the tour with a class


DETAILS/TASKS:  YOUR GROUP MUST MAKE THE FOLLOWING:

1. STORY: Create an illustrated narrative using colour photos or drawings,  about the bog in form of a story book. Include the
1. 15000 years ago: ice age
2. 10000 years ago: ice melted, leaving a lake in camosun bog
3. 5000 years ago: it became a lake
"Along the shallow edges of this lake, sedges and cattails grew. Streams continued to feed the lake bringing in more sediment. Gradually the lake filled in, becoming shallow throughout, and plants were able to grow over the whole area. In place of a lake a swamp formed. 

Between 5,000 and 2,000 years ago the area remained a swamp with fast-growing sedges and grasses. As these plants grew, the dead leaves and stalks fell into the water and eventually blocked the streams carrying in the fresh water and nutrients the swamp depended on. The oxygen in the water was used up in the process of rotting of the dead plants.

The standing water with low oxygen and no replenishment of its nutrients created conditions allowing the invasion of Sphagnum moss. For the last 2,000 years this Sphagnum has maintained the conditions of high water level and low nutrient and oxygen levels characteristic of a bog. Only in the last 90 years have things begun to change due to human interference. The Musqueam people have been living near Camosun Bog for over 3,500 years."
  http://camosunbog.ca/history-and-ecology/

4. dead moss turned into peat
5. peat did not decay due to bog conditions:
      1. high water table
      2. acid conditions
       3. low oxygen
      4. low nutrients

6. more bog plants came and the ecosystem became stable:
        1. sphagnum moss
        2. labrador tea
         3. kalmia (bog laurel), the one with purple flowers
         4. arctic starflower
          5. pinus contorta
          6. round leaf sundew  Drosera rotundifolia
         7. cascara
        8. saskatoon berry
          

7. 100 years ago, vancouver was built: drains removed the water from the bog.
Water table went down. Bog plants died and became soil. Invasive plants arrived:
         1.  salal
          2.  huckleberry vaccinium parvifolium
          3.  oval leaf blueberry:  vaccinium
          4.  western hemlock
          5.  polytrichum moss

8. Camosun bog restoration group restored the bog: removed the soil: lowered the
soil level by 20 cm, reintroduced bog plants, removed the invasives.


FULL ASSIGNMENT

1 MAKE A BOG STORYBOOK NARRATIVE INCLUDING ALL 8 POINTS ABOVE

2. MAKE FLASHCARDS of native bog species . AND Forest species which encroached on the bog.
 Make flashcards about the bog. See file called “bog plants to know”. Create a game
for the flashcards. Include both invasives and native species.

3. BOG REHEARSAL:  14th of May Day 1   8:45 - 10:30   t
Take the 25 UBC bus going west. After passing Lord Byng, stop at Camosun Street and walk south. 
Go to the bog stations rehearsal and familiarize yourself with the bog stations. 5
minutes per station.

4. BOG BUDDY TOUR .  23rd of May during double blocking
Present your learning materials during the bog buddy tour.

flashCARDS ON AN ECOSYSTEM: 50 marks 
make some kind of game out of it.
1. USER-FRIENDLY: 10 marks
9-10 marks: the cards are playable and they are fun.
6-8 marks: the cards are playable, they could be more fun
0-5 marks:  the cards are confusing or not playable.
             
CONTENT: 20 marks
18-20 marks:  the content of the cards are accurate and correct.  There may be minor spelling errors but they were corrected.
12-16  marks: the content of the cards have some major mistakes which were corrected
0-10 marks: the content has major mistakes

PRESENTABLE: 10 marks
9-10 marks: the cards are colourful and look professionally illustrated or the photos are good quality
6-8 marks: the cards are colourful. There are a few pencil marks showing
0-5 marks: the cards are in draft form in pencil or they are messy

2.  TOUR OF THE ECOSYSTEM  total:  50 marks
STORY 10 marks
1,  Tell the story and history of this place.  How have people used this place in the past.  For example Central park, the trees were felled by the British Navy for masts.   And many of the stumps were hand logged...  Habitat island was formed to replace shoreline.  out of 10marks based on 
a. it is accurate    out of 5
b. it is on one page and beautifully presented   2
c.  clearly written    3

BOG ASSESSMENT 40 marks
1.  Your tour group will be given a chance to assess their bog tour experience. They will assess based on a scale of 1-5
a.   My tour guides were friendly and enthusiastic
b.  I played a game during the tour
c.   I found out the names of my tour guides!  
d.  I learned at least 10 species (we will quiz them on species)
e.   I know who the bog belongs to (Musqueam)
f.  I know how a bog is formed.  
g.  I know at least 5 fun facts that I didn't know before.
h.  Here is my feedback for my group leaders. 




Source:
http://www.camosunblog.blogspot.com