Speak-o-logical: Defining and Measuring the Ecological Value of Wilderness
When a society decides to set aside areas of land as wilderness, it makes a choice about the value of those lands. In the United States, people have decided that some lands are more valuable without human development. One of the values of wilderness is its ecological value. The scientists decided to compare wilderness with other lands. They wanted to know whether wilderness has greater ecological value than all other types of land.
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In this FACTivity, you will use your experience and imagination to explore whether you agree with the scientists’ conclusion that wilderness has a greater ability than non-wilderness to support both...FACTivity – Speak-o-logical
In this FACTivity, you will use your experience and imagination to explore whether you agree with the scientists’ conclusion that wilderness has a greater ability than non-wilderness to support both...
Glossary
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Ken Cordell
“I like my work and working for the Forest Service very much. My work as a scientist involves studying how people relate to the natural world and what they like...View Profile -
Jay Harvard
My favorite science experience was visiting and doing research in Iceland. You can see me here floating on a small iceberg in front of part of the Myrdalsjokull Glacier in...View Profile -
Danielle Murphy
My favorite science experiment was going out on a boat to collect little bugs that live in the water called zooplankton. We wanted to see if the bugs would eat...View Profile -
Kurt Riitters
“My favorite science experience is asking and answering questions that have not been asked before.” “[Another] favorite science experience was the discovery of a new computer method to measure forest...View Profile
Standards addressed in this Article:
Social Studies Standards
- People, Places, and Environments
- Science, Technology, and Society
- Time, Continuity, and Change
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
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Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
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Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
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Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
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Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
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Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
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Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
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Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
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Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
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Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
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FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
We Welcome Feedback
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Contact
Jessica Nickelsen
Director, Natural Inquirer program -
Email
Lessons
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This five-day lesson plan can be used in whole or in part to accompany the Wilderness Benefits edition of Natural Inquirer. Students will brainstorm and then research features of wilderness...Lesson Plan – Wilderness Benefits
This five-day lesson plan can be used in whole or in part to accompany the Wilderness Benefits edition of Natural Inquirer. Students will brainstorm and then research features of wilderness...