adults) assume that careers involving wildlife are for scien- tists only. This is however, not the case. There are careers span- ning the modern spectrum of choices that can contribute to conserving wildlife. People in fields as diverse as photography, marketing, communications, education, mathematics, art, music, finance, biology, chem- istry, computer science, and many others are working together to help save wildlife and wild places. In this activity, your students will investigate just a few of these.
Procedure
1. Start by asking students:
What do you think about doing when you finish school and look for a job? Are you interested in a career helping wildlife?
2. Have students think about the Bears film they saw. How many different kinds of people in different careers were involved in making it? Brainstorm and put a list on the board. Some starters: writers, filmmakers, producers, fundraisers, biologists, educators, public relations people, artists, graphic designers, airplane pilots.
3. Have students look at their list and think about how each of these people helped to save wildlife. What did each one do to contribute to this effort? Add this
information to your list on the board. (Example: filmmaker – filmed the bears in the wild; airplane pilot – flew the plane for filming some of the scenes. The film is helping to educate people around the world about bear
conservation.) ACTIVITY
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Wildlife Careers
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4. Give students the Chris Day profile sheet. Do they remember seeing her in the film? After reading the profile, what kinds of questions would they have for Chris if they could talk with her?
5. Explain to students that they will have the chance to ask questions of someone they can talk to. Break students into groups of 5 or 6 and have each group think of someone they know, or can find, who has a wildlife career in their local area. If they do not know of specific people, they should be encouraged to check with their local zoo, natural history museum, Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, nature center, science museum, state park, colleges or universities, environmental groups. Each group of students should check with their chosen person to make sure he or she agrees to be
interviewed. You may need to assist in this process. 6. Students should develop in
their groups a list of
questions to ask that person. Be sure students show their lists to you prior to
conducting their interview. 7. Students conduct their
interviews over a week or so, after school or on the weekend, depending on their own schedule and that of the class. (If an interview is not possible have students write a letter including their questions for the person to answer at his/her
convenience.)
8. When all student groups have completed their interviews, have them present their interviews to the class, explaining
where/how they conducted their interview and what they found out that was interesting to them. 9. After all students have
presented, ask the students what they learned. Was there
anything in common among the people they interviewed? What kinds of backgrounds did they have? Did they have any interesting stories or suggestions for following similar careers? Did the students gain any new ideas for directions they could go with their careers?
Assessment
Have students choose several wildlife careers they may be interested in and write why those may interest them and what skills the students have that would make these careers good choices for them.
Chris Day started out working as a consulting nutritionist for several large animal feed compa- nies. She then worked in Moun- tain Management at Grand Targhee Ski Resort in Alta Wyoming and managed Chenik Brown Bear Photography Camp in Alaska. In her own words:
A bad slump in the agricultural economy in the mid-80’s spurred me to leave the feed industry. In order to stay in the northwest I took a job in management at Grand Targhee Ski Resort in Wyoming. This permitted quite a bit of freedom during the summer months, so Alaska was just a natural progression. Serendipitously I was given the opportunity to manage Chenik Brown Bear Camp; a small wilderness lodge on the west side of the Cook Inlet close to McNeil Brown Bear Sanctuary. Chenik was a real turning point in my life; being there gave me a chance to
live and work with brown bears. It also gave me the opportunity to visit McNeil River and meet two bear biologists who have become my mentors, as well as my husband, Ken, who flew our guests into the camp.
As long as I can remember I have always been interested in all animals and have been fortu- nate to spend a lot of time in wilderness areas. Bears were always fascinating to me but after living with them for one summer they became a passion. I have always felt comfortable in the presence of bears. I’ve been lucky to know and learn from a number of the best biologists in the world, but, the bears are the real teachers. They teach me something new every day. We know a lot about the
“science” of bears but until fairly recently little was really known about bear behavior in the wild. In 1994 Ken and I got married
on the floats of his plane on a high mountain lake. At that point, not wanting to be apart for the summer but not wanting to be apart from the bears either, we pooled our skills and began to take people out to see bears as a day trip. It’s been a perfect partnership in every way. Ken’s skill as a pilot and our
combined experience with and love for the bears has allowed us to make a living doing what we love, sharing the bears with others; educating them and hopefully dispelling the many myths that surround bears. It is our hope that everyone who joins one of our trips leaves as an ambassador for the bears and the country where they live.
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ACTIVITY