In this activity, students will make an inventory of the animals living in the ecosystems around their school.

Materials Needed:

1. Mark the area on the map and take a photocopy of the area. On the photocopy, write the topographic map name, city, county and state and your name. Use latitude and longitude to identify your area. You can access U.S. Geological Survey to find your latitude and longitude for most schools in the U.S. If you are still unsure, we can help identify the latitude and longitude when you send in a copy of the map with your data form.
2. Without disturbing the area, record the animals observed here.
3. Use the field guides to decide the species' common name. For example, there may be three Chickadees (Black-Capped, Mountain, or Chestnut-Backed) in your state and we need to know, to the best of your ability, which species you see. If you are not positive, put a '?' next to the animal's name.
4. Record the month and year and type of habitat (i.e. pond, football field, trees along the fence, etc..) on the form.
5. Listen for vocalizations of animals. Include this information on the form.
6. Record the number of each animal seen.
7. (Optional) Create a scrapbook of the wildlife and habitats around your school. If you are unsure of the identity of an animal, send us a picture and we will return it, with the identification of the species.
8. (Optional) Field notebooks comprise of notes and drawings, so students can report their entire experience during their fieldwork. Notebooks are journals and are important if a site will be monitored (visited on a regular basis, which could be daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) and for students to recall a trip made weeks or months before. Field Notebooks should not be mailed with the NatureMapping form.

Karen M. Dvornich
University of Washington
Box 357980
Seattle, Washington USA 98195-7980

or email her at kgap@salmo.cqs.washington.edu

For more detailed information on the NatureMapping Program, look at their website at http://salmo.cqs.washington.edu/~wagap/nm