Environmental Impact Project Guidelines – Ames High 2011-2012
The impact project is supposed to get students to develop a deeper understanding of something environmentally related through the development of a project that impacts someone or something in the community. The project should be connected to a student’s personal or career interests – picking something you are passionate about will result in a higher quality project. The main thing I want to see is impact in the form of a group of people being educated about something (the larger the group the better) or something being physically changed to improve the environment. I have attached many ideas for projects that you can choose from or you can develop a project of your own.
You are expected to work as groups of 3-4 people in order to accomplish the projects.
Assessed Impact Project Components:
- Project Proposal
- Progress Meetings
- Final presentation
Characteristics of High Quality Projects:
· High level of impact (educates many people or is an improvement in something that affects many people)
· Collaborate with professionals/experts in the community
· Marketed so that people know about your project
· Some involve fundraising, organizing volunteers, writing grants, or hosting events.
· Some involve raising awareness about local environmentally-related issues
· Some involve trying to make environmentally-related policy changes at local, state, and federal levels
· Some involve changes to community property – city governments have worked with projects to make changes they want to see
· All projects are highly documented with pictures, copies of notes and letters, and some involve creating video clips
Impact Project Proposal (Due Tuesday October 18th at the beginning of class)
Before starting a project you are required to submit a proposal that contains the following:
- Name of your project along with a short description of the project (including the project number).
- List of goals you hope to achieve with your project.
- List of possible collaborators and types of professionals you might need help from.
- A plan of action/timeline. What will you do in order to carry out the project – be as specific as possible
Impact Project Progress Meetings (every other week – see schedule for when your group meets with Mike Todd)
About every other week during the semester, you will meet with me about the progress of your project. Your group needs to complete an Impact Project Progress Meeting sheet before you come to the meeting – fill out the sections about your progress since the last meeting and your future plans. We will discuss your progress, your plans, and I will give you suggestions. You will receive a grade based on the following rubric:
Impact Project Progress Meeting / LowQuality / Average Quality / High
Quality / Your Score
Effort/Progress / 5 – Lack of evidence to demonstrate the amount of effort put forth and effort is not consistent. A timeline is not being used to track progress and/or no progress has been made / 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 – Evidence demonstrates that the project was started early and consistent effort has been made. A timeline is used to track progress and significant progress is being made.
Planning / 5 – No short-term plans have been made and/or no long-term plans have been made. Plans lack detail. / 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 – The project has detailed short-term and long-term plans.
Semester End Presentation
At the end of the first semester, you must schedule a day to present your overall project results to the class. Requirements for this presentation will be available later in November. The following rubric will be used to assess your final presentation.
Impact Project Final Presentation / LowQuality / Average Quality / High
Quality / Your Score
Effort was consistent / 5 – Lack of evidence to demonstrate the amount of effort put forth and/or that the project wasn’t started early and/or effort was not consistent. A timeline was not included / 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 – Evidence demonstrates that the project was started early and/or consistent effort was made. A timeline is included.
Environmental Connection Clearly Described / 5 – The project lacks environmental connections and/or the connections are not explained in detail. / 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 – The project has many environmental connections which are clearly described and explained in detail
Depth of Background Research / 5 – Background research is absent and/or lacks to put the project into perspective for the class / 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 – Thorough explanation of the background research is present and helps people put the project into perspective
Collaboration with Professionals/Experts / 5 – No professionals/experts were contacted / 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 –Professionals/experts were contacted and supported the implementation of the project.
Project Documentation / 5 – No documentation was included with the project. / 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 – Project documentation is detailed, including contacts made, details of conversations with people who helped to support the project, dates when things occurred, pictures and/or video of completed activities are included when appropriate.
Overall Environmental Impact / 5 – The project lacked a meaningful impact or the potential impact was not communicated / 6 / 7 / 8 / 10 – The project impacted a large number of people (over 100) and/or met a priority need of someone/something
Grand Total (60)
2011-2012 Impact Project Ideas
New Projects
1. Bowhunting in the prairie - Help facilitate bowhunting of deer in the Ames High Prairie
o Contacts:
§ Erv Klaas, Ames Deer Task Force Member
§ Iowa DNR, Bill Bunger and Greg Harris
§ ACSD School Board, Gerry Peters, Tim Taylor
§ Ames City Council
o Overall action plan
§ Work with Erv to determine what needs to be done in order to propose bowhunting in the preserve
§ Possibly present to the city council and the school board
§ Help organize the logistics of the bowhunting season (working with the person who does this)
§ Possible aerial survey of deer in the city (work with DNR and/or local airport)
§ Sign to inform the public about the bowhunting that takes place and the effects and safe-ness
o Grants
§ Signs – AABC,
2. Ames High Prairie Educational Programming – Develop a year-round nature educational plan for the Ames High Prairie. Design and implement family, young-student, and adult programming to educate people about the history of the prairie, its purpose, and how they can support the prairie in our community.
o Contacts:
§ Mike Todd, Ames High Teacher
§ Rebecca Christofel, ISU Assistant Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist
§ Elementary/middle school teachers
o Overall action plan
§ Design programming to teach elementary and middle school students about prairies and their role in ecosystems, promote the event to prospective students, and complete registrations
· Exploration Backpacks
· Organisms and their habitats
o Prairie Grass
o Native forbs
o Birds
o Insects and bugs
o Small Mammals
o Large Mammals
o Amphibians
o Reptiles
· Streams
· Invasive species
· Prairie restoration and reconstruction
· Prescribed burning
§ Use grant funds to purchase and organize materials
§
o Grants
§ REAP CEP
§ AABC
3. Educate Public Employees - Design and implement an education session to teach City of Ames and Ames Community School District employees about the prairie, its purpose, and how to decrease their impact on the prairie.
o Contacts:
§ Mike Todd
§ Gerry Peters, Ames Community School District Facilities Director
§ City of Ames Public Works Director
o Overall action plan
§ Contact Directors to gauge interest in such a presentation for their workers that access the prairie.
§ Develop a list of goals they would have for such a presentation
§ Develop a presentation
§ Present to the different groups in order to educate them about the prairie, so they can make informed decisions during their work on the prairie
o Grants
§ None needed
4. Ames High Prairie Community Educational Event
o Contacts:
§ Mike Todd
§ Joe Tucker, Nature Conservancy land steward
§ Local prairie enthusiasts
o Overall action plan
§ Organize a community event at the preserve that educates the public about the history of the prairie, its purpose, the work that is being done at the prairie, and how they can support the prairie in our community.
§ This event would take place in the spring
o Grants
§ AABC grant
§ Story County Community Foundation
5. Ames High Prairie Educational Documentary
o Contacts:
§ Work with person creating the historical document
o Overall action plan
§ Design, organize, film, edit, and promote a documentary about the history, present, and future of the Ames High Prairie
o Grants
§ Funding for creating DVDs of the final product
6. Hunting: Effects of lead on ecosystems – work in public hunting areas with someone who can test for levels of lead
o Possible Contacts
§ Doyle Adams, retired Iowa Parks Director
· Member of the 1978 Field Study on Lead in Iowa
§ Young-Jin, Chemistry professor at ISU
§ Someone at ISU who can help test for lead
o Overall action plan
§ Work with a professional to figure out how to set up the study and what equipment is necessary
§
o Grants
§ Funding for equipment (?)
7. Art: Electronic Prairie Plant Art and Art from campus cleanup trash
o Contacts:
§ Graphic designer (?)
§ Artist David Williamson – DNR river trash artist
o Overall action plan
§ Create Line Drawings of many prairie plants for use in other projects over the years
§ Create silhouettes of prairies and prairie plants for use in other projects
§ Learn to create art from trash that is collected during Ames High campus cleanup events
§ Create art from trash that is collected during Ames High campus cleanup events
§ Display art at the high school
o Grants
§ AABC
8. History: Writing a History of the Ames High Prairie
o Contacts:
§ Ames Historical Society
§ Deb Lewis
§ Lotus Miller
§ Don Farrar
o Overall action plan
§ Meet with the Ames Historical Society about how to write historical documents
§ Create interview questions
§ Conduct a series of interviews with people who know historical information
§ Write a history of the Ames High Prairie based solely on interviews and historical documents
§ Collaborate with the Ames High Prairie Documentary group
o Grants
§ None needed
9. Ames High Campus Conservation Events. Fall-No Shave November, Spring-School Energy Challenge
o Contacts:
§ Mike Todd
§ Jeff Beneke, Director of School Energy Challenge, UNI
§ Principal Evans
o Overall action plan
§ Educate Ames High about water conservation through participation in a school-wide “no shave November” activity.
§ Create incentives and market the event.
§ Organize Ames High School’s involvement in the School Energy Challenge in order to educate students about electricity conservation
o Grants
§ AABC
10. AHS Parking Lot native planting
o Contacts:
§ Mike Todd
§ Gerry Peters, Ames Community School District Facilities Director
o Overall action plan
§ Design a native planting for the Ames High parking lot greenspace
§ Get project approved by Gerry Peters and Principal Evans
§ Organize the planting of the area
o Grants
§ ILRTF
11. Design a permanent sign to educate visitors about native plantings at the AHS Parking Lot native planting
o Contacts:
§ Mike Todd
o Overall action plan
§ Determine goals for a sign at the AHS Parking Lot native planting
§ Design a sign to achieve those goals
§ Organize the installation of the sign
o Grants
§ ILRTF
12. AHS Hillside Prairie Reconstruction
o Contacts:
§ Mike Todd
§ Gerry Peters, Ames Community School District Facilities Director
o Overall action plan
§ Create a plan to reconstruct prairie on the hillside south of the Ames High football stadium
§ Get project approved by Gerry Peters and Principal Evans
§ Organize the clearing of trees and invasive species from the area
§ Organize the planning of the area
o Grants
§ ILRTF
13. Design a permanent sign for the Ames High hillside prairie reconstruction
o Contacts:
§ Mike Todd
o Overall action plan
§ Determine goals for a sign at the Ames High Hillside prairie reconstruction
§ Design a sign to achieve those goals
§ Organize the installation of the sign
o Grants
§ ILRTF
14. Design a permanent sign to educate visitors about prairie reconstruction
o Contacts:
§ Mike Todd
o Overall action plan
§ Determine goals for a sign at the Ames High Prairie Reconstruction
§ Design a sign to achieve those goals
§ Organize the installation of the sign
o Grants
§ ILRTF
15. Design a permanent sign for the Ames High Prairie
o Contacts:
§ Mike Todd
§ Joe Tucker, The Nature Conservancy
§ AHP Management committee
o Overall action plan
§ Determine goals for a sign at the Ames High Prairie
§ Design a sign to achieve those goals
§ Organize the installation of the sign
o Grants
§ ILRTF
§ The Nature Conservancy
16. Design a permanent sign for the Ames High wetland reconstruction
o Contacts:
§ Mike Todd
o Overall action plan
§ Determine goals for a sign at the Ames High wetland reconstruction
§ Design a sign to achieve those goals
§ Organize the installation of the sign
o Grants
§ ILRTF
17. Testing our environment for toxins
o Contacts:
§ Young-Jin, Chemistry professor at ISU
o Overall action plan
§ Develop a project to test soil or water for some sort of chemical
o Grants
§ None needed
18. Rain barrels on the Ames High School campus
o Contacts:
§ Mike Todd