Eco-Tours Biome Project
Environmental Systems
2011
Introduction:
You are opening a new travel agency in your town, and you are in desperate need of clients to get your business up and running. Your assignment is to plan a one week journey to a specific national in the United States, focusing primarily on the ecology and environment of that destination. You must not only educate your client on the climate and living organisms in the area, but must also have an agenda for their journey. This is an individual assignment, meaning you will be working alone.
You are in competition with the other travel agents in your class. Potential clients will compare all destinations, and choose the one that is most thorough, well put together, with the most pleasing visuals.
Criteria:
This is to give you a general idea of what to include, however, you may (and should) find other things specific to your area to include as well, to make your destination more desirable.
a. Location and history or background info about the area (22 points)
· Where specifically is your destination located (what area of the United States, location within a state and location to other states, location to the equator or poles, proximity to other landforms, size, square area, altitude, etc.) Information will vary according to your specific destination.
· Include general information and historical details about your park (changes to the area over time, how it became a national park, major people involved in getting it to national park status, etc.)
Give the “lay of the land” of what they can expect as they travel through your destination. Be sure to include (but don’t limit yourself to the following:
b. Abiotic Factors (non-living things about the environment) (35 points)
· What type of biome or biomes dominate your destination choice? (ex. Tundra? Grassland?) If your park includes multiple biome types, then you’ll need to discuss each one.
· What climate conditions should your client expect at any time of the year? Describe the specific temperature ranges they can expect at different times of the year, as well as describe overall weather patterns, humidity, amount of rainfall, etc. You need to have a detailed description of the climate for the area so that your clients know what to expect.
· How does your area’s location affect the climate? (Why is it cold / hot / rainy / dry / etc.)
· You should include weather and climate conditions for all seasons, including the length of these seasons, because your client will need to choose at what time of year they want to book the trip. You may want to include the type of clothing to bring, or suggest advantages to going one time of year over another time of year.
· What other abiotic (non-living) factors can you tell your clients about the area (rock type, geology, soil type, volcanic activity, land formation, etc.)
· Do you have any major bodies of water or rivers running through this area? (What are they and what characteristics do they have? How have they changed or contributed to the area, etc)
· Any extra information that goes above and beyond the above, or extensive details of the above
c. Biotic Factors (living things)
· What type of plants and trees can they expect to see? What makes these plants and trees different from ones they would see at other places on the globe? How are they adapted to live here? Include specific adaptations that the plants have to the climate and abiotic factors.
· What wildlife might they see? Specifically: herbivores, carnivores, top predators, etc. What traits (or characteristics/adaptations) do these animals have that enable them to live in this specific climate? Be thorough and specific.
d. Miscellaneous information to include:
· What dangers should your clients be prepared for? What preparations might they make?
· What characteristics does your destination have that make it a more interesting choice than your competitors? (What does your destination have to offer?)
· Plan activities for your clients that include sight-seeing opportunities for the wildlife in your area. Make a general list of choices that you are planning to offer.
· Your clients are not interested in sight-seeing in cities or towns. They want a strictly outdoor adventure or excursion.
How will the information be presented?
1. You have an unlimited choice of product to turn in. You may make a pamphlet or travel guide (small booklet) that your clients can take with them to compare with other competitors before making their choice. You can create a computer based product (powerpoint, Prezi, video, animoto, web page, etc)
· Pamphlets and travel guides tend to have more detailed information and lots of pictures that the client can take with them to give them more of an idea about the area they may be traveling to.
· They should contain pictures and information on each page.
· Avoid large paragraphs when possible. Smaller paragraphs to introduce the idea, along with bullets and listing, work well.
· Travel guides should be informational with clear, concise details of the area. They should also be well organized, easy to follow, and be visually pleasing to the eye.
· Your product should have an eye-catching cover to encourage people to read further. There should be pictures to go with the information in your guide.
2. You must include a bibliography page. You must have at least 3 sources, and they should be documented in MLA format.
Bibliography page:
All projects must have a bibliography page turned in with their final product. Projects turned in without bibliography information will not be graded until the resource information is turned in. A zero will result.
Plagiarism:
All information must be written in your own words. Even one sentence that is used directly from a source that is not put into your words is considered plagiarism. You will receive a 0 for plagiarizing or for copying from another person’s work. This includes projects found on-line, from previous or current students, etc.
Remember, you are in competition with the other travel agents!
Please look at the rubric on the next page. The rubric is only a rough guide…be sure to use the detailed instructions above to find necessary and required information on your topic.
Rubric:
Location: (22)
Where in the U.S 5
location to the equator or poles 3
Historical details or facts about area 12
other extra info or going above and beyond 2
Abiotic factors: (32)
specific type of biome 2
climate 10
location’s effect on climate 5
geographical features/soil/rock, etc. 5
seasonal information 5
bodies of water 3
Other extra info or going above and beyond 2
Biotic factors: (34)
Plant life 6
Plant adaptations 2
Animal life (herbivores, carnivores, predators, etc.) 14
Animal adaptations 10
Other extra info or going above and beyond 2
Miscellaneous information: (12)
Dangers and preparations 3
What makes your destination special 2
Planned outdoor activities or excursions 5
Other extra info or going above and beyond 2
Final Product: deductions will be made if you are missing any of the following:
Organized and neat (up to minus 10)
Clear with correct grammar, spelling, etc.
(up to minus 10)
Overall look and educational value of product
(up to minus 15)
Topics
Shenandoah National Park
Acadia National Park (Maine)
Smoky Mountain National Park
Biscayne Bay National Park
Florida Everglades National Park
Voyageurs National Park
Badlands National Park
Wind Cave National Park
Big Bend National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Chihuahuan Desert (includes Carlsbad Caverns National Park)
Petrified Forest National Park (part of Arizona’s Painted Desert)
Saguaro National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Great Basin National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Glacier National Park (includes Waterton National Park on the Canada side)
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
North Cascades National Park
Glacier Bay National Park
Denali National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
Gates of the Arctic national Park
Katmai National Park and Preserve
Channel Islands (both the land and the water)
Death Valley National Park
Yosemite National park
Sequoia and King Canyon National Parks (both together)
Olympic National Park
Mount Rainier National Park
Haleakala National Park
Olympic Peninsula, Washington