 The Tucson Herpetological Society's Reptile and Amphibian Conservation Coloring BookBoth in English and Spanish, these 10 coloring pages are both fun and educational, featuring reptiles and amphibians of southeastern Arizona. Please distribute widely.   Cheery is a Frog But if he's Cheery, Why is he sad? Find out why and discover what makes him happy! Cheery is a frog - a Chiricahua Leopard Frog, to be precise. Follow his amazing story from the time he's just an egg in a pond, to when he swims away as a tadpole, and later grows into a frog. In this new, informative book, young readers will learn why some frogs, like Cheery, and other amphibians are dramatically declining in numbers around the world and may become extinct unless something is done to save them. The existing population of Chiricahua Leopard Frogs (Rana chiricahuensis) is being enhanced by the Chiricahua Leopard Frog Recovery Plan being conducted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Arizona Game and Fish Department. Author Dr. Elizabeth W. Davidson is a research scientist at Arizona State University where she is working to save these amazing amphibians. "Cheery: The True Adventures of a Chiricahua Leopard Frog" puts the problem in terms that young readers can grasp. And that's important, for today's children will become tomorrow's stewards of our earth. The book contains valuable lesson guides for parents and teachers. http://www.fivestarpublications.net/cheery
Wild about the Grasslands! is the Empire Ranch Foundation’s highly successful ecology and ranching heritage youth outdoor education program. The Empire Ranch Foundation, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management – Tucson Field Office, provides three summer adventure camp sessions at the historic Empire Ranch in the heart of Las Cienegas National Conservation Area. This unique education program aims to: 1. Nurture an appreciation of the ecological importance of the Las Cienegas NCA and cultural heritage of Empire Ranch; 2. Discover and stimulate personal meaning and connection to the outdoor environment through nature-inspired art and outdoor recreation activities; 3. Promote an understanding of environmental sustainability and stewardship; and 4. Develop 21st Century skills in creative and critical thinking, use of technology tools, collaboration, and communication by working with master teachers, field scientists, land managers, and local experts. http://www.empireranchfoundation.org/WATG.htmThe YES! program is in its first year. Started by the Cienega Watershed Partnership and other YES Network partners, our first pilot program is being funded by the partners with support by the Arizona Game & Fish Heritage Fund. On the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 7 students ranging from 14 to 18 are assessing locations and managing an ecological improvement site.Through a series of field days, the youth and their mentors from CWP, BLM, the Prescott College Ironwood Learning Experience, Empire High School and supporting organizations are orienting these students in grassland ecology, site assessment skills, cultural resource values, and the restoration of plants, prairie dogs and Chiracauhua Leopard Frogs so that they can engage in managing a specific location. The Youth Group selects a site for further management and restoration work, develops its leadership and technical skills, learns to apply environmental and public land laws, does hands-on restoration, and manages its own small program budget.
| SAMPLE PAGES      Students identified fencing as a top priority. They mapped and marked fence lines for a wildlife friendly fence to keep livestock out of the new habitat.  Other projects included mapping a project area around the habitat, buying 5 tons of rock to help stabilize the storage tank erosion and enhance shore line habitat and to work with the FROG Project to develop an interpretive sign for the site. |
