We look at the role of the Wildlife Refuge in this Episode of Ramping Up your English. President Theodore Roosevelt designated the first wildlife refuge in the United States, and we’ve been adding to that one ever since.
Canada Geese don’t always migrate, but those that migrate benefit from the National Wildlife Refuge System along the Pacific Flyway. Photo by Cal Holman. See more of his work at calholmanphotography.com
The United States has hundreds of wildlife refuges – at least one in every state. As viewers gather information for the report they’re writing on the animal of their choice, they may well find that their animal is affected by the system of wildlife refuges in the United States and/or in other countries throughout the world.
Watching Episode 69
While Ramping Up your English can be seen as a series on RVTV Voices in Southern Oregon, it can be accessed free as video on demand at Achive.org. from anywhere in the world. Click here to see the entire episode ad-free. If you want to download this episode, you can do so free of charge. Just choose the format you want on the right side of the page.
Watching Episode 69 in Segments
Watch Episode 69 in shorter Segments, starting with Segment One.
Episode 69 Summary
We start back in time about 2000 years ago. A bird called the Sacred Ibus enjoyed government protection by the Greeks. To kill one – even by accident – brought the death penalty. Wildlife habitat has since then been set aside, but usually for an elite group of people to enjoy, mostly royal families.
In North America, everyone is welcome to enjoy wildlife refuges, although they are for the benefit of wildlife, people from all over the world are welcome to visit most of them, and even activities like hunting and fishing are common when those activities benefit the wildlife.
The role of the Wildlife Refuge in Migrations
Many to the wildlife refuges protect habitat that some species only use during their migrations. This is especially true – but exclusively – for birds of various species. Geese use wildlife refuges and grain fields to power their migrations of over 1000 miles. Endangered species get priority attention in the design and management of the wildlife refuge system in the United States.
In addition to the wildlife refuge system, the government in the United States have some areas set aside for the study of wildlife. Elkhorn Slough in California is one of those areas. Several government and non-government agencies work together there to study marine mammals such as sea otters and other species that live much of their lives in the ocean.
Additionally, conservation groups play a major role in protecting and restoring wildlife habitat. The Audubon Society is credited with saving roseate Spoonbills from extinction by providing safe areas for them. The Nature Conservancy provides refuge for various wildlife species in their private reserves. The National Wildlife Federation supports scientific research which agencies use in the management decisions of public land.
This episode provides a great opportunity for viewers to chart the progress they’re making with Ramping Up your English. From time-to-time viewers are urged to estimate the percentage of content they understand when watching a video. This episode featured two parts of a video about wildlife refuges. Viewers were asked to estimate that comprehension after watch part one. Then they were asked to do the same; however this time they knew they were going to do it BEFORE watching the second part. We illustrated a simple graph to show progress over time.
Language Objectives
Use visual clues to comprehend narration in a video about a familiar subject. Use familiar vocabulary to comprehend the general content of a video. Estimate the percent of content you comprehend in a video presentation.
Academic Content Objectives
Science: Explain the importance of habitat for migrating animals. Explain the importance of water in the habitat of waterfowl. Trace the migration pattern of Canada geese and snow geese. Explain how science-based research of wild animals can be used in making management decisions of wildlife refuges.
Social Studies
Give examples of government actions that have provided refuge for wildlife. Name a government leader who established the National Wildlife Refuge System in the United Sates. Give examples of cooperation between agencies of government in achieving protection and support for wildlife. Give examples of cooperation between government agencies and non-government organizations in protecting and supporting wildlife. Explain how scientific information is gathered and reported to guide public land management decisions. Give an example of how public access to wildlife refuges results in support for the mission of entities engaged in protecting and supporting wildlife.
Videos Used in this Episode
Here’s the same video on archive.org. It’s ad-free and can be downloaded. Click here.
Homework
Repeat the video about Wildlife Refuges. See if you understand more with a second viewing. Alternately, find and watch a different video about wildlife refuges and see how much you comprehend.
Also, visit the website of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Follow this link: https://www.fws.gov/refuges/
Watching Episode 69
You can watch the entire Episode 69 on Archive.org. All you have to do is click here, and then use the back arrow to return to this page.
Watching Episode 70
To learn about Endangered Species, you’ll want to watch Episode 70. Click here to go to the Episode 70 page.