CURRICULUM PROJECT I

THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OF SOUTH FLORIDA

"Environmental Politics Learning Activities & Educational Expeditions"

 

Objective

This curriculum guide is free and made available to area schools and educators as well as parents and public officials. It is intended to expose students to (1) some of the important and unique natural resources and features of South Florida , (2) how government officials and regulations have shaped our natural and marine environments, and (3) the vigorous debate over how to balance environmental conservation with human and economic development.

Project Overview

Even though South Florida is home to millions of people, several large cities, three international airports, and rampant development, the area also boasts several nationally-known natural treasures. This includes the world famous " River of Grass ," Florida 's Everglades , sandy beaches, the mangrove forests and islands of the Florida Keys , and the only coral reef system in the continental United States .

As such, using the community as our classroom, South Florida provides students and teachers (and environmentalists) with an ideal classroom to study both nature and the ongoing struggle to balance the environment with economy. Indeed, the conservation-development debate remains a political hot potato and one of the most pressing questions facing South Florida . To give students a hands-on experience – an "educational expedition " that illustrates to students the interaction of environmental science, conservation, and politics – a number of community-based experiential learning projects have been developed in conjunction with Robert J. DeCastro, a teacher at the Christine McAuliffe Middle School .

There are many local, state, and national parks, along with museums and centers focusing on the natural environment in the area. Each of these sites – from Florida Atlantic University 's Pine Jog Environmental Center to the Everglades Youth Conservation Camp to Boca Raton 's Gumbo Limbo Nature Center – is ideal for a class/school field trip or an after-school or weekend project.