Online

Biodiversity Counts! Program, The American Museum of Natural History

A middle-school science program created by the American Museum of Natural History. The goal of the program is to get students out of the classroom and into the field to study biodiversity at a site near their school. Contains a guide for teachers as well as additional resources about biodiversity. Retrieved May 29, 2011, from http://www.amnh.org/education/resources/biocounts/

Michigan County Element Data, Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI)

MNFI provides this comprehensive listing detailing the special concern, threatened, and endangered species that have been documented for each county in Michigan. It is a useful resource for finding out what species are most threatened in your county, as well as for comparing to other parts of the state. From the MNFI homepage, under “Data Resources,” click on “County Element Data.” Retrieved July 11, 2018, from https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/data/county.cfm

Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR)

For information about threatened and endangered species in Michigan, from the DNR homepage, click on “Wildlife & Habitat,” “Education and Outreach,” and then “Teachers’ Resources.” Here you will find a current list of wildlife educational resources available from the DNR. Examples include a video on the Kirtland’s Warbler, and posters of Michigan frogs, salamanders, snakes, and turtles. Retrieved May 25, 2011 from http://www.michigan.gov/dnr

Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC)

MUCC is the largest statewide conservation organization in the United States, with nearly 100,000 members and 500 affiliated clubs. The organization seeks to build an environmentally literate citizenry by educating the public on conservation issues. MUCC published environmental education programs, including “Wildlife Encounters” classroom presentation program and the Tracks Magazine, which brings information about wildlife to upper-elementary students. Their web site contains information about Michigan wildlife, as well as their programs. Retrieved July 18, 2005, from http://www.mucc.org

TechAlive Ecosystems Modules, Michigan Technological University

Developed as a support to the MEECS Ecosystems & Biodiversity Unit, these interactive, online learning modules provide virtual tours to some of Michigan’s ecosystems (forests, wetlands, rivers/streams, coastal dunes, and Great Lakes) and the issues surrounding them. Retrieved July 12, 2005, from http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec_index.htm

Biodiversity 911, World Wildlife Fund

This web site contains a number of animated games designed for use with upper elementary and middle school students. Some of the games include “The Gene Scene,” “Mapping Biodiversity,” “Caught in the Act,” and “Biodiversity Performs!” Retrieved May 25, 2011 from http://www.biodiversity911.org/FunandGames/funandgames.html

In Print (and Film)

Biodiversity (VHS or DVD). (1995). Bill Nye The Science Guy. Newtown, PA: Disney Educational Productions. This 26-minute video shows how in any environment there are hundreds of varieties of plants and animals living together. In this video, Bill Nye set up office in an ocean, a forest, and a field to commune with nature and show what happens when one link falls out of nature’s chain. Find out how to purchase this video from the following web site: http://www.billnye.com (retrieved July 20, 2005)

Wilson, Edward O. (1992). The Diversity of Life. New York & London: W.W. Norton & Company. For teachers wanting more information about biodiversity, well-known ecologist Edward O. Wilson describes the story of life on Earth, how species of the world became diverse, and why the threat to biodiversity today is beyond the scope of anything we have known before.