Updates from the Field

Attention Teachers: Download this week's location data for the banded Siberian Cranes that we are tracking this fall Week 8 Student Exchanges The past two field updates have introduced the landscape and people of northeastern China, as well as wetland research in this region (click on the links to the right to read these updates). This week, our update focuses on Xianghai Middle School, located in western Jilin Province, and a recent project directed by the school's art teacher centering on the wetlands and birds of Xianghai Nature Reserve. Through this project the students are learning about local wildlife while creating beautiful notecards focusing on the cranes of northeastern China. Through the broader Three White Cranes, Two Flyways, One World project, the Xianghai students are also learning about students in Russia and the United States and have formed a special relationship with students at Tower Rock Elementary School and Sauk Prairie Middle School in central Wisconsin. The Wisconsin students are learning about cranes and their conservation along the eastern crane flyway in the United States, while also learning that their actions can make a difference in the lives of students thousands of miles away. Click on the school links to read more about this exciting exchange! Activity: School News An important goal of the Tracking Cranes website is to link students in the United States, China and Russsia that are learning about cranes in their countries. For our activity this week, we encourage you to submit news about your school or class to post on our project website! As a class, decide on what you would like to share with other students and choose photos or examples or student writing or art that illustrate your activities. Other students in the United States will read about your activities on the website, while our project partners in China and Russia will also share your news with students in these countries. Please email your school news submissions to trackingcranes@savingcranes.org.

Field Updates Student Activities Yakutian Birds Geography: Taiga and Tundra Ecoregions Field Work in the Tundra Science: Studying Animal Behavior Environmental Camps Team Building: Crane Egg Game Fall Migration Geography: Tracking Cranes Waterbird Lead Poisoning in Yakutia Social Studies: Raising Awareness Northeast China Discussion: Changing Landscapes Songnen Plain Science: Wetlands as Filters Student Exchanges Writing: School News Birding in China Science: Classroom Bird Feeders Bohai Bay Math: Waterbird Populations Poyang Lake Basin