This is a study guide for advisors and students participating in the Maryland State Envirothon competition. It is not inclusive of all content you may need to know for the state competition. Web sites provided are for reference only and may not be exactly what students are tested on. Students are expected to have a general knowledge and understanding of wildlife ecology, wildlife management and national and state legislation affecting wildlife. This is not inclusive of all content you may need to know for state competition however. During your study please focus on the following topics:
Background
Wildlife and Heritage Service Mission & Program Funding
Wildlife Ecology
including food chains, trophic levels, population dynamics,
natural selection, plant and animal communities and succession,
field identification and sexing and aging techniques.
Wildlife Management Concepts
Text Book Recommendations
Glossary of Wildlife Terms
Using Field Guides
Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds
Audubon Field Guide to N. American Birds – East Region
Scientific Classification
Aging Deer Jawbones
Wildlife Management
including carrying capacity, limiting factors, habitat management,
population management, mapping and aerial photo interpretation.
Wildlife Management Fact Sheet
Wildlife Management Concepts
Aerial Photos
National Legislation
Affecting Wildlife including the Federal Aid in Wildlife
Restoration Act of 1937, the Marine mammal Protection Act of 1972
and the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Endangered Species Act 1973
Marine Mammal Protection Act 1972
MD Endangered Species
MD Endangered Animals
For additional information on specific species, please visit the DNR Wildlife & Heritage Service Website at: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife
Maryland State
Legislation and Regulations Affecting Wildlife including the
Chesapeake Bay Check – Off, the Critical Area Regulations and
Maryland Hunting and Trapping regulations.
Critical Area Regulations - FIDS
The Breeding Bird Atlas Project, sponsored by the Maryland Ornithological Society, can be found on the following website: http://www.mdbirds.org/
The Guide to Hunting and Trapping in Maryland, published by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, can be found on the following website: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/
Additional Material
Maryland Mammals
Maryland Birds
Reptiles & Amphibians
Maryland Snakes
Maryland Sea Turtles
Maryland Butterflies
Research, Inventory, & Monitoring
Maryland Community Classification
Upland Wildlife Habitat Recommendations
Warm Season Grasses and Wildlife
Maryland's Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
The Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem – Added in 2007
This Wildlife Management series was published by the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service with joint expertise and funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage Service. Persons interested in wildlife management can refer to this series for basic wildlife management concepts, species’ needs, management recommendations, habitat requirements, food and cover plants and other general considerations. Contact your county Extension Office for further information. Permission was granted in October 2002 to use this Fact Sheet Series for the Maryland Envirothon.
I. Watersheds
Students should be able
to:
Define
a watershed.
Read
a watershed map, determine the major land uses, and how human or
natural conditions affect the water quality in that watershed.
Describe
existing management practices that aim to improve and restore
water quality in a watershed (for rural, urban and
suburban watersheds).
Know
the major sources of pollution and their effects on water
quality.
Describe
a typical watershed structure and how watersheds work at
different geographic scales and through time.
Teacher Resources:
v Project WET: Branching Out, Color Me a Watershed, Sum of the Parts
v Healthy Water, Healthy People: A Snapshot in Time, There is No Point to this Pollution, Water Quality Monitoring: From Design to Data
v Discover a Watershed: Seeing Watersheds, Back to the Future, River Reflections
II. Freshwater Ecology
Students should be able
to:
Assess (in the field) the habitat, banks and substrate of a
stream.
Understand physical characteristics of streams at the
landscape, watershed, reach and feature levels.
Describe how abiotic factors such as temperature, flow,
salinity, nutrients, pH, DO, etc., affect water quality.
Know how to classify a stream using stream order.
Understand the process of eutrophication.
Identify macroinvertebrates to order.
Know the basic anatomy and ecology of macroinvertebrates and
how scientists use them to assess water quality.
Maryland Streams: Take a Closer Look
Teacher Resources:
v Project WET: Branching Out, Color Me a Watershed
v Healthy Water, Healthy People: Benthic Bugs and Bioassessment
III. Wetlands
Students
should be able to:
Describe the key values and
functions of wetlands.
Describe
how you would identify a wetland.
Have
a general understanding of wetland hydrology, soils, and vegetation.
Be
able to determine and distinguish among the five systems of
wetlands.
Teacher Resources:
Project WET: Wetland Soils in Living Color
WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands: Part I Background Material for Teachers,
IV. Fisheries
Students should be able to:
Age a fish, describe fish habitat, and correctly label fish
internal and external anatomy.
Know how to use a dichotomous key to identify fish to species.
Understand the taxonomic classification system.
Understand fisheries management issues for freshwater and
estuarine species.
Maryland DNR Fish Key (2003)
V. Estuarine Ecology
Students should be able to:
Define
an estuary and understand what makes the Chesapeake Bay unique.
Know the benefits of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV).
**NEW
for 2010 Identify SAV samples to genus and species through
the use of a key.
Click here for Key
Understand how abiotic factors such as temperature, salinity, pH,
DO, sedimentation, etc. affect the Chesapeake Bay.
Know the four major habitats of the Chesapeake Bay.
Understand ecological processes that affect biotic and abiotic
factors in the bay.
Introduction to an Ecosystem (for a hard copy, please contact Elena Takaki at etakaki@dnr.state.md.us or 410-260-8715 – allow two weeks for delivery.)
Teacher Resources: Eyes on the Bay: Real-time water quality data and supporting lessons.
VI. On-line resources (useful additional information)
Characteristics of a
watershed
Provides profiles of a watershed's geography, ecosystem condition,
industry, planning resources and watershed management activities.
http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/wsprofiles/surf/prof/prof.html
Streams 101
Provides basic information,
definitions, and concepts of stream ecology and assessment.
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/streams/101/index.html
About
Watersheds – NBC4
Learn about watersheds and how weather affects water quality with
this interactive website.
http://wrc.iewatershed.com/index.php
Chesapeake Bay
Official Chesapeake Bay Program Website
http://www.chesapeakebay.net and http://www.bayeducation.net
VI. Teacher Resources
Project WET/Healthy Water, Healthy People/Discover a Watershed
For information on these materials, please contact Cindy Etgen at cetgen@dnr.state.md.us or visit http://www.dnr.state.md.us/education/are/
For information on Eyes on the Bay, please contact Elena S. Takaki at etakaki@dnr.state.md.us or visit www.eyesonthebay.net
For information on WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands, please contact Environmental Concern at dir.educate@wetland.org or visit www.wetland.org
**IMPORTANT NOTE: FOR THE STATE TEST, GENERAL RESPONSES SUCH AS “POLLUTION” OR “POOR WATER QUALITY” WILL NOT BE ACCEPTABLE. A PARTICULAR TYPE OR SOURCE OF POLLUTANT MUST BE LISTED. BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE!!!
Soils Study Guide
Back Yard Conservation
Brochure
(Note -This guide is a large file and takes some time to load)
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find out more about the Maryland Envirothon, use the menu options at the top
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Site Maintained by: HJC
Last Updated - October 7, 2009 - HJC