Learning Objectives

Notes

During preliminary planning activities, carefully research particular terrain and conditions that will be encountered on the trip, such as lake and river ice, terrain conditions and other potential hazards. Consider wildlife that may be encountered, including bears, bees, ticks, mosquitoes, non-edible plants, allergens, etc.

Refer to "Outdoor Experiences II" in Wildlife Management 10, 20, 30.

Anticipate any changes in seasonal weather conditions that may affect personal and group safety.

Have some means available to obtain assistance if an emergency arises. Notify others of the itinerary.

Research information from a variety of sources including maps, aerial photographs, guidebooks, journals and local experts. Interpret route information by selecting reasonable destinations, estimating travel time and anticipating obstacles.

A basic first aid kit should be available during the trip. Someone in charge of the group should be certified in administering first aid. Some basic understandings should include dealing with hypothermia, frostbite, fatigue, dehydration, as well as other basic first aid procedures. Identify students or parent chaperones who have first aid and CPR training who are going on the trip.

Students should be instructed on the procedures they are expected to follow if coping with adversities, such as getting lost or injured. (PSVS)

Obtain permission beforehand, to ensure that an area may be used for its intended purpose, particularly on private land, or in national, provincial or regional parks.

Parental permission should be obtained prior to the trip. Specific medical information should be obtained on things such as allergies, medical conditions, specific medications that students are taking and so on. Consult with physicians or public health officials if necessary, for specific information about medical situations that may arise on the trip.

Plan for weather and seasonal conditions that may arise. Identify hazards peculiar to the area. Listen to weather and news reports and forecasts. Anticipate the possibility of unexpected events, such as early fall snowstorms or late frost. If possible, have some form of communication available to alert others in the event of an emergency. (CCT)

The degree of remoteness and isolation of the area of the wilderness trip will determine the extent to which students will need to be briefed on unexpected contingencies. Regardless of the location, they should understand what to do if lost or separated from the group, and how to obtain first aid and emergency response to injuries. For more remote wilderness experiences, they should also be informed about other details. Some judgement must be used to determine the extent of the pre-trip preparations, depending on the location and the duration of the trip. (PSVS)

Contact fire, first aid, ambulance and emergency services in the local area to see what resources they have to offer.

Students should be able to list the personal gear required, with consideration for maintaining body temperature, staying dry and providing protection from injury.

Requirements for food, shelter and storage, travel and emergencies should also be anticipated.

Before the trip, demonstrate the correct use of specialized equipment and hand tools to students.

This would include any equipment or tools that are unfamiliar as well as any others that require special care and handling; for example, knives, hatchets and axes, camp stoves and lanterns, saws, small engines, etc.

A detailed menu should be planned to consider nutritional requirements, portability and preservation factors, food preparation techniques and the safe use of campfires and camp stoves. (CCT)

Factors to consider include techniques for water purification and matters related to personal cleanliness and group hygiene.

Develop contingency plans to be used in case of such things as extreme weather conditions, fire, flood, injury and illness and so on.

For ideas on activities during the trip, refer to other modules for ways to integrate content.

Some suggestions for different modes of travel include hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, backpacking, mountain biking, boating, canoeing and using all-terrain vehicles.

Follow guidelines for safe travel in the forest. Inform responsible persons of the travel plans. Follow the travel schedule as planned. Use orientation and navigational skills. Identify potential hazards and take necessary precautions. Dress according to the mode of travel, weather and season. Watch for changes in current weather conditions.

Apply knowledge and skills while en route, including map reading and compass skills, knowledge of terrain and route selection and mapping of key landmarks and directions. (TL)

Factors to consider are proper trail use, including the use of fires and stoves, tent size selection and firewood selection. Waste disposal techniques should include considerations of latrines, waste water disposal and garbage removal.

Incorporate guidelines for environmental awareness into trip planning and preparations. Consider principles of ecotourism. Also take into consideration the carrying capacity of the area being used, and develop strategies for minimum impact land use.

Explain some important principles of environmental ethics before the trip.

What are the goals and objectives of the trip? What is its duration? What is the general schedule and agenda? What secondary goals and learning outcomes can be experienced during the trip or en route?

Establish specific objectives for an outdoor wilderness trip.

Develop a checklist of essential supplies and equipment to take on the trip. Double check the list for completeness and use it when packing.

Conduct a pre-trip assessment of supplies, equipment and personal gear. Assess quality, quantity and condition of the equipment. If tents are being used, set them up beforehand and inspect them carefully. Obtain missing or speciality items.

Monitor the activities of wildlife in the area and take precautions to avoid dangerous situations.

Rehearse typical emergency scenarios before the trip.

Select the campsite considering site exposure and drainage, access to water and firewood, impact on flora and fauna and proximity to potential dangers. Erect a tent or lean-to, assemble other amenities, protect food from wildlife and spoilage and protect equipment from the elements.

Follow minimal impact guidelines in establishing latrine location and toilet procedures, wash area and procedures, fire site and use and methods of garbage and waste water disposal. Comply with local, provincial and federal legislation relevant to activities that are undertaken.

Follow appropriate procedures to break camp. Pack supplies, equipment and personal gear, take down the shelter, clean the site and do a circle tour of the site as a final inspection.

Assume outdoor camp duties on a rotational basis. This would include such things as meal preparation, camp maintenance and hygiene. Use a checklist or a rating scale to evaluate participants as they perform their duties.

Some relevant activities include: closed compass and skills in activities relevant to traverse; identification of trees, shrubs, vegetation and twigs; animal track and scat identification; demonstration of proper use of equipment; and survival skills.

Many opportunities for module integration are possible. Consider, for example, integrating Module 12.

Conduct a follow-up session to gather feedback and to evaluate the success of the activity. Ask participants to provide their personal impressions. Identify problems encountered and make recommendations regarding future trips. Self-evaluation and group assessment techniques are effective in obtaining feedback that will be useful in planning future trips.

Student journal writing activities during the trip could be useful in evaluating the trip. Students could also complete a reflection guide or make anecdotal remarks about their outdoor experiences.

Learning Objectives

Notes

Emphasize that remote sensing is broadly defined as gathering information from afar. Aerial photography, satellite imaging and birdwatching through binoculars are all examples of remote sensing.

Ask students to consider how travelling to Ottawa to visit the parliament buildings would provide information and experiences that are different than sending a remote probe to the same location to gather information. Offer this analogy to describe the strengths and limitations of remote sensing.

Compare trips to Mars using a human-piloted spacecraft and a mechanical probe. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each type of mission. Use brainstorm techniques to obtain many ideas. (CCT)

Identify information available through remote sensing that may not be obtained in other ways.

Consider information obtained by remote sensing that may be obtained better in other ways. (CCT)

Have students research ways in which remote sensing is used in forestry.

Compare remote sensing data with information obtained in some other way. This module can be integrated with Module 9. Research the electromagnetic spectrum or sensor technology used on satellites. Integration with Physics is possible.

Canada has two locations for receiving satellite data: in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and in Gatineau, Quebec.

If possible, arrange a tour of a satellite station. Students should observe the equipment used to track satellites and to receive and store the data the satellites send back to earth. The satellite station has information available to schools free of charge.

Research the use of digital image recording and processing.

Remote sensing data is available on the World Wide Web.

Compare remote sensing data obtained from various different technologies. Some examples to consider are aerial photographs, AVHRR, LandSat, NOAA, EOS, SPOT, RadarSat and other emerging technologies.

The Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) displays low resolution data on its website. It is an excellent resource for student use. Refer to the bibliography for Internet addresses.

Examine natural colour composite images and compare them to false colour composite images. Compare the differences that become evident in vegetation when viewed with false colour composite images using data from the infrared region of the spectrum.

Compare images taken from high altitude weather satellites and lower level vantage points.

Consider why a low resolution image (about 1 km resolution) is suitable for weather information, but less suitable for examining forested areas.

Examine satellite data on a computer. Find an area of particular interest. Zoom in until detail is no longer available. What is the limit of the pixel size? How does this affect the extent to which detail can be examined? (NUM)

Discuss the importance of ground truthing in verifying data collected through remote sensing.

Ask students to consider why military remote sensing data uses very high resolution. What kinds of surface details would be distinguishable with low, medium and high resolution?

Classify surface features such as forested areas, wetlands, bodies of water and cultural features that are in a remote sensing image. See Module 12 regarding the use of MUC for classifying distinct land covers.

Identify the unique spectral signatures of specific surface features.

Remote sensing computer software is available for educational use. It can be used to read and manipulate satellite images. Some software has the ability to compute image clusters, using supervised or unsupervised classification, allowing users to develop land cover thematic maps. (TL)

There are tutorials and other useful information about remote sensing on the Internet.

Obtain posters that contain satellite images.

Investigate forest decline damage and how it can be detected from remote sensing data. Compare damage that can be detected with visible light and in the infrared region.