1. Begin a discussion with the students about a general or specific scenario when human development and wildlife needs have come into conflict. Ask the students questions like, How do we decide if a species is at risk? What types of evidence do biologists use to monitor an area for evidence of a species presence? How can you find out about the habitat requirements of a certain species?
2. Give a brief introduction of the goals, methods, and status of the Breeding Bird Atlas project in New York State (or another project whose data you want to have students explore). You may wish to have the students explore how to access data from the resource now, or you may wait until you have introduced the case study that follows.
3. The instructor will determine the area that will be impacted by development. Instructors may select one example of land change for the entire class, or assign a unique impact area to each student group. Group size should not exceed 4 students to maximize involvement. It may also be interesting to take advantage of other university resources by acquiring information from an urban development department for decision-making details in the development process. For examples of the types of land changes/human impacts that can occur, please see the Instructor Guide.
4. Any number of bird species can be used for the exercise. Suggested species are listed in the Instructor Guide, although the instructor should be careful to choose a species that is appropriate for the land area chosen. The instructor may also choose to select species that are either declining or increasing in number since some species may actually benefit from certain land use changes.
5. Students should initiate the project by answering a series of questions. Depending on the instructor goals, students could be involved in a discussion to co-create this list of questions, either as a large class or in their small groups, or you may choose to provide a list of questions you want students to answer. For suggestions, see the full Instructor Guide.
6. Students will produce a final product that will consist of a presentation to their peers preferably in PowerPoint.  The tone of the presentation should be that of scientists presenting to other scientists. Students should identify the basic biological needs of their species, identify population trends based on population databases, and identify the likely responses to habitat change. Evidence must be supported with scientific references.  The length of the presentation will depend on how many groups there are – this is up to the instructor’s discretion. However, 15 minutes is a suggested minimum.

Extension

Depending on your learning objectives and available time, you may wish to combine this activity with a unit about Environmental Impact Statements. Helpful resources and information are available from: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/basics/nepa.html.