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Trott Brook Environmental Learning Center Opportunities abound for an environmental learning at Trott Brook. Activities include habitat studies, wildlife and vegetation identification, bird banding, invertebrate and water quality studies, and.environmental plantings. Three specific habitats it encompasses Trott Brook: a dry oak forest, an oak woodland/brushland, and a willow swamp. Students can observe different vegetation in these habitats, such as wildflowers or trees. They can study the areas in which certain plants thrive and live for comparison and contrast learning. Students can be asked to answer thought provoking questions such as: Do cattails, prominent in the swamp habitat of Trott Brook, occur in the dry oak forests as well? What kinds of plants grow in a swamp area? What are the benefits to these plants in living in the habitat they do? How and why are the three habitats defined as they are? What type of succession has occurred in the Trott Brook habitats? Through answering these questions students will gain a better understanding of the interactions between habitats. Students can conduct wildlife identification studies. They can compare and contrast animals that live in specific habitats, forests opposed to swamps. Using technology such as radio telemetry and photography, students can observe the living patterns of animals found in Trott Brook. Students can conduct bird house studies and bird banding activities in association with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and wildlife conservation programs. These studies will tell student which birds live in the Trott Brook area as well as how many return to the area each spring. Through these activities, students will gain an understanding of migration patterns as well as an appreciation for characteristics of the life cycles of different animal species; Students can also use Trott Brook to study rare and endangered plant species. What are the endangered plants and why are they endangered? How can Trott Brook be used to assure the continuation and possible redevelopment of these endangered species? Students can study exotic and evasive species, such as reed canary grass, an extremely prevalent plant in the Trott Brook area and ask more questions. How did the grass get to Trott Brook and what impact does it have on the area? Should the exotic species be removed? How would removal be accomplished? Rare and endangered plant species can be reestablished as well as environmental plantings of common species for improved habitats. Through these activities, students will learn about exotic and prevalent species and the impact of these species on Trott Brook. Students can study the endangered and rare wildlife species of Trott Brook. One rare species that could be found in the Trott Brook area is the Blandings turtle. Students can research this species and find the requirements it needs to live. Do Blandings turtles live in the Trott Brook area? Why or why not? If not, what can be done to establish a population? What food 20 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I