• Ask for assistance from your State Park Service, Natural Resources Department or National Wildlife Refuge or Park as well as local and state colleges.  Identify a point person who will keep you updated with current information.
• • Choose a grade level to focus your education program and involve teachers.
• • Create a board or poster display in your school or local community center or library with the facts you have gathered.
• • Work with your school and local media to reach even more people about the species you want to help.

At the Schools

• Educate younger students creating a “Posse challenge” and reading groups.  Deputize your students!
• • Help students learn about native wildlife by creating new wildlife habitat.  Many states and conservation groups have programs for certifying your habitat and information about starting native plant gardens. 

Awareness

• Spread the word to family and friends with presentations about your wildlife species.  Education is powerful!
• Pennies for your wildlife species – Create a container for students and community members can donate funds to help save the Florida Panther.

Photo: Florida Panther Posse Infrared Camera

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BIRTHDAY PARTIES

Fun Activities: Wildlife Face Painting – Face paint each guest with a wildlife of their choice.

1. Create a wildlife habitat:

Have guests bring a small tree, shrub, or butterfly plant that is native to the area or plants can be supplied by host. A native species is a species that has always lived in the area or region and is from there. Native species are fully adapted to the ecosystem and their environment. An exotic species is a species not from the area or region that was brought by accident or introduced. Exotic species are not adapted to the area and in some cases are damaging to the environment taking over native habitats and making it difficult for native plants and animals to survive. For more information about native and exotic species of Florida click here. Everyone can help create a native wildlife habitat or butterfly garden. Need: Shovels, water cans, & mulch.

2. Florida Panther "Says" :

(just like Simon Says) Host or other leader has group line up facing them. Every "Panther Says" direction participants should follow if a command is given without saying "Panther Says" and participants still follow direction, then they must sit down. ("Panther says" hop 5 times to the left like a rabbit , "Panther says" slither like a snake to the back, "Panther Says" Fly like an eagle to the front, etc).

Photo: Florida Gulf Coast University "Wings of Hope" Staff

3. Trail Walk:

Take a short nature walk with your guests listening and experiencing nature.

4. Trail Bingo:

While on the trail play Bingo. Give each guest a card as they walk on the trail they will need to mark off what they see. They can work individually or in teams. Just like Bingo when they have a five in a row or diagonal they yell "Save Wildlife." Give a prize to the team that completes their card first. Use plants and animals specific to your area. Download the bingo card.

5. Scent Stations:

Many animals communicate through smell—find a mate, mark their territory, find prey all using their sense of smell. This activity can be done on a trail or in any open area. Set up different scent stations (4-8 in total) with clues on stakes for guests to collect and try to guess what animal they describe. Divide group into teams. Each team will have a specific scent that they will have to smell at the beginning and then have to identify at the different stations, once they identify their scent at each station there will be a clue. Each clue will be a cool fact about different wildlife. Give a prize to the team that guesses their wildlife correctly. Choose different scents (almond, strawberry, flower, vanilla, etc). These scents will be swabbed on cotton and then put in a film canister, you will need 5-9 film canisters for each scent. Choose 4 different wildlife, gather a total of 4-8 clues, write clues out on cardboard, attach clues and the particular scent to stake or chair(All panther clues same scent, all bear clues same scent, etc). Arrange stakes on trail interspersing the different clues. Each team will have to identify their scents and collect their clues. Let them know ahead of time how many different clues they will have to find.

Photo: Florida Gulf Coast University "Wings of Hope" Staff

6. Wildlife Art:

Create your own wildlife art. While walking on the trail or searching around the backyard, have guests collect different treasures of nature (leaves, sticks, rocks, etc). Once back from the trail hike or right in on the trail or in the backyard have each guest or team create a particular wildlife with the treasures of nature (Wildlife can be the animal they had to guess as part of the scent station activity). Take photos of ending result and send them to us.

Photo: Florida Gulf Coast University "Wings of Hope" Staff

7. Sizing up to Wildlife:

Have guests see how they size up to a Florida Panther or other wildlife (Eagle, Owl, Fox, Manatee, etc.). Mark out the different sizes of animals in the sand, on the ground, on a wall or mat. Have guests lie on ground or against wall and see how tall they are in comparison with the particular animal. All you need is a measuring tape and sizes of animals.

Photo: Florida Gulf Coast University "Wings of Hope" Staff

8. How far can you leap?

Have guests compare how far they can leap in comparison to different wildlife. Panthers can leap 15 feet.

Have a wonderful Birthday Celebration ”building bridges of hope for wildlife and the environment with fun!

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