Jaguars Back in the Southwest United States

The Science section of the New York Times is running an article entitled, Gone for Decades, Jaguars Steal Back to the Southwest. The article states:

At least 10 organizations are working to protect the jaguar in one or both countries. Conservationists are developing incentives to stop bounty hunters in Mexico from killing the big cats. Cameras have been set up near the border to monitor jaguar comings and goings and, inadvertently, the movements of “mules,” or drug runners.

It's really incredible to stop and think about the things we can see in nature when we allow ourselves to slow down and pay attention.

Lesson Ideas:
1. This article discusses the fact that ranchers and cowboys are being paid to take pictures of Jaguars, something from nature. Ask students to take pictures of at least six natural items and use the pictures to form a collage. (One of the wonderful features of a cell phone is that it allows picture taking.) Though you might ask students to make these collages on a posterboard there's no reason why they couldn't make them electronically and post the picture on a wiki.
2. According to the article, in July the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it would not declare parts of New Mexico and Arizona critical habitats for jaguars. Many environmentalists concerned about jaguar safety thought this was a poor decision. Ask students to determine whether or not they think that the decision was good or bad and write a persuasive essay explaining their position. They might blog these essays. In order to effectively do this work, students might have to read the article and conduct some research. (On the other hand, the teacher might explain the article to students and facilitate a class discussion.)
3. The main focus of this article is the presence and protection of jaguars in the United States. (But, since I've never been good at these questions on standardized exams, I could be wrong.) Ask students to read the article and determine its main focus. Tell students to pretend that they are a preservationist. Ask them what one item they most want to hold onto forever. You might divide students into groups and have them interview one another about the item they would most like to hold onto and why. These interviews could be podcast or vodcast.
4. Jaguars are not the only ones stealing across the border between Mexico and the United States. As the article points out illegal Mexican immigrants are also doing this. Ask students if they believe that every person should have the right to live in the United States? Is it fair for the United States to keep some people out of the country. Encourage students to explain their positions.

Edit or expand upon these lessons on our Less-Wiki.