WILD ABOUT MOUNTAIN LIONS - statewide education program

This curriculum and activity guide was developed as part of the state mountain lion management plan (2005). The need for factual information about mountain lions was evident and working with our existing Project WILD program was a natural fit. The guide was developed by a Black Hills State University instructor and a GFP naturalist. Both are Project WILD facilitators and worked closely with GFP field staff and biologists to develop the guide. The information contained in the guide is biologically accurate and the activities are educationally sound.

Once the guide was in draft form, the activities were tested by other Project WILD facilitators, classroom teachers, and other educators. A special three-day educator workshop was held in Custer State Park in the fall of 2005 to further test and develop the guide. The final draft of the guide went to print in January 2006 and is now being used in teacher trainings throughout the state.

In order for teachers or other individuals to receive the guides, they must participate in a training workshop. This is consistent with other Project WILD trainings and is based on research which shows that teachers are more likely to use a set of activities/materials if they have experienced the activities themselves. A mountain lion workshop takes a minimum of three hours, though workshops can be expanded in order to offer college credit to participants.

The budget for the development of this guide was $6,962.25 plus staff time. A Cougar Crate was also developed to complement the guide and to provide hands-on resources such as furs, skulls, etc. As of October 25, 2006, 64 educators have participated in a WILD About Mountain Lions workshop. More workshops are scheduled for the state.

For more information about Project WILD, visit the South Dakota Project WILD site. Project WILD is coordinated in South Dakota by the Department of Game, Fish & Parks. It is a national curriculum program with a goal of teaching wildlife conservation through hands-on activities. Project WILD teaches people HOW to think about fish & wildlife conservation, not WHAT to think. Since it's inception in 1983, Project WILD has trained over 1 million educators nationally (and in a handful of other countries). Over 6,000 educators have been trained in South Dakota since 1989.

More information about Outdoor Learning opportunities
More information about Mountain Lions.