Earth Expeditions: 2007 News<title> <link href="../styles/news.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <link href="../../style/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> </head> <body> <div id="wrapper"> <div id="header"> <div id="logoid-sub"><a href="../index.php"><img src="../../images/logotrans.gif" alt="" border=1></a ></div> </div>  <div id="sidebar"><img src="../../images/zoo_on_top.gif" alt="" width="170" height="61" /> <ul> <li><a href="../../zoo_expeditions/plants/index.php">Plants & People</a></li> <li> <hr /> </li> <li><a href="../../zoo_expeditions/primates/index.php">Primate Behavior & Conservation</a></li> <li> <hr /> </li> <li><a href="../../zoo_expeditions/habitats/index.php">Habitats, Adaptations, & Evolution</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="../../eeupdates/subscribe.php"><img src="../../images/signup_for_eeupdates.gif" alt="Sign up for EE-updates" width="170" border="0" height="26" /></a><br /> <img src="../../images/field_in_middle.gif" alt="" width="170" height="56" /></p> <ul> <li><a href="../../field_expeditions/mongolia/index.php">Mongolia</a></li> <li> <hr /> </li> <li><a href="../../field_expeditions/trinidad/index.php">Trinidad</a></li> <li> <hr /> </li> <li><a href="../../field_expeditions/kenya/index.php">Kenya</a></li> <li> <hr /> </li> <li><a href="../../field_expeditions/thailand/index.php">Thailand</a></li> <li> <hr /> </li> <li><a href="../../field_expeditions/belize/index.php">Belize</a></li> <li> <hr /> </li> <li><a href="../../field_expeditions/namibia/index.php">Namibia</a></li> <li> <hr /> </li> <li><a href="../../field_expeditions/costa_rica/index.php">Costa Rica</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="logos"><img src="../../images/logos.gif" alt="" /></div><div id="content"><p><meta http-equiv="content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <a class="tempmenu" href="../../aboutus/index.php">About</a> <a class="tempmenu" href="../../admissions/index.php">Admissions</a> <a class="tempmenu" href="../../faculty/index.php">Faculty</a> <a class="tempmenu" href="../2008/index.php">News</a> <a class="tempmenu" href="../../faqs/index.php">FAQs</a> <a href="../../application/index.php" class="tempmenu style1 c1">Apply</a> <a class="tempmenu" href="../../EEcards/index.php?act=browse_cat">Send EE-card</a></p><p> <h2>2007 Earth Expeditions News</h2> <h3><strong>Princeton teacher OK with cheetahs in class</strong></h3> <p> BY ANDREA REEVES | AREEVES@COMMUNITYPRESS.COM</p><p>SHARONVILLE - As she stood in the blind, Tracy Whitaker absorbed the vista before her: giraffes, zebras and other animals drinking from a water hole in their natural habitat.</p><p>But she wasn't hiding there near Namibia, South Africa, just to take in a pretty view.</p><p>Whitaker was participating in a 12-hour game count, in which she helped track animals present in the area to make sure they're not overly hunted or ill.</p><p>Still, she couldn't help but be awed.</p><p>"I couldn't believe it was actually happening. It didn't seem like something I'd ever experience. They're much more beautiful than I thought they would be in person," she said.</p><p>Whitaker, a graphic arts teacher at Princeton High School, spent 10 days in August in South Africa on an Earth Expeditions trip - part of a joint project between the Cincinnati Zoo and Miami University to give educators the knowledge to use inquiry-based learning to instill in their students an understanding of conservation and ecological issues.</p><p>In other words, Whitaker got to camp in Etosha National Park, investigate animal and plant life in the various spots she visited and work up-close and personal with animals at the Cheetah Conservation Center.</p><p>The center takes on a great deal of abandoned cheetah cubs, who, if not with their mothers until they're 2 years old, won't survive in the wild due to lack of hunting knowledge.</p><p>"Unless you see a cheetah, it's hard to understand how wondrous it is to have these animals around," she said.</p><p>And Whitaker learned why these cheetahs are endangered: farmers perceive them as a threat to their livestock. They'll shoot the cats and leave them to die.</p><p>"Conservation is very important, but it's really important ... to have the local people involved in conservation," said Whitaker.</p><p>"It's really important to understand why species are endangered, why local populations don't see the value of species."</p><p>Whitaker also plans to incorporate conservation in her graphics art courses.</p><p>Her students will be making pop-up cards, which will focus on an endangered animal. They will have to do research on the animal they choose.</p><p>She hopes that projects like these will cause her students to understand the importance of protecting animals.</p><p>"I hope I can make a difference and help some of my students who may not have traveled and get them to understand that treating animals fairly and watching out for them, watching our for their future is important," she said.</p><p><strong>Source:</strong> http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070828/NEWS01/708280319/1089/RSS1108</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p></div>  <div id="footer"> <p><a href="mailto:Put-Your-Friend's-Email-Address-Here?subject=Earth%20Expeditions&body=I%20thought%20you%20might%20like%20to%20hear%20about%20http://earthexpeditions.org!">Email a friend about Earth Expeditions!</a></p> <p><script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[  //]]> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script></p> <p>© 2008 <a href="../../Library/index.php">Earth Expeditions</a> | <a href="http://www.miami.muohio.edu/documents_and_policies/privacy_statement/">Privacy Statement</a></p> </div>  <script type="text/javascript" defer="defer" src="http://server1.opentracker.net/?site=www.earthexpeditions.org"> </script>  <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ _uacct = "UA-2370472-3"; urchinTracker(); //]]> </script></body> </html>