New Michigan Elk Education Program for 9th- Through 12th-Grade Educators

The Department of Natural Resources invites educators looking for a fun way to integrate Michigan’s unique flora and fauna into their curriculum, while still meeting the required educational standards, to explore some of the DNR’s free educational opportunities.

New this year, for 9th- through 12th-grade educators, is the Elk University – Educating Tomorrow’s Wildlife Managers program.

Elk University is a semester-style curriculum, developed to meet educational standards while touching on Michigan history, forest management, elk biology, wildlife disease, and social considerations for wildlife management. Students will learn about how the DNR manages and maintains a healthy elk herd for current and future generations.

Beginning its second year, A Year in the Life of a Michigan Black Bear is available to 6th-, 7th- and 8th-grade educators. Throughout the school year, students will learn about the life cycle of the Michigan black bear and general black bear biology and behavior, as well as how the DNR manages and maintains a healthy black bear population. Over the school year, students also will get to “follow” a bear through its seasonal movements by using actual data points from a radio-collared Michigan black bear.

The deadline to sign up for the black bear education program for the 2015/16 school year has been extended through Sept. 1 to coincide with the Elk University registration deadline.

To sign up and learn more about these and other DNR wildlife education and outreach opportunities, please visit www.michigan.gov/wildlife and click on the “Education” button.

Additional DNR education and outreach opportunities and resources can be explored by visiting www.michigan.gov/dnreducation.