u.s. Fish & Wildlife Service

An Educator's Guide to theThreatened and Endangered Speciesand Ecosystems of Tennessee

Table of Contents

Authors:Keri Parker and the staff of the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service, Asheville Field Office

Special thanks to Dr. Mary Ball ofCarson-Newman College for her technicalrecommendations, creative ideas, andgenerous time in-kind.

Review:Thanks to the following persons for theirinsightful comments, technical support,guidance, and enthusiasm for this guide:

Milo Pyne, The Nature Conservancy,Southeastern Regional OfficeBrian Bowen, Tennessee

Department of Environment and

Conservation (TDEC), Division ofNatural Heritage

David Withers, TDEC, Division ofNatural Heritage

Andrea Shea, TDEC, Division ofNatural Heritage

Carl Nomam, TDEC, Division ofNatural Heritage

Michael Williams, TDEC, Divisionof Natural Heritage

Sarah Welker, Cross CreeksNationaiWildlife Refuge

Kelly Bibb, U.S. Fish and WildlifeService

Brad Bingham, U.S. Fish andWildlife Service - Cookeville

Geary Schindel, Eckenfelder Inc.Laura Mitchell, Cherokee National

ForestBill Haley, Tennessee AquariumGabby Call, The Nature

ConservancyDr. Cindi Smith-Walters, Middle

Tennessee State UniversityKaren Hargrove, Middle Tennessee

State UniversityBill Sanderson, Asheville High

SchoolDoris Lynn, Crossville Elementary

School

Introduction

Goals............................................................................................. 7

Organization.............. 8

Section One: Background Information

Species Status............................................................................. 11

Habitat.................... 12

Ecosystems.................................................................................. 12

Why Should We Work to Protect Wildlife?........................... 13

Causes of Declining Populations and Extinction.................. 15

What's Being Done?.................................................................. 17

You Can Make a Difference...................................................... 19

Section Two: Ecosystem Fact Sheets and

Species Descriptions

Tennessee's Physiographic Regions....................................... 24

Tennessee's Endangered and Threatened Species List..... 26

Tennessee's Spring and Seep Ecosystems............................ 28

Royal Snail............................................................ 30

Tennessee Yellow-eyed Grass............................................... 31

Slackwater Darter................................................................... 32

Tennessee's River Ecosystems................................................ 33

Pallid Sturgeon ,. 37

Cumberland Monkeyface PearlymusseL........................... 38

Smoky Madtom........................................................................ 39

Nashville Crayfish................................................................... 40

Tennessee's Mountain Bog Ecosystems................................ 41

Bog Turtle................................................................................. 43

Tennessee's Cave Ecosystems................................................ 44

Indiana Bat............................................................................... 48

American Hart's-tongue........................................................ 49

Cedar Glades Ecosystems of Middle Tennessee................. 50

Tennessee Coneflower........................................................... 52

Pyne's Ground Plum.............................................................. 53

The Barrens - Tennessee's Prairie Ecosystems................. 54

E ggert's Sunflower................................................................ 56

Tennessee's High-elevation Ecosystems........................... 57

Spruce-fir Moss Spider......................................................... 60

Rock Gnome Lichen.............................................................. 61

Carolina Northern Flying SquirreL................................. 62

Tennessee's Bottomland Hardwood Forest Ecosystems 63

Tennessee's Extirpated Species.............................................. 64

Red-Cockaded Woodpecker.................................................. 65

American Chaffseed................................................................ 66

Larry Lynn, HomesteadElementary School

Debra Salts, Carrol-OaklandElementary School

Roger Skillman, Wahalla MiddleSchool

Judy Dunlin, Pi Beta PhiElemntary School

Ms. Salts' 7th and 8th gradestudents, Carroll-OaklandElementary ScoolMrs. Huskey's 5th grade class,

Pi Beta Phi Elementary SchoolMrs. Elfering's 5th grade class,

Pi Beta Phi Elementary SchoolMrs. Gosnell's 4th grade class,

Pi Beta Phi Elementary SchoolMrs. Justus' 3rd grade class,

Pi Beta Phi Elementary School

Graphic design:Wilderness Graphics, Inc.

Leyda Vega

Published by:u.s. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAsheville Field Office

160 Zillicoa StreetAsheville, NC 28801

(Telephone 828/2583939)

Red Wolf.................................................................................... 67

Green Pitcher Plant................................................................. 68

Eastern Cougar........................................................................ 69

Tennessee's Extinct Species..................................................... 70

Carolina Parakeet.............. 71

Extinct Freshwater Mussels................................................. 72

Success Stories............................................................................ 74

Success on the Clinch River................................................... 75

Gray Bats on the Comeback................................................... 76

Abram's Creek: Reintroduction of Four Listed Fishes... 77

American Peregrine Falcon DelistedL................................ 79

Section Three: Educational Activities

Sequence of Educational Activities......................................... 84

Focus on Ecosystems: Eco Investigation (Grades 4-8)... 85

Focus on Concepts: Learn the Terms (Grades 4)............ 107

Focus on Concepts: Learn the Terms (Grades 5-8) 111

Focus on Species: "Becoming" (Grades 4) 119

Focus on Species: Will I Survive? (Grades 5-8)................ 125

Focus on Connections: Web of Life (Grades 4-8)............. 128

Focus on Value: Wildlife Song, Poem, or Rap

(Grades 4-8)............................................ 138

Focus on Recovery: EndangeredlI'hreatened Species

in the Comics (Grades 4-8)....................................... 140

Focus on Decision Making: Public Hearing

for the "Weetzel" (Grades 5-8)............................... 142

You and Your School:

What You Can Do to Help Endangered and

Threatened Species.................................................. 149

Where Can I Find It?

A Beginner's Guide to the Endangered Species

Home Page................................................................. 153

Introduction

Introduction

The goals of this guide for

educators and students are to:

• Provide information andresources necessary tocommunicate concepts andterminology concerningendangered and threatenedspecies in afun and inspiringformat.

• Foster an appreciation forthe endangered and threatenedspecies found in Tennesseeand the ecosystems thatsupport them.

• Develop an understanding ofthe factors that cause species todecline.

• Introduce Federal legislationthat serves to protectendangered and threatenedspecies.

• Introduce the values of wildresources and the benefits thatthe natural world provideshumans.

• Introduce ways every personcan help protect and restoreendangered and threatenedspecies and their ecosystems.

• Increase knowledge ofour natural environment thatwill lead to informed decisionswith regard to ecosystems andthe plants and animals thatdepend on them.

There is an impressive diversity ofecosystems in Tennessee. Stretchingbetween the Great Smoky Mountainsand the Mississippi River,bottomland hardwood forests, caves,cedar glades, and a massive networkof streams are only a sample of theecosystems that can be found in thestate. This diversity of ecosystemswithin Tennessee's landscape hasmade it home to a rich variety ofplants and animals, many of whichare rare and unique. There arecreatures and plants living inTennessee that are found nowhereelse in the world. Changes to thenatural world, such as habitatdestruction and the invasion ofnonnative species, threatenecosystems and the plants andanimals that depend on them. Thefate of Tennessee's ecosystems,plants, and wildlife is linked to everyresident of the state, yet few arefamiliar with the natural diversityaround them.

As of November 1999,1,201 plantsand animals in the United Stateswere federally listed as endangeredor threatened under the EndangeredSpecies Act. As of January 2000,Tennessee had 102plants andanimals federally listed asendangered or threatened, more thanany other state without a coastline.Additional species are consideredendangered by the state ofTennessee. While these numbersmay seem discouraging, it isimportant to understand that thedesignation of endangered orthreatened to a species means thereis still time to take action toprevent extinction.

The first step in protecting andrestoring endangered and threatenedspecies is to become familiar with theecosystems, plants, and animalsaround us. This process can berewarding and inspiring; so manyfascinating creatures and plants shareour world! It is important to focus onpositive ideas when working withyounger students, as they are easilydiscouraged by perplexingenvironmental issues anddoomsday statistics.

This guide is meant to educate andinspire readers to take pride in, andbecome excited about, the naturalworld and its inhabitants so thatpositive steps can be taken to protectthem. It is designed to be a fun andmotivating introduction for educatorsand students to the endangered andthreatened species found inTennessee, the ecosystems thatsupport them, and the many ways wecan all make a difference for wildresources in our communities.

Organization

This guide is divided into

three sections.Section One:

Background InformationThis section provides educators withinformation regarding species status,ecosystems and habitats, the values ofwild resources and the benefits theyprovide humans, legislation designedto protect endangered and thre~~nedspecies, and ways to make a posItIvedifference for endangered andthreatened species andtheir ecosystems.

Section Two: Ecosystem Fact Sheets

and Species DescriptionsThis section begins with a briefdescription of the six physiographicregions found in Tennessee.Physiographic regions are areas thathave patterns of relief features orlandforms that differs significantlyfrom that of adjacent regions.

Ecosystem Fact Sheets provide .information about the ecosystems InTennessee that support endangeredand threatened species. Each factsheet describes the ecosystems'unique characteristics, origins,importance, resident species, andways to help protect and restore theecosystems. Each Ecosystem FactSheet is followedby descriptions ofselected threatened and endangeredspecies which depend on that

ecosystem. Each speciesdescription describes the species'status, characteristics, habitat, lifehistory, role in its ecosystem, threats,recovery information, and ways tohelp protect the species and itshabitat. A list of all the endangeredand threatened species found inTennessee accompanies thefact sheets.

Species Descriptions of selected .extirpated species that no longer eXIstin Tennessee and extinct speciesdescribe species no longer found inTennessee. Lists of all the extirpatedand extinct species once found inTennessee accompanythese descriptions.

Success stories of three ongoingefforts in Tennessee provide insightinto the challenging and rewardingprocess of species recovery.

Section Three: Educational

ActivitiesThis section is comprised of a series ofactivities designed to help educatorscommunicate information regardingendangered and threatened species inTennessee to students in a fun andmotivating format. The activities are

designed to be used with the . .information and resources prOVIdedInthis guide. These activities can beused to supplement other existingprograms and curricula that teachabout endangered and threatenedspecies. Grade levelrecommendations are assigned toeach activity, though teachers shouldassess each activity to determinewhich steps are most appropriate totheir student's abilities. Activities arecorrelated to the National ResearchCouncil's National Science EducationContent Standards.

Enjoy learning about Tennessee'~endangered and threatened speCIesand their ecosystems!