Native Species of Arkansas
In his letters, Mr. Kirkbride Potts talks about how plentiful the game in the Arkansas River Valley were at the time of his settlement there. In addition to bear and deer, he mentions elk. Read here about the elk populations in Arkansas.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission: Ponca Elk Education Center
Activities:
Research Elk: How much does an elk weigh? How tall is an elk?
Compare an elk to the white tailed deer: how are they alike? How are they different?
What do elk eat?
What is the elk population in Arkansas today? What was the estimated elk population when Mr. Potts settled in Arkansas in the 1830's?
How has the reintroduction of elk to Arkansas impacted the environment? the economy?
Produce a distribution map in which you illustrate the elk population density in Arkansas or the United States today and in the 1830's.
Research other species: What other species of mammals are native to Arkansas that are no longer found in the wild?
Create a handbook of endangered/protected species in Arkansas complete with illustrations.
What endangered species live in Arkansas? What factors have caused them to become endangered? What is being done to protect them and their habitats?
Using propaganda techniques, develop a public service campaign in which you encourage others to protect the habitats of Arkansas wildlife.
Another species which, unfortunately is now completely extinct, is the Carolina Parakeet or Parrot. Why is this pretty bird extinct? What was the motivation for hunters to wipe out whole flocks of these birds? Was it over-hunting or loss of habitat which caused the birds to disappear? Conduct a research project that examines the disappearance of the Carolina Parakeet, which once inhabited the woodlands of Arkansas.
The Carolina Parrot
