Educational Fun
Synthesis / extension based activities |
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| 1. | Consider the two photographs shown above. The one on the left is a small strip of undeveloped shoreline on Trout Lake. The other is a developed shoreline, again on Trout Lake. Notice that the developed part of the shoreline has kept a substantial vegetative buffer zone and remains, to a point, biologically functional. However, to many people, the developed shoreline has lost its aesthetic beauty, in part, because of boathouse construction. For the most part, boathouse construction takes place on land NOT owned by the landowner (i.e. over the water).
On Trout Lake, over 95% of the shoreline is owned by private individuals. More than 1000 lots exist on the Trout Lake shoreline. Do we allow 1000 boathouses to be built ? Will this destroy the aesthetic beauty of the lake ? Doesn't the lake belong to the people and therefore shouldn't we protect the aesthetic beauty of this natural resource and therefore control and/or regulate boathouse construction. Given that the individual owns the land, do they not have the right to do whatever they want ? Suppose that you are a municipal planner and further suppose that you must draft legislation that will address shoreline development, from a boathouse construction point of view. Present your proposed legislation to the class, and be prepared to defend it ! |
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| 2. | Do you know of a natural resource that would benefit from an organization similar to the TLCA in concept (not necessarily function). If so, describe the resource and write a mission statement for your organization. Download the constitution of the TLCA. Study the way the Association is organized. What changes would you make to this structure to suit your proposed organization? |
| 3. |  Your neighbour (on the lake) just sold his house. New owners are moving in and they do not know much about the lake or the lake ecosystem. The picture shown at right was taken in the "weed" bed (macrophyte bed) just in front of both your property and your neighbour's property. You overhear them complain about the aquatic "weeds" and you hear them decide to go out and "get rid of the weeds". Knowing how important these "weeds" are, as fish habitat, write a paragraph of what you would tell them to convince them not to destroy the "weed" patch. |
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