Matrix 3: Environmental Impact of Organisms in the Great Lakes Region
Videos and PodcastsWorth Fighting For: People Protecting the Great Lakes (54:00)
"Worth Fighting For" documents how concerned citizens working together, often in partnership with business, industry, and government, are making a positive difference in their own neighborhoods. The four segments explore the successful re-development of contaminated land along the Lake Michigan shoreline near Petoskey, Michigan, into a world class, eco-friendly resort community as well as efforts to save the endangered beluga whale in Canada’s St. Lawrence River. The beluga is rare in its ability to survive and thrive in fresh water yet its survival is threatened by toxic waste and population pressures. The successful creation of a sixty acre lakeshore park near Cleveland, Wisconsin, is discussed as a local citizens' action group wins a battle against a condominium developer. The determined efforts of Canada’s Walpole Island's First Nation people work to prevent the dumping of potentially contaminated industrial wastewater in the St. Clair River. Ecosystems, Populations, and Habitats (5:47) Introduces the classification of the biosphere into nine individual biomes. Ecosystems and Biomes (17:30) Take a journey to different types of biomes around the globe, from tropical rain forests, to mountains, deserts and the ocean. Live-action footage and colorful graphics teach about different regions and climates, explain what an ecosystem is, and examine the impact living organisms and their environments have on each other. A terrarium project shows you how to build your own living ecosystem. Forest Habitats (15:00) Visit deciduous and evergreen forests to see the plants and animals that make this ecosystem their home. Discover how living things change over time and adapt to their surroundings. Biomes of the World (22:29) Viewers explore the physical characteristics of each biome, from geographic locations and climate to typical plant and animal populations and the survival adaptations evolved by its organisms. Discover the effects on climate of latitude, elevation, and proximity to mountain ranges and oceans. Witness the broad variance in rainfall from one biome to another and how the abundance or lack of basic requirement affects all living organisms. Websites |