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409 Riverside Drive | Clayton, NY 13624 | (315) 686-2010

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Save The River! Thousand Islands – Clayton NY on the St. Lawrence River

Save The River! Thousand Islands - Clayton NY on the St. Lawrence River

Save The River! is a non-profit, member-based environmental organization whose mission is to preserve and protect the ecological integrity of the Upper St. Lawrence River through advocacy, education and research.

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It’s Hard to be a Tern

You are here: Home / What We Do / In The Classroom / Learning Resources for Home and School / It’s Hard to be a Tern

It’s Hard to be a Tern

A Distance Learning Guide for Educators and Guardians

Save The River is committed to providing quality educational programs and resources for formal and informal educators throughout our region. Save The River has developed Virtual Learning Guides and Resources for students, parents, and educators who are interested in learning more about the St. Lawrence River.

The It’s Hard to be a Tern video can be integrated into classroom curriculum and addresses New York State Science and(or) ELA Learning Standards with a focus on K-3 grade levels. Save The River can work with you to tailor pre-and post-discussion content to meet your classroom needs.

The Common Tern gracefully skims across the surface of the river to take a sip of water on the wing. This bird is one of the area’s most threatened: regional populations fell by almost 90% in the last 50 years!

The world is a dangerous place for a Common Tern, with many perils and predators. Hazards include Great-horned Owls, scurrying mink, habitat usurpation by Ring-billed Gulls, and fluctuating water levels. Where will terns nest and hatch their young?

Featured Lesson Video: It’s Hard to be a Tern

Fortunately, efforts made by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and others have rejuvenated regional tern populations. Save the River, Dr. Lee Harper of the Riveredge Associates, Thousand Islands Land Trust, and dedicated volunteers head out on the river in this video to prepare nesting sites, set up exclusion grids, and perform weekly checks of the nesting locations. Your students will learn how our work helps to restore the tern population and preserve the ecological diversity of the St. Lawrence River.

LESSON RESOURCES

  • About
  • Support Material
  • Standards

About

The It’s Hard to be a Tern video can be integrated into classroom curriculum and addresses New York State Science and(or) ELA Learning Standards with a focus on K-3 grade levels. Save The River can work with you to tailor pre-and post-discussion content to meet your classroom needs.

Support Material

  • Lesson Guide
  • Arctic Tern Activity
  • Common Tern Map 
  • It’s Hard to be a Tern Vocabulary List
  • Additional Curriculum Resources

Standards

Integrating NYS Learning Standards

*For more information please visit NYS P-12 Science Learning Standards and NYS Next Generation ELA Standards

Download NYS Standards

LEARN MORE

Interested in learning more about our educational opportunities? Save The River is always happy to work with new teachers and find ways to create meaningful lessons for students.

Fill out the form here and a member of our educational team will respond to see what options make sense for your classroom whether that is in person or a virtual experience.

There are many additional fun and educational activities you can use to engage your students with St. Lawrence River island habitats both in the classroom or during distance learning. In addition make sure to follow our Facebook Page to learn more about what Save The River is doing to protect our waterways, and to stay up to date on upcoming adult and youth educational opportunities.

Save The River was designated the Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper and is a member of the international Waterkeeper Alliance. The Waterkeeper Alliance is the world’s fastest growing environmental movement, with more than 300+ local Waterkeepers patrolling rivers, lakes and coastal waterways on 6 continents

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Save The River
409 Riverside Drive
Clayton, NY 13624

(315) 686-2010
info@savetheriver.org

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