{"id":2085,"date":"2012-08-09T08:49:11","date_gmt":"2012-08-09T15:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/breakingwaves\/?p=2085"},"modified":"2012-08-09T08:49:11","modified_gmt":"2012-08-09T15:49:11","slug":"teachers-and-classrooms-may-spread-invasive-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/breakingwaves\/2012\/08\/09\/teachers-and-classrooms-may-spread-invasive-species\/","title":{"rendered":"Teachers and classrooms may spread invasive species"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"4th-graders<\/a><\/p>\n

One in four teachers who use live animals for classroom science projects report that they’ve released the animals into the wild when the projects are done, according to a new Sea Grant study – and the practice may be helping to spread some nasty invasive species.<\/p>\n

The study, led by Oregon Sea Grant Extension’s invasive species expert Sam Chan, was presented at this week’s national meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Portland.<\/p>\n

\u201cLive organisms are a critical element for learning and we don\u2019t want to imply that they should not be used in the classroom,\u201d said Chan. \u201cBut some of our schools \u2013 and the biological supply houses that provide their organisms \u2013 are creating a potential new pathway for non-native species to become invasive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to work through the whole chain and educate both the teachers and suppliers about the potential damages \u2013 both environmental and economic \u2013 that invasive species may trigger,\u201d added Chan,\u00a0 former chair of the Oregon Invasive Species Council.<\/p>\n

The study surveyed nearly 2,000 teachers in Florida, New York, Indiana, Illinois, Oregon, Washington, California, Connecticut, British Columbia and Ontario. Conducted primarily by researchers from Sea Grant programs in those states, it also included focus groups and interviews with teachers, curriculum specialists and biological supply house owners and managers.<\/p>\n

The researchers found teachers using as many as 1,000 different organisms in the classroom, including many frequently listed species identified as known or potential aquatic invaders,\u00a0 including elodea, crayfishes, amphibians, mosquito fish, red-eared slider turtles and other aquatic plants and snails.<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/strong>:<\/p>\n