The Mock Environmental Impact Statement

Alverno Science Inquiry Activities on the Internet

Activity: Write a mock Environmental Impact Statement, present it, and defend it
Level: College students in ecology or environmental science
Time: Students will need 2-3 weeks, classroom time depends on time needed to present results
Objectives: After successfully completing this activity, the student will be able to:

• Apply information from scientific literature to a real problem
• Use ecological concepts to evaluate the possible effects of management decisions
• Explain some of the ways human activities influence the environment
• Communicate a management plan effectively to peers
• Critically review environmental impact statements

Author: Rebecca Burton, feel free to email questions and comments from you and your students.Creation and maintenance of this web site was made possible by NSF-ILI Grant DUE 9750658.

Introduction

The National Science Foundation has recommended that college science courses get students "involved in groups working on real, open-ended problems." One activity that allows students this experience is the development of a mock environmental impact statement (MEIS). This project lends itself readily to problem-based learning. Students must define the problem, identify questions and needed information, gather information using a variety of tools, synthesize concepts from different disciplines and work together to come up with feasible plans which they must then present and defend. The activity is flexible enough to be used in ecology and environmental science courses with classes of varying size and composition.

Activity:

• Set context:
  Explain actual EIS-purpose, process, parameters
  Describe the differences between a real and a mock EIS (same format, shorter, simpler, no preliminary process)
  
• Present possible topics of local, timely interest
• Distribute Mock EIS preparation guidelines
• Present available resources such as the EPA site on Environmental Impact Statements, sources of information on local issues and instructions on reviewing a draft EIS
• Put students in groups to find topic
• Have students complete and sign a group work contract
• Distribute preliminary worksheets
• Groups strategize and do research
• Groups prepare mock EIS
• Give each student the MEIS of another group and assign them a stakeholder role
• Groups present and defend mock EIS with other students role-playing stakeholders in the process
• Students and faculty evaluate performance

• Split up class for presentations and use video recording for assessment
• Have outside assessors or graduate students as moderators for concurrent sessions
• Do Q & A via email, discussion group, or other electronic forum

• Substitute this for existing activity, don't add it as an extra activity.
• Provide references and resources pertinent to your region and library.