Hi! It’s Thursday, January 21, 2010 and time for Social Sciences at ClickSchooling!
Recommended Website:
North American Bear Center
Age Range: All (Parents, as always, should preview the site to determine if content is suitable.)
ClickScholar Heather recommended this website that provides live streaming video of a bear den in northern Minnesota where a female black bear (named Lily) is about to give birth. Not only can you watch the web cam, but you can explore all kinds of free information and multi-media resources about black bears, brown bears, grizzly bears, and polar bears – all of which are listed as vulnerable, threatened or endangered in all or portions of their ranges.
The bears on the web cam are part of a long-term study of black bear ecology and behavior being conducted by the North American Bear Center near Ely, Minnesota. Their mission is to advance the long-term survival of bears worldwide by replacing misconceptions with scientific facts about bears, their role in ecosystems, and their relations with humans.
I visited the website multiple times and was only able to watch the live web cam once. The server was overloaded with visitors making the live streaming inaccessible. That’s to be expected since Lily (the bear) is about to give birth at any moment.
Even though I couldn’t watch the web cam on each visit, I was able to read the “Bear Pages” and watch the site’s other bear videos and virtual slide shows – making the visit well-worthwhile. If you visit the site and can’t view the web cam – have patience and try accessing the site at different times over the next few days - it may eventually pay off.
There is much content on the site that explains how The Bear Center is working to conserve bear habitat, stop poaching for bear body parts, rehabilitate injured and orphaned bears, and find methods to reduce conflict between humans and bears. Some of the explanations are graphic. Parents (as always) should preview the content to determine suitability for their own children.
Enjoy!
