Island Fox Ambassador Schools

FIF Educators with students

Across Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, school children play an important role in actively working to protect and save Channel Island foxes. Not only are these young people actively participating in efforts to protect an endangered species, they are becoming stakeholders in their local environment.

Island Fox Ambassadors are individuals, classes, groups, grades, or whole schools where the students have taken a special interest in island fox conservation and have participated in some way to help save endangered island foxes.

How big is a golden eagle?

1. First, Friends of the Island Fox educators visit the school or group and provide a presentation on the island fox and why it is endangered. Programs.
2. The young people then decide how they will contribute. Will they spread information to others, like their parents, families and friends? Will they raise funds for some aspect of island fox conservation? Will they engage in a service project on the islands?

Highlighting two 2014 Island Fox Ambassador Schools:

 

Canalino Elementary School 

Teachers Kathleen Tomscha and Monica Shugart led the 4th grade teachers at Canalino Elementary to become Island Fox Ambassadors in 2009. They established a successful program selling hot chocolate and popcorn at the school's Family Movie Night and over the years the students and teachers of Canalino Elementary have funded - 2 radio collars and 13 vaccinations.

This year, the 2nd grade students in four classes worked together and raised $88 to fund eight more island fox vaccinations.

They were excited to look at island fox and bald eagle biofacts-including skull replicas, pelts and radio collars.
 

Carpinteria Family School 

Teacher Jan Silk has encouraged her 3rd and 4th grade students to be Ambassadors since she participated in a FIF teacher workshop in 2009. This year her students made a model island fox and collected donations for the opportunity to name the fox. When Pat Meyer visited the school she reached into the container and chose the ticket with the name. Much to everyone's delight, the name was "Pat."

The students also are selling purses they have made. So far this year they have raised $120 for island fox health checks and vaccinations.

The class will be visiting Santa Cruz Island in April and participating in two service projects: removal of non-native plants and collecting data on the types of trash enticing to island foxes in the campground and public areas. Over the years Jan's classes have also funded - a "Watch for Foxes" road sign and a radio collar.

Other Ambassador Schools:

Lincoln Elementary currently working on a project.
Montecito Union Elementary, Santa Barbara - 20 vaccinations
Blackstock Middle School, Ventura - a vaccination
Santa Clara Elementary School, Los Angeles - 8 vaccinations
Buena High School Environmental Club, Ventura - radio collar
Westridge School, Pasadena - radio collar
Moorpark College Teaching Zoo, Ventura - health checks
Santa Barbara Charter School, Santa Barbara - vaccinations
St. Cyril's of Jerusalem School, Los Angeles - radio collar
Hancock Park Elementary School, Los Angeles - radio collar and enclosure improvements for the breeding facility in 2006
North Hollywood High Zoo Magnet School, Los Angeles - health check
St. Louis DeMondford High School, Santa Maria - radio collar

Education and the Channel Island Fox

photo courtesy of Inge Rose

You can’t care about an animal and its ecosystem if you don’t know about it.

This year Friends of the Island Fox programs reached:

• Over 1,200 students in classrooms across Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties.
• Our volunteers provided “Fox Talk” presentations to over 1,500 children and adults in community groups, nature centers, state parks and at Channel Islands National Park.

More about FIF programs

Understanding the importance of this small little fox as a keystone predator on the islands has inspired students and people across the country to help fund island fox conservation.

• Fox Ambassador Schools
• El Segundo Ladies Golf Club
• Fort Collins, CO Foxes Baseball Club

Education is one of our primary goals and your donations to Friends of the Island Fox make it possible for us to provide education programs.

Each classroom offers the opportunity to teach our next generation about the native plants and animals that are their neighbors. Local wildlife depends on human neighbors that respect and value the environment. 

FIF also grew its participation in continuing adult education through our relationship with Road Scholar. Our programs on the Channel Island fox have become an important part of Road Scholar’s adventures to Coastal California and Channel Islands National Park. http://www.roadscholar.org
 

photo courtesy of Paul Bronstein

This holiday you can give the gift of education by supporting Friends of the Island Fox in someone’s honor.

The Island Fox Goes to School

March through May is a busy time for island foxes, biologists, and Friends of the Island Fox.

Spring brings fox pups that need to be fed by their parents and counted by biologists in the field. It also is the time for Earth Day events.

For the second year, Friends of the Island Fox participated in the Rio Vista Elementary School Environmental Awareness and Career Day. FIF educators introduced fourth grade students to the island fox, a local endangered species. Students participated in a hands-on activity replicating an island fox health check. They became field biologists weighing, evaluating and recording health data. (More on island fox health checks)

Education can be exciting and fun. Check out Rio Vista Elementary's exciting event on Santa Clarita Valley TV
http://www.scvtv.com/html/scvnews-current.html

The first step in saving an endangered species is educating the local community. Education can come in a variety of approaches, activities and interactions. Friends of the Island Fox is devoted to educating the public, young and old, in creative and relevant ways. The more you know about the island fox, the better neighbor you can be to this endangered species.

To contact Friends of the Island Fox about classroom or community programs:
(805) 386-0386

admin@islandfox.org or islandfoxnews@gmail.com