AY Honors/National Parks and Heritage Sites - Advanced/Requirements

National Parks and Heritage Sites - Advanced

Skill Level

2

Year

2021

Version

17.05.2024

Approval authority

North American Division

1. Have the National Parks and Heritage Sites honor.

2. Discover the following (for your country or another country), then creatively share your discoveries with a group or an adult:

a. NATIONAL PARKS & SITES/NATIONAL PARK SYSTEMS:

i. What country’s national park system are you learning about?

ii. What steps must be taken for a site to become a national park or national park site?

iii. What types of sites can be selected?

iv. Who manages these sites?

v. How many sites currently exist in the park system you are researching?

vi. When was a site added most recently in your country, province, or region?

b. UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES:

i. Explain the criteria used by the United Nations (UNESCO) to set aside a World Heritage Site.

ii. What types of sites can be selected?

iii. How many sites exist currently?

iv. Which site was most recently added and when was it added?

3. Do the following while visiting two different national park sites, world heritage sites, or state-managed parks, and give a multimedia report about what you saw during your visits:

a. Determine whether each is a natural, cultural, historical or mixed-use park.

b. Compare and contrast them. Include such things as: landforms, wildlife, conservation or preservation efforts, cultural or historical artifacts being protected, tourist services available, fee vs free location, and number of visitors seen. Your instructor may need to substitute other forms of nature preserve areas depending on location.

c. Visit a visitors’ center. Learn about the history of the park.

i. When was the park established?

ii. Who established it?

iii. Why was it established?

iv. Before it became a national park, how was it used?

v. How much area does the park cover?

vi. What is the reason for protecting this site? What would be lost to history, culture, or nature if this site didn’t exist?

vii. What activities and/or recreational opportunities are available there?

d. Interview a park employee or ranger and ask questions such as:

i. What does your job entail?

ii. What do you like the best about your job? The least?

iii. Why is conservation & preservation important to this park?

iv. What can I do to help preserve or conserve national park sites/world heritage sites?