Wildlife

While seemingly barren, the Great Sand Dunes and the surrounding area provide abundant opportunities to view and enjoy wildlife. From the rocky peaks to the grasslands beyond the sand, animals are well-adapted for this high-elevation environment. Wildlife here must have the ability to endure extremes of heat, cold, dryness, and high winds.

Lesson Plans
• Does it Belong to Me or is it Free? - Students will be able to distinguish between wildlife and domesticated animals.
• Who Passed This Way? - Students will be able to identify common animal tracks and learn how to make plaster casts of them.
• Track Memory - Students will begin to learn to identify mammal tracks at Great Sand Dunes and learn to notice the difference between animal track shapes.
• The Camouflage Trail - Students will gain an understanding of the concepts of camouflage and adaptation.
• You Can't See Me - Students will understand the importance of natural coloration and camouflage in survival, considering the colors of various animals found at the park.
• Wildlife Scavenger Hunt - Students will use observation and deductive reasoning skills to find objects at the sand dunes that are the result of animals' interactions with the environment.
• Nocturnal Lives - Students will learn about mammals and how they survive in the dark.
• Insect Design - Students will be able to identify common insects at Great Sand Dunes while also understanding the general external morphology of insects.
• Find My Critter - Students will be able to understand the importance of coloration in the ways animals are adapted.
• Biological Diversity at the Dunes - Students will be able to explain the concept of biological diversity and use observable characteristics to group living things found at the park.
• Oh, So Special - Students will become acquainted with the habits and characteristics of a few special plants and animals before visiting the park.
• Think Like a Bird - Students will understand the complexities of nest building by attempting to design and build a nest themselves.
• Raven's Song - An on-line interactive fable with questions that refer to Great Sand Dunes' web site.