Young people, parents and educators can find many Web sites with games and learning materials that offer fun when learning about wildlife damage management. Extension educators and other professionals offer entertaining ways and research-based information to help youth learn to live in harmony with their outdoor neighbors.

In many regions of the country, humans and wildlife are preparing for the onset of winter. These preparations can lead to conflict as animals store food and seek shelter. Youth, parents and educators can find several activities on the Web that demonstrate how to avoid wildlife damage during the fall.

The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management (ICWDM) site provides games on damage management for beaver, rabbits, coyotes, moles, and blackbirds. The site also links to background information and more games that have been developed by the USDA Wildlife Services. Visitors will find beavers, blackbirds, cougars, Canada geese, coyotes, deer and raccoons.

The ICWDM is a collaborative effort of Cornell University, Clemson University, University of Nebraska - Lincoln and Utah State University. Information for kids is at http://icwdm.org/education/kids_and_educators.asp.

Contributors to the ICWDM also provide links to lesson plans from several sources including Texas University Cooperative Extension; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services; Agriculture in the Classroom; U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Centers for Disease Control; Integrated Pest Management Institute of North America, Inc.; University of Arizona, North Dakota Agriculture Department and the National Park Service.

Educators can find research comparing teaching techniques based on four years of classroom presentations about wildlife damage management at http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1380&context=gpwdcwp. Co-author Dallas Virchow, University of Nebraska, is a contributor to the national eXtension site and the ICWDM site.

Three other sites with interactive games and activities are the Environmental Kids Club site from the Environmental Protection Agency at http://www.epa.gov/kids/, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission at http://www.ncwildlife.org/pg10_OutdoorKids/pg10.htm and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources at http://www.iowadnr.org/kids/index.html.

The National Wildlife Federation (http://www.nwf.org/kids/) offers more ideas for youth, parents and educators under the topic Outside in Nature. The Kids Can Garden for Wildlife segment notes that gardeners can nurture wildlife all year, pointing out that habitat restoration is critical for wildlife where commercial and residential development has eliminated most natural areas.

Educators also may be interested in 4-H online curriculum material provided by North Carolina 4-H Youth Development at http://www.nc4h.org/teachers/enrichment/. Topics include Urban Wildlife: Our Animal Neighbors, Sharing Space with Wildlife, Nature’s Footprints, and Beavers: Ecosystem Engineers.

Still other sources include publications and power points available online, dealing with Chipmunks: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1034.html , (Ohio State) Deer: http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/wildlife/deercont.PDF, (West Virginia) Ground squirrels: http://schoolipm.unl.edu/ipmmodules/groundsquirrelsipm.htm, (University of Nebraska) Moles: http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/wildlife/420-201/420-201.html , (Virginia Tech) and http://schoolipm.unl.edu/ipmmodules/molesipm.pdf, (University of Nebraska) Rabbits: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/uh095.pdf, (Penn State) Raccoons: http://wildlifecontrol.info/ccewdmp/Publications/Raccoon_factsheet.pdf , (Cornell) and Woodchucks: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/wldlf2/L865.pdf , (Kansas State)

A wealth of information also is available on the eXtension Web site and includes amphibians, carnivores, pigeons, reptiles, rodents and other mammals.

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Written for eXtension. eXtension is an educational partnership of more than 70 land grant universities helping Americans improve their lives with access to timely, objective, research-based information and educational opportunities. eXtension’s interactive Web resource, http://www.extension.org, is customized with links to local Cooperative Extension Web sites. Land-grant universities were founded on the ideals that higher education should be accessible to all, that the university should teach liberal and practical subjects, and share the university’s knowledge with people throughout their states. Contacts: Carol Ouverson, (515) 294-9640, couverso@iastate.edu