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Exploring Your Community
Below are five Web sites that allow you to create a virtual description of anyplace in Jefferson County, Kentucky.
At the end of this activity you will be able to answer the following.
- What animals and plants live in your community?
- What activities occur in your area that could affect your air, water and land?
- Who lives in your neighborhood?
- Who represents you?
- What is your impact on the community?
All you need to know is the following information on the area that you wish to collect information about.
Name: ______________________
Address: ______________________
Zip Code: ______________________
Date: ______________________
Directions:
1) Print a copy of the Community Data Sheet. The data sheet is used for recording basic information about your community.
2) There are six steps in the Exploring your community project. You can do the steps in any order. Don’t forget to record the information on the community data sheet.
3) The project should take about 3 hours, or about a half an hour per step. Take your time and explore each web site after you get the minimum information to fill out your community data sheet.
Step 1: What animals and plants live in your area?
eNature http://www.enature.com/
1a. At the home page, in the Zip Guides Box in the center of the page, type in
your email address and your zip code then click on GO. (To get to the home page, you have to cancel the promotion to join eNature.
1b. Click on “Show Common Species”, then select three common birds for your
area on the data form.
1c. Go to the drop down menu and select mammals, and choose three mammals in
your area.
1d. Choose three more species to follow from each of the categories, trees,
butterflies, wildflowers, reptiles and amphibians.
1e. Go back and explore the rest of the Web site, consider joining eNature.
Step 2: What activities occur in your zip code that could affect your air, water and land?
Envirofacts http://www.epa.gov/enviro/
2a. On the left hand side of the Envirofacts home page (under Quick Start) type
in the zip code of the community that you wish to investigate, press go.
2b. Once your map is drawn, click on Enviromapper
2c. From the left hand column select the attributes that you want on your map
and set the scale and redraw your map.
2d On the bottom right side of the Enviromapper, click to print a map
2e. Only turn on the streams, water features and streets features, then redraw the
map. Figure out the names of the streams in your zip code.
2f. Go back and explore the rest of the Envirofacts web site.
Step 3: Who lives in your zip code?
U.S. Census http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer
3a. Put your zip code in the box and click on search.
3b. Click on the work STF3B in the sentence: Lookup 1990 Census zip code data from STF3B.
3c. Check boxes - P1, P7 and P8 and then back on top of the screen, click on
submit. Click again on HTML and then submit for a second time.
3d. Review the data, and record on your data sheet
3f. Go back and choose other tables that you wish to learn more about.
Step 4 and 5: Who represents you? Mapping your community.
LOJIC http://www.lojic.org/
Political representation:
2a. Click on the interactive maps and select the voter connection
2b. Type in your address and click on search
2c. Click the contact local Reps and find out who your council member is and
then record it on the data sheet.
2d. Click the contact state Reps and find out who your council member is and
then record it on the data sheet.
2e. Click the contact federal Reps and find out who your council member is and
then record it on the data sheet.
Return to LOJIC’s home page to make a map of your home or school.
2f. Click on interactive maps then on Standard Information Map
2g. Click on the yellow mailbox button (It is the second from the Left on the
Standard Information Map home page.
2h. Type in your address and then click on find address, then double click on the
your address when it appears in the box.
2di Click on the minus or the plus sign to make your map at the right scale.
(Once you click on the minus sign, click on the map.)
2e. Select the features that you want turned on, (Don’t turn them all on, it will
make for a very confusing map.
2e. Click on the print button (5th from the right)
Step 6: What is your impact on the community?
Footprint http://www.lead.org/leadnet/footprint/intro.htm
5a. Go the web site and click on start after reading the introduction.
5b. Answer the questions as honestly as you can?
5c. Figure out your ecological footprint and record it on your data sheet
Explore your Community
Data Sheet
Name: ______________________
Zip Code: ______________________
Date: ______________________
Step 1: From the eNature web site fill in the common animals in your community
Listed below in the boxes are different species that I am going to follow in my back yard.
Birds in my backyard
1. ___________________________
2. ___________________________
3. ___________________________
Trees in my backyard
4. ___________________________
5. ___________________________
6. ___________________________
Mammals in my backyard
7. ___________________________
8. ___________________________
9. ___________________________
Butterflies in my backyard
10. ___________________________
11. ___________________________
12. ___________________________
Reptiles and Amphibians in my backyard
13. ___________________________
14. ___________________________
15. ___________________________
Wildflowers in my backyard
16. ___________________________
17. ___________________________
18. ___________________________
Step 2: Using the Envirofacts Web site, answer the following questions.
On the map, which type of regulated activity is there the most of in your zip code? Put an X by the type of activity that occurs most often in your zip code.
Discharges to Water ______
Superfund Sites ______
Hazardous Waste Handlers ______
Toxic Releases ______
Air Emissions ______
Are there streams in your zip code? yes ____ no ______
If yes, what are the names of the major streams?
Step 3: Using the Census Bureau web site answer the following questions.
In 1990 how many people lived in your Zip Code area? ________
Where there more males or females living in your area? ________
What was the predominate race of the people living in your zip code? _______
Step 4: Who represents you?
Who is your councilman? ______________
Who is your state Senator? _______________
Who is your state Representative? ________________
Who is your federal Representative? ________________
Step 5: Add a copy of your map that you printed from the LOJIC Web site.
Step 6: What is your ecological footprint?
Your total footprint in acres or in other words,
how many acres does it take to support your lifestyle? ______ acres