This lesson is based on viewing the Historica Minute, "Grey Owl," which explores the life and career of this controversial conservationist. Grey Owl, whose real name was Archibald Stansfeld Belaney was born in England, but he immigrated to Canada, adopted the name Grey Owl and purported to be the son of a Scot and an Apache. He was a trapper and a park ranger and his writings on conservation were very influential.

Students will briefly describe the history and importance of Grey Owl and will identify and debate the issue of conservation from the perspectives of land developers and First Nations.

1. After viewing the Grey Owl Historica Minute, ask students questions about it. The questions can be about the time period, people's reactions to Grey Owl (reactions from both Aboriginal Canadians and European Canadians), and certain facts about Grey Owl's past life.

- Where did Grey Owl come from?

- When did he immigrate to Canada?

- What kind of lifestyle did he want?

- How did he teach others about conservation?

You might want to direct students to other sources of information about Grey Owl to enhance the discussion.

2. Lead a class discussion on the need for development due to the post World War I wave of immigration and the resulting problems of over development. Discuss how it affected the physical environment and the people living on the land.

3. Divide students into three groups to represent the roles of land developers (e.g., lumber companies), Aboriginal Peoples, and the "voice of the forests." Each group will prepare three statements about their rights and why they should be listened to. Have them present these statements to the class. Then, each group will be able to ask one question of the other groups to challenge their statements. Allow each group the opportunity to reply to these challenges.

Assist the whole class with drawing three clear conclusions about the issue of development and protecting the environment.

Please refer to the accompanying evaluation rubric for this debate.

4. Extensions/Additional Activities

- Direct students to research the Grey Owl Trust. Students should start by visiting the Trust's Web site. Students should learn about the mission of this Trust and answer some basic questions about the organization. What does the Grey Owl Nature Trust do? How do people help the Trust? Why is the Trust named after Grey Owl?

Then, initiate a class discussion about saving the environment. Ask students to distinguish between needs and wants. Students can discuss the ways that people can help the environment with recycling, conservation parks, etc. Have students make posters about recycling programs that are used in the school.

- An alternate debate idea is to consider the issue of a non-Aboriginal personal bringing wide attention to wilderness conservation. Divide students into three groups. One group will discuss the reasons why a non-Aboriginal man was needed at the time to raise awareness about the wilderness. Another group will discuss the reasons why an Aboriginal person could or could not achieve the same recognition, and the last group can decide if an Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal man or woman can achieve that sort of recognition today. Each group will prepare 3 statements about their points and the reasons for taking that position. Have them present these statements to the class. Then, each group will be able to ask one question of the other groups to challenge their statements. Allow each group the opportunity to reply to these challenges.

Assist the whole class with drawing three clear conclusions about the issue of development and protecting the environment.