2015-276-E Arts - Estes Hills Elementary School PTA Arts Grant

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DocuSign Envelope ID:8COC6AOF-56EE-46F5-A733-01 0A357A1 EFA Yet even today many Aboriginal people still face discrimination and prejudice, and are underprivileged economically, socially and politically. ... have had many inspirational leaders and role models, including land rights pioneer Eddie Mabo; author/public speaker/inventor David Unaipon; didgeridoo maker/player Djalu Gurruwiwi; NBA basketball player Pat Mills; track star Kathy Freeman; tennis champion Evonne Goolagong; and Tasmanian survivor of brutality Truganini. ... have their own distinct flag, created by Aboriginal artist Harold Thomas in 1971. The flag is designed with a black top half to represent the Aboriginal people; a red bottom half to represent the earth and the Aboriginals' spiritual relationship to the land; and a yellow sun in the middle, symbolizing the giver of life. Some people say the red represents blood, for the many thousands of Aboriginal people who died as a result warfare and disease after European colonization started in the late 1700s. ... can teach us all how to better live in harmony with the environment and all of its creatures, and perhaps even more importantly, how to live in harmony with ourselves. AUSTRALIA: Wildlife and Nature Australia is one of the world's 17 mega-diversity countries, according to Conservation International. It is home to about 280 species of mammals (including 150 types of marsupials, more than any other country); 750-plus species of native birds; and about 700 species of reptiles, including 140 types of land snakes, 30 sea snakes and 370 lizards. Despite its abundance of unique fauna and flora, Australia, just like Florida, has suffered ecological and environmental damage due to non-native species of animal and plants either escaping or being released into the wild. The dingo, Australia's wild dog, is believed to have been the first non-native animal Down Under. Although dingoes did, and still do, cause environmental damage, Australia was quite ecologically balanced until the late 1700s, when the first English settlers arrived and introduced a slew of non-native, havoc-wrecking creatures. They brought sheep, cattle, goats, pigs and rabbits for food; cats and dogs for pets; foxes and deer for hunting; and horses and camels for transport and exploration. These animals led to overgrazing, land erosion and predation of natural species. Many of these animals escaped and became feral. But that was just the beginning of Australia's intrusive animal problems. Europeans later imported water buffalo and deer for hunting and food, cane toads for insect control, and many more. Non-native predation of indigenous species, along with habitat destruction and water-supply fluctuation, has resulted in Australia having the world's highest mammalian extinction rate, according to National Geographic. Florida also suffers environmental problems due to both feral and non-native animals. LESSON: Do not release any animal, either wild or tame, that does not already occur in the environment! Words to learn ... *fauna - n. the animals of a specified region or time. *flora - n, the plants of a specified region or time. *carnivore - n, any flesh-eating animal or plant. *herbivore - n. animal that feeds on plants. *omnivore - n. animal that feeds on both flesh and plants. *ecology - n. study of the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. Also: the study of the interaction of people with their environment. *environmentalism - n. work related to protection of the natural environment. *indigenous - adj. refers to people, plants or animals originating naturally in a region. (Australian example: saltwater crocodile; Floridian example: American alligator)