Conservation Connect is a middle school level web-based video series produced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

This series inspires a new generation of conservation stewards by taking students on e-fieldtrips across the country to learn more about wildlife species, conservation careers, and technology used to study and protect these wild creatures.

Our 6-8 minute episodes are available for teachers to watch with their students, and lesson plans are available in our “Educational Toolbox” tab. During the school year, your class has the opportunity to participate in Live broadcasts and ask questions to real wildlife experts.

Conservation Connect Toolboxes are packaged episodes with additional middle school related content such as Conservation Connect lesson plans tailored to the Next Generation Science Standards, an activity guide, and a photo gallery for your students to use.

Videos

Conservation Connect Series: American Bald Eagles (00:08:23)

Chelsea interviews Jim Siegel, Wildlife Biologist, on the success story of the American Bald Eagle.

Conservation Connect Series: Bats (00:09:24)

Connecting with bats and the careers of people who study and try to help them. Hosted by Chelsea McKinney with Ann Froschauer, Science Communicator and Bat Specialist, USFWS and Leslie Sturges, Wildlife Rehabilitator.

Conservation Connect Series: Black Bear (00:05:51)

Host Tiana Jones talks with bear expert, Harry Spiker with the Maryland Natural Resource Department to learn some interesting things about black bears.

Conservation Connect Series: Black-Footed Ferrets (00:07:30)

Chelsea McKinney visits the National Black Footed-Ferret Conservation Center and talks with Kimberly Frazer, USFWS Education Specialist. April 20, 2016.

Conservation Connect: Bog Turtle (00:07:41)

Host Chelsea McKinney talks with Christine Peterson, Bog Turtle Researcher, in rural Maryland learning about the habitat of the bog turtle.

Conservation Connect: Brook Trout (00:08:16)

Join host Chelsea McKinney and Dr. Nathaniel Hitt, Scientist, USGS as we learn about the coolest fish you could ever imagine, the brook trout. These gorgeous fish are native to the cool, clear-flowing streams of the Appalachian Mountains.

Conservation Connect Series: Cheat Mountain Salamander (00:06:44)

Dawn Washington, and her kids, as they search of the secretive Cheat Mountain Salamander, and learn how they can track this critter in the spruce mountains of West Virginia at Canaan Valley NWR.

Conservation Connect Series: The Condor (00:07:09)

Meet Supervisory Biologist, Joseph Brandt, from Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge, and discover the amazing California Condor success story and the latest technology that is used to track this huge and unmistakable endangered bird.

Conservation Connect Series: Delmarva Fox Squirrel(00:09:00) 

Chelsea interviews Dr. Carol Bocetti, Professor, California University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Cherry Keller, Geneticist, USFWS Chesapeake Bay Field Office. September 2014.

Conservation Connect Series: Electrofishing (00:07:24)

Chelsea McKinney interviews fisheries biologist Alan Temple, USFWS explaining all about electrofishing.

Conservation Connect Series: Humpback Chub (00:08:15)

Join host Chelsea McKinney and USFWS biologist, Mike Pillow as they helicopter into the Grand Canyon to learn about the endangered Humpback Chub fish.

Conservation Connect Series: Junior Duck Stamp Competition (00:07:29)

Join Chelsea McKinney and Lionel Grant, USFWS, MI Junior Duck Stamp Coord. The program encourages students to explore their natural world, invites them to investigate biology and wildlife management principles to share what they have learned with others.

Conservation Connect Series: Law Enforcement(00:07:09)

Learning about special professional officers who work to protect the lives of animals by ensuring people do not illegally kill or poach them. Hosted by Chelsea McKinney, USFWS with Officer Gabe Harper, USFWS.

Conservation Connect Series: Migratory Bird (00:07:03)

Louie Ocaranza, host, USFWS's Conservation Connect, will be talking about Northern American birds with expert Rachel Levin, Migratory Birds Program, USFWS. September 2016.

Conservation Connect Series: Monarch Tagging (00:07:17)

Chelsea meets up with biologist Tracy McCleaf at the National Conservation Training Center to learn all about Monarch Butterfly migration. Youth host, Travis Weller, assists them with tagging a monarch butterfly.

Conservation Connect Series: Monarchs (00:06:38)

Meet Dr. Francis Villablanca, a professor at Cal Poly University, and learn about the amazing migration and life of the Monarch Butterfly, and the technology that is used to track these butterflies over thousands of miles.

Conservation Connect Series: Freshwater Mussels (00:06:42)

Every wonder about the biology of mussels? Meet Matthew Patterson a Mussel Biologist and learn about the exciting life that exists at the bottom of rivers and streams.

Conservation Connect Series: Paddlefish (00:09:28)

Join Conservation Connect Host Louie Ocaranza as he discusses a prehistoric fish, the paddlefish!  He will talk with Sam Stukel, USFWS Fisheries Biologist, Gavin's Point National Fish Hatchery.

Conservation Connect Series: Pilot Biologist (00:06:42)

Meet Steve Earsom, a Pilot Biologist from our Migratory Birds Program.

Conservation Connect Series: Small Mammals (00:06:39)

Join us at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico where Chelsea McKinney interviews Ariel Elliot a small Mammal Biologist and see what animals the desert provides habitat for.

Conservation Connect Series: Spoonbills (00:06:40)

Meet Toni Westland from Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Florida as she discusses the Roseate Spoonbill and the latest technology that is used to study wildlife at the Refuge.

Conservation Connect Series: West Indian Manatee (00:07:58)

Chelsea interviews Ivan Vicente, Education Specialist, Crystal River NWR on their resident manatees.