B. Life Systems · Growth and Changes in Animals

How Animals Affect People and the Environment

B1.1 A3.3 A1.1About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can describe ways animals help people and the environment.
I can describe problems animals sometimes cause, and ways to make those problems smaller.
I can think about animals from different points of view, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives.

Words to know

impact
An effect. Something that happens because of something else. It can be good (positive) or bad (negative).

positive
Good or helpful.

negative
Bad or harmful.

pollinate
To carry pollen from flower to flower so plants can make fruit and seeds. Bees are great pollinators.

wetland
Land that is wet and swampy for most of the year, like a marsh or a beaver pond.

perspective
A point of view: how one person or group sees something.

Elder
In First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, a respected person who holds and shares knowledge and teachings.

Thank a bee!

Do you like apples, blueberries or pumpkin pie? You can thank a bee! Bees carry pollen from flower to flower. This is called pollinating. Without it, many plants could not make fruit.

Animals have impacts on people and on the environment. Some impacts are positive (helpful). Some are negative (they cause problems). Today we look at both.

A honeybee with yellow pollen on its legs collecting from a pink and white apple blossom. — Look at the yellow pollen on this bee's legs. As it visits apple blossoms, it pollinates them so the trees can make apples. AI-generated image

How a bee pollinates: pollen rides on the bee from one flower to another, and then the flower can make fruit, like an apple.

Animal	Positive impact (helps)
🐝 bees	pollinate apples, blueberries, pumpkins and many other foods and flowers
🦫 beavers	their dams make ponds and wetlands, homes for frogs, ducks, fish, moose and more; wetlands store water
🪱 earthworms	make tunnels that let air and water into the soil, and make the soil rich for plants
🐕 dogs	guide dogs and service dogs help people; search-and-rescue dogs find lost people; Inuit sled dogs have helped people travel across the Arctic for a very long time
🐦 birds and bats	eat huge numbers of insects, like mosquitoes
🐄 farm animals	give people food like milk, eggs and meat, and wool for clothing

Ways animals help people and the environment

Animal	Negative impact (problem)	Ways to make it smaller
🦝 raccoons	tip over garbage and green bins and spread trash	bins with locking lids; put bins out on the morning of pickup, not the night before
🦫 beavers	dams can flood roads and farm fields	a pond leveller: a pipe through the dam that lets some water out, so the road stays dry and the beavers keep their pond
🦌 deer	eat gardens; can run onto roads	fences around gardens; deer crossing signs so drivers slow down
🦟 mosquitoes and 🕷️ ticks	bite, and some can spread illnesses	long sleeves and pants; tuck pants into socks; check for ticks after being outside
🪿 Canada geese	droppings make parks and beaches messy	do not feed geese, so they do not crowd into one place

Some problems animals can cause, and ways to make them smaller

Different points of view

People can see the same animal in different ways. That is called a perspective.

Think about a beaver dam that floods a field:

The farmer says, "My field is flooded. I can't plant my crops!"
A duck (if it could talk!) says, "Thank you for my new pond!"
A scientist says, "This wetland is home to many animals and stores water during dry times."

All of these points of view matter when people make a plan.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives

First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples have lived with the animals of this land for thousands of years, and they still do today.

Many Indigenous teachings say animals are like relatives and teachers, and people should show them respect: take only what you need, use all of what you take, and give thanks.
Inuit families hunt animals like caribou and seals. The meat is food, and the skins can be made into warm clothing, like sealskin boots called kamiik.
In the Anishinaabe clan system, families belong to clans named after animals, such as the Crane, Loon, Bear and Marten clans. Haudenosaunee clans include the Turtle, Wolf and Bear clans.
Inuit hunters and Elders have watched polar bears and caribou for generations. Today, scientists work with them and learn from their knowledge to understand and protect these animals.

Worked example

Let's solve the beaver problem

Beavers built a dam beside a country road. The pond is now flooding the road. What can people do?

What is the problem? Water from the beaver pond covers the road. Cars cannot pass safely.
Whose points of view? Drivers need the road. Beavers need their pond. Frogs and ducks live in the pond too.
Idea 1: Remove the beavers. But then the wetland and its animals would be lost.
Idea 2: Put a pond leveller pipe through the dam. Water flows out slowly so the pond stays lower.
Choose: Idea 2 helps the most living things: the road stays dry, and the beavers and pond animals keep their home.

A pond leveller makes the negative impact smaller while keeping the positive impacts of the beaver pond.

A pond leveller is a pipe through the beaver dam. It keeps the pond lower, so the road stays dry and the beavers still have a pond.

Worked example

Let's sort impacts

Is each one a positive or a negative impact? A: A bee pollinates a blueberry bush. B: A raccoon spreads garbage on the street. C: A bat eats mosquitoes. D: A deer eats the tulips in a garden.

A: The blueberry bush can make berries. → positive
B: Garbage makes a mess and can hurt animals. → negative
C: Fewer mosquitoes bite people. → positive
D: The gardener loses flowers. → negative (for the gardener)

Positive: A and C. Negative: B and D. And for each negative impact, we can think of a fix, like a lid that locks or a garden fence.

Just for fun

What do you call a bee that can't make up its mind?

A maybe!

Hands-on activity

Neighbourhood animal report

You need: paper, a pencil and a grown-up to interview.

Ask a grown-up (a parent, grandparent, neighbour or Elder): "What animals live near us? How do they help us? Do they ever cause problems?"
Make a chart with 3 columns: Animal, Helps by..., Problem and fix.
Fill in at least 3 animals you see near home (for example squirrels, robins, raccoons, bees, geese).
For each problem, think of one way to make it smaller.
Share your chart. Tell where your information came from (your interview, your own observing, or a book).

What to look for: at least one positive and one negative impact, and a sensible fix that is kind to the animal.

Your turn

How do bees help people?

Name one way beaver ponds help the environment.

What problem can raccoons cause, and how can people fix it?

What is a perspective?

How have dogs helped Inuit people?

What can you do to stay safe from ticks after a walk in tall grass?

Name one Indigenous teaching about how to treat animals.

More practice: warm-up

Is a bee pollinating flowers positive or negative?

Is a raccoon spreading garbage positive or negative?

Which animal makes soil rich for plants by digging tunnels?

What do farm animals like cows and chickens give us?

What does impact mean?

More practice: on your own

How does a pond leveller help both people and beavers?

Why might a farmer and a duck have different perspectives on a beaver pond?

How do bats help people?

Why do scientists in the Arctic work with Inuit hunters and Elders?

Deer eat Mrs. Lee's garden. Give one fix that does not hurt the deer.

Challenge

Canada geese are making a mess at a park beach. Some people feed them bread. Explain why feeding them might make the problem bigger.

Choose one animal. Describe one positive impact and one negative impact it can have.

Why is it important to listen to more than one perspective before deciding what to do about an animal problem?

Check your understanding

Quiz

How do bees help us get food?

Which is a negative impact?

What does a pond leveller do?

Which is a respectful teaching about animals shared in many Indigenous communities?

What is a perspective?

Which is a good way to make raccoon garbage problems smaller?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Animals have positive and negative impacts on people and the environment, and people can find ways to reduce the negative impacts (B1.1). Looking at an issue from different perspectives is a key skill.

Indigenous perspectives (A3.3): The lesson presents First Nations, Métis and Inuit relationships with animals as living, present-day knowledge, not only history. Teachings differ among Nations and communities, which is why the lesson says "many". If your family or community has its own teachings, share them. Local Indigenous friendship centres and cultural centres are good sources.

Accuracy notes: In Inuktitut, "kamiik" means a pair of boots (one boot is a "kamik"). Pond levellers (also called flow devices) are widely used in Ontario to manage beaver flooding.

Common difficulties:

Calling an animal "bad". Animals are not bad; they are meeting their needs. Talk about problems and fixes instead.
Choosing fixes that harm the animal. Ask, "Is there a way that helps both?"

How to help: Notice animal impacts in your neighbourhood together, like bees in a garden or squirrels in the bird feeder, and brainstorm kind fixes.