Eco Fixers Slides Eco Fixers
Restoration Task Force Briefing
Mission Objectives
01
Distinguish between Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology.
02
Evaluate restoration strategies: Structural, Bioremediation, and Augmentation.
03
Propose evidence-based solutions for damaged ecosystems.
Warm-up: Damage Control
You are the lead engineer. How would you "clean up" these disasters?
Massive Oil Spill
Offshore/Coastal
Abandoned Strip Mine
Toxic Soil
Dammed River
Blocked Migration
Restoring the Broken
Conservation Bio
Focuses on measuring biodiversity and finding ways to protect it.
"How healthy is the population?"
Restoration Ecology
The science of fixing broken ecosystems.
"How do we undo the damage?"
"Fixing an ecosystem is like trying to uncook bacon." — Hank Green
Strategy Briefing
7:06 - 8:27
Embedded media
Watch for:
Structural Restoration
Bioremediation
Biological Augmentation
Structural Restoration
Physical removal & rebuilding
What is it?
Removing human-made structures or impact to return the ecosystem to its natural physical shape.
The Milltown Dam Example
Removing the dam + dredging toxic sediment + restoring the river's original meanders.
Bioremediation
Using life to remove toxins
What is it?
Using organisms (bacteria, fungi, or plants) to remove or detoxify harmful substances.
Plants leaching metals from soil
Bacteria eating oil spills
Toxin Removal
Biological Augmentation
Adding life to restore nutrients
What is it?
Adding organisms to an ecosystem to return essential materials (like nitrogen) that are gone.
Nitrogen Fixers
Beans, Lupine, Acacia
Symbiotic Fungi
Mycorrhizae for roots
Adding Essentials
Mission: Task Force
1
Analyze your Scenario Card.
2
Choose the best Strategy.
3
Justify your choice using the Term & Evidence.
Required Briefing:
• What is the main problem?
• Which organism/method will you use?
• Why is this better than other options?
Mission Report
Complete your Exit Ticket before leaving the field.
Q1: Define Bioremediation in your own words.
Q2: Provide one real-world example of its use.
Restoration Mission Cards Restoration Task Force
Classified Mission Briefings
Form: RTF-SC-2026
Security Level: Level 2 Biology
Mission Protocol:
Work in your assigned task force. Analyze each scenario card. Identify the primary ecological problem and propose a restoration strategy (Structural, Bioremediation, or Biological Augmentation). Be prepared to justify your choice to the Chief Ecologist.
CODE: HEAVY-METAL
Project: Rust & Ruin
An abandoned iron mine has left 50 acres of soil contaminated with toxic cadmium and lead. No native plants can survive the toxicity, and the metals are leaching into the local water table. The soil structure is intact, but it is chemically "poisoned."
Proposed Strategy:
CODE: NITRO-FIX
Project: Fallow Fields
Decades of intensive industrial farming have stripped the soil of all essential nitrogen. Commercial fertilizers are too expensive and causing runoff issues. The land is essentially a "biological desert" where even weeds struggle to grow due to nutrient depletion.
Proposed Strategy:
CODE: FLOW-RESTORE
Project: Concrete Creek
In the 1950s, a natural stream was encased in a concrete channel to prevent flooding. Now, the water moves too fast for fish to live, there is no shade, and biodiversity is zero. The physical path of the water is entirely artificial and blocked from the surrounding landscape.
Proposed Strategy:
CODE: BLACK-TIDE
Project: Slick Marsh
A pipeline leak has spilled 5,000 gallons of crude oil into a sensitive coastal salt marsh. Using heavy machinery would destroy the fragile roots of the marsh grasses. You need a way to break down the hydrocarbons without physically trampling the ecosystem.
Proposed Strategy:
CODE: FUNGI-SUPPORT
Project: The Sterile Slope
A hillside was re-graded after a highway construction project. Workers planted native grass seeds, but the seeds are failing to take root. Analysis shows the soil is "living" but lacks the symbiotic fungal networks (mycorrhizae) that allow roots to absorb water and minerals efficiently in this rocky terrain.
Proposed Strategy:
Property of Environmental Protection Agency - Task Force Division
Classified Material - Do Not Distribute
Restoration Exit Ticket Mission Complete
Mission Debrief: Exit Ticket
Restoration Task Force Unit
Agent Name:
Date:
1. Define Bioremediation in your own words:
2. Provide one specific example of an organism used in bioremediation and what it removes:
Verification Signature Required
Mission Complete
Mission Debrief: Exit Ticket
Restoration Task Force Unit
Agent Name:
Date:
1. Define Bioremediation in your own words:
2. Provide one specific example of an organism used in bioremediation and what it removes:
Verification Signature Required
Restoration Teacher Guide Teacher Guide
Restoration Task Force: Lesson Overview
Grades: 9-12 Biology
Duration: 40-50 Minutes
Lesson Pacing
Phase Time Action Warm-up 5 min Show Slide 3. Brainstorm initial ideas for cleaning disasters. Instruction 10 min Watch Crash Course video (7:06-8:27). Define key terms on Slides 6-8. Main Activity 20 min Restoration Task Force: Groups analyze Scenario Cards and propose plans. Closure 5 min Exit Ticket: Definition of Bioremediation.
Mission Scenario Answer Key
Project Rust & Ruin: Bioremediation . Use hyperaccumulator plants (like mustard plants or sunflowers) that can leach heavy metals from the soil.
Project Fallow Fields: Biological Augmentation . Plant nitrogen-fixing legumes (clover, lupine, beans) to return nitrogen naturally to the soil.
Project Concrete Creek: Structural Restoration . Physically remove the concrete channel, reshape the stream meanders, and replant riparian vegetation.
Project Slick Marsh: Bioremediation . Use hydrocarbon-munching bacteria or fungi to break down the oil without damaging the marsh roots with machinery.
Project The Sterile Slope: Biological Augmentation . Inoculate the soil with mycorrhizal fungi to help the native grass roots absorb nutrients and water.
Discussion Questions
The "Bacon" Analogy: Why is it harder to restore an ecosystem than to protect one? (Complex networks of interactions take time to form).Biological Risks: What is the danger of biological augmentation? (Introducing a species that becomes invasive, like the Cane Toad in Australia).Success Indicators: How do we know if a restoration project has worked? (Return of biodiversity, stable nutrient cycles, improved ecosystem services).
Pro-Tip for Scenarios:
Encourage students to justify why they chose one over the other. For example, why is Bioremediation better for the Marsh oil spill than Structural Restoration (heavy machines)? (Impact vs. Efficiency).
