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The Panther posse program focuses on the mission of Never Saying Goodbye to the Florida
panther and its habitat.
What happens when 200 FGCU students connect with 4th & 5th grade students? A lot of excitement and fun! As part of FGCU’s Integrated studies
course, Environmental Humanities, 200 FGCU students are trained to present one of
the challenges to the 4th or 5th grade students, as part of their curriculum and service learning. The FGCU students
introduce themselves and focus on their future career and careers the students can
obtain at FGCU and other areas of the world.
FGCU’s “Florida Panther Posse and Florida Bear Brigade” programs focus on teaching
4th and 5th grade students about “Never Saying Goodbye” to the Florida panther, wildlife
and their habitat.
FGCU students train and present information through four Florida wildlife challenges:
Natural History, Research, Panther Kittens and Bear Cubs, and Wildlife Species and
Tracks.
All activities and materials are aligned to state standards and offer enrichment opportunities
through STEAM.
This program takes place on the FGCU’s campus in our fun Florida panther and Florida
black bear classroom and provides exciting hands-on learning activities for 4thand 5thgrade students.
Before the students leave FGCU, “Wings of Hope” staff provide a guided bus tour of
the campus to highlight…,
Education is the key to fulfill our promise of “Never Saying Goodbye” to the wildlife
we depend on. Therefore, the challenge to educate others isn’t over yet!
After the program, both elementary and college students educate two adults about what
they learned. This educates an additional 10,000 people every year about the Florida
panther and Florida black bear, how to co-exist with these animals, and ways families
can connect to the natural world.
The students engage in a year-long fundraising effort, by collecting coins to purchase
infra-red motion cameras with “Pennies for Panthers”. The cameras are placed in panther
and bear habitat, usually mounted under wildlife underpasses. The images taken by
their cameras, provide researchers with crucial data about the Florida panther and
Florida black bear and their offspring and prey. During a wildlife underpass study
by UCF biologist, Dr. Dan Smith and Florida Wildlife Association, the images from
the Panther Posse cameras helped secure 18 more miles of fencing along I-75, resulting
in saving the lives of wildlife and humans. The images are given to Florida’s Department
of Transportation (DOT) for their website, so other researchers can utilize the images
for other studies to help save the Florida panther, wildlife and us. The students
may never see a panther or bear in the wild, but with these images they can view the
wildlife they work so hard to protect and save. Science teachers can contact the
FGCU Wings of Hope program to obtain the CD’s for their science curriculum.
