Discover NC! Bladen County

Jones Lake State Park

Elizabethtown, NC (http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/jone/home.html)

Provider: Division of Parks and Recreation

Resource summary

• Appropriate grades: 6–8
• Subjects: science (biology and life science, environmental science, geology)
• Provider: Division of Parks and Recreation

More on the web

• North Carolina Geological Survey Explore the geological maps of North Carolina, learn about the minerals that can be found there, and check out the questions that students are asking geologists.
• North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission - Wildlife Species and Habitat Information A North Carolina Wildlife Resources site with detailed information about wildlife resources and management in the state. Information about animals such as the wood duck, white-tailed deer, beaver, wild turkey, quail, sea turtles, and predators such as various owls, osprey, black bear, wild boar and the gray fox is found here.
• American Field Guide A collection of online videos that explore many aspects of America's wilderness from animals to earth and space to public policy.

Venture to Jones Lake State Park and view one of the greatest geological mysteries of the eastern United States - the phenomenon of the Carolina bays. Adjacent to the Bladen Lakes State Forest and home of two natural lakes, Jones and Salters lakes, the 2,208-acre park is a nature lover's delight. Rangers hold regularly scheduled educational and interpretive programs about Jones Lake State Park. To arrange a special exploration of Jones Lake State Park for your group or class, contact the park office. Educational materials about Jones Lake State Park have been developed for grades 6-8 and are correlated to North Carolina's competency-based curriculum in science, social studies, mathematics and English/language arts. The Jones Lake program introduces students to the unique geology of Carolina bays. Accompanying the program is a teacher's booklet and workshop, free of charge to educators. Call (910) 588-4550 for more information.

Each state park and recreation area has an EELE (environmental education learning experience) curriculum guide that includes on-site activities, pre- and post-visit activities, student information pages, worksheets, fact sheets, vocabulary, and references. You can receive a free copy of an EELE by attending its corresponding workshop at a park, or you can borrow these guides through interlibrary loan at any public library in North Carolina. The EELE for Jones Lake State Park is "Close Encounter with a Carolina Bay" for grades 6, 7, and 8.

The North Carolina State Parks website offers a search feature for finding the plants and animals that can be found at each state park. Using the drop-down menus, you can choose a park and either an amphibian, bird, reptile, mammal, fungus, insect, or vascular plant. You can search within each group by family, scientific name, or common name. There are photographs from the state parks and fun facts for some of the species.