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On this page:

1. Cornell University Poisonous Plants Informational Database
2. Desert Plant Survival
3. Guide to Poisonous Plants
4. Mushrooms : Fungus -- Edible and Poisonous!
5. Sacred Earth

Cornell University Poisonous Plants Informational Database
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/index.html

Many plants are edible or medicinal, but some plants can be fatal if used incorrectly. This site could save your life. It is a database of information on poisonous plants constructed by professors at Cornell University. The information on this site is easy to find and read. All the links on this site work so you can find dictionaries and other reliable websites. In addition, most of the graphics are very helpful. (Catherine C. and Tina T.-M.)

This site also helped Jeena C. in Karen Smith's class at Hamilton with her study of how to survive in the wilderness. She wrote: What do you do when you're stranded in the middle of the desert with a bunch of plants? The only problem is, which ones will kill you and which ones won't? So before you set out on your little hiking adventure, enter this site. You'll be amazed by all the information and different links you can go to. There's everything from what parts of the Lily of the Valley are poisonous, down to a page that ranks plants on chemical content. Not only that, but there are beautiful (although toxic) graphics on each one. It's very easy to navigate through the site and (my favorite) it gets down to the point! This is the perfect site for almost anybody with this interest. This page was created and sponsored by Cornell University of New York.

Elizabeth S. and Anna F. in Sarah Waddell's class at Hamilton also used this site to answer the question: "What skills do we need to acquire to survive mishaps in the wilderness?" They wrote: Planning on going camping soon? Identifying poisonous plants could be a useful skill. So come to the Cornell University Poisonous Plants site. This site has great graphics, and links that work really well. It's easy to read, and it has tons of useful information. This site is presented in an altogether straightforward and easy to understand manner. We recommend this site for everyone young and old, from rock climbers to tent campers.

• Student Author: Catherine C. and Tina T.-M.
• Teacher: Jodi Steidl
• Librarian: Julie Weis
• School: Velma Hamilton Middle School
• Year: 2001-2002

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Desert Plant Survival
http://www.desertusa.com/du_plantsurv.html

Planning for a trip to the desert? Curious about deserts? This site has everything you need to know about desert life. This site includes information on desert plants, animals, culture, and location. It is a section from www.desertusacom, which is a monthly Internet magazine published by Digital West Media, Inc. This site is dedicated to all things desert related.

• Student Author: Yaoli P.
• Teacher: Nicole Schaefer
• Librarian: Julie Weis
• School: Velma Hamilton Middle School
• Year: 2000-2001

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Guide to Poisonous Plants
http://www.vth.colostate.edu/poisonous_plants/report
/search.cfm

You are in the wilderness and you are starving. You see a plant and wonder if you can eat it or not? This site will tell you. If you need a large database of plant information and pictures, this is a good place to go. The information is accurate and well summarized. It shows each plant's definition with a large full color photo of the plant. Each category of the plant's information is put into its own column to make the page easier to read. For a look inside dangerous and poisonous plants, come to Colorado State University's Guide to Poisonous Plants.

• Student Author: John K. and Seth R.
• Teacher: Jodi Steidl
• This site helped Jodi Steidl's class answer the question(s) "What skills do we need to acquire to survive in the wilderness? It also helped us prepare for our Survival field trip."
• Librarian: Julie Weis
• School: Velma Hamilton Middle School
• Year: 2001-2002

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Mushrooms : Fungus -- Edible and Poisonous!
http://www.oxford.net/outdoors/Odds&Ends/mushrooms.html

Have you ever seen a mushroom and wondered if it was poisonous? Well, this site will tell you everything you want to know about mushrooms and the author! An easily navigated site, it gives loads of information and is also very colorful. It is made by John A. Vance and is sponsored by RAFTEC computer service. We would recommend this site to anyone who wants to become a mushroom expert.

• Student Author: Claire K. and Sadhana M.
• Teacher: Karen Smith
• This site helped Karen Smith's class answer the question(s) "What skills do we need to acquire to survive in the wilderness? It also helped us prepare for our Survivalfield trip."
• Librarian: Julie Weis
• School: Velma Hamilton Middle School
• Year: 2001-2002

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Sacred Earth
http://www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany
/rainforestremedies.htm

I would recommend this site to a friend because it has alot of useful information. Although this site takes a pretty long time to load it is worth it. The author does leave his name on the page and also has a link so that you can contact him. This site tells about all of the many medicines and remedies you can find in the rain forest, but, most of the doctors and pharmaceutical companies are not willing to do all the testing that goes along with it. There is not a date to tell when the site was last updated but the information seems pretty accurate. I would recommend this site to middle school level or above.

• Student Author: Allison B.
• Teacher: Janet Mears
• Librarian: Pam Nibbe
• Technology Teacher: Bill Haight
• School: Akira Toki Middle School
• Year: 2000-2001

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Internet Detectives is a publication produced by Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) middle school students as a resource for other K-12 students. It is an ongoing, cooperative effort of middle school Social Studies classrooms. Students find, evaluate and recommend Internet resources related to the curriculum. This project is supported by MMSD's Teaching and Learning Department and Library Media Services.

These Internet resources were evaluated on the basis of Site Selection Guidelines. Questions and comments regarding specific sites can be sent to the classroom teachers listed with the student author and school.

Questions or comments regarding the Internet Detectives project can be sent to Barb Spitz at bspitz@madison.k12.wi.us or (608) 663-1976.

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