"A new survey suggests a popular class-room solution for Canadian and American teachers may be causing problems for Mother Nature. The study from Oregon State University says a quarter of teachers who use live organisms as teaching tools release the species into the wild when the classroom unit is finished, but only 10 per cent of them do it through a planned release program."

"Principal investigator Sam Chan says teachers who don't follow a planned release program may accidentally be helping the spread of invasive species.

The survey found many of the most popular species used in classrooms, including crayfish, amphibians and various aquatic plants, have been identified as potentially invasive when not growing in their native climate."

Michelle McQuigge reports for the Canadian Press August 8, 2012. [2]