Dive Brief:
- Centers housing injured animals that can’t return to the wild can bring to life the wildlife lessons that biology students are learning in the classroom.
- Science teacher Diane Krishon, who designed a wildlife biology elective for 11th and 12th graders at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, takes her students to the Center for Birds of Prey near Charleston for field trips every semester.
- Krishon said the visits to see hawks, falcons, vultures and more fit her overall curriculum like one of the gloves the center’s staff use to provide a perch for the birds. “I hear from students, ‘I haven’t taken a field trip since I’ve been in high school,’” she said. “I find it absolutely amazing.”
Dive Insight:
Founded in 2004, the Avian Conservation Center sees about 30,000 students per year, split about 50-50 between in-school programming and field trips, most of them from the Lowcountry of South Carolina, said Stephen Schabel, president and CEO.
The facility is housed within The Avian Conservation Center, which also contains a medical clinic for injured birds and a cleaning facility for those caught in oil spills. The center has about 110 birds of prey trained in a variety of activities that allow them to be used for direct education.
“They’re trained to sit on the glove of a trainer, so they can be brought into the space of the student,” he said. “The idea is, we can utilize these charismatic animals as … an education resource to bridge the gap between the understanding of these complicated and sometimes challenging issues to discuss, and grabbing the attention of the audience.”
The programming covers both the natural history of birds of prey and challenges they face in the present, such as injury by guns, collisions with vehicles and poisoning, as well as how the health of birds is related to that of humans, Schabel said.
Sometimes, teachers ask that programming tie to lessons in their classes, like an English teacher whose class is reading “My Side of the Mountain” asking that falcons be part of the demonstration, he said.
But most opt for a more broad-ranging lesson. “We’ve got birds from all over the world,” Schabel said. “We can talk about what’s happening with birds on our planet as a whole, and how those things can be important to individuals here.”
For weeks before her class’ field trip, Krishon talks to students about birds as environmental indicators, teaching them how to identify different species and the traits they possess. The centerpiece of the trip is a “flight demonstration” in the sanctuary’s amphitheater, during which students see various groups of birds in person and talk about their characteristics as they fly from perch to perch above the sunken outdoor area.
Krishon said she wants students to be engaged and ask questions. "I’m usually pretty pleased with the connections they’re making,” she said. “They’re amazed at the feet of the birds, or the wings. … The owls are spectacular. When the owls fly low, which is just what they do, they’ll touch your forehead, or touch the top of your head.”
Those experiences can’t be replicated in the classroom, she said. “We’ve got all the bells and whistles. I can show the videos. I can show them pictures. But the reality of seeing things live and in person, there’s nothing like that."
Additionally, the experience might inspire a student's future career. "That, to me, is valuable—that they have other professionals that they can contact,” Krishon said.
Students also have the opportunity to tour the medical clinic and the treatment facility for cleaning oiled birds.
“All the kids interested in veterinary care get to see the birds behind the curtain,” Krishon said. The oiled bird facility “ties into policy and the role of the federal government, and nonprofits. For me, it’s a great way for them to see in real life all the things we talk about.”
Beyond career connections, Krishon said students make even more important connections to nature, and the need for habitat conversation and wildlife preservation. “I don’t feel like it’s a choice to learn and care about your environment,” she said. “I think it’s a civic responsibility.”
