On May 12, 2008, U.S. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Southwestern High School’s Conservation Club and Raptor Center. Southwestern High School is located in Somerset, Ky. U.S. EPA honored the Conservation Club and Raptor Center for the students’ volunteer service to care for injured birds of prey, as well as their efforts to clean up communities, build trails, recycle and conduct water testing. Each club member volunteers about 250 hours a year.
The Southwestern High School (SWHS) Conservation Club and Raptor Center began in 1993 when SWHS first opened. It was designed to enhance opportunities for students to further their environmental education. The club provides hands-on activities such as trail building, recycling, community cleanups, habitat enhancement, water testing, illegal dump cleanup, greenhouse operations and campus landscaping.
SWHS is one of a few high schools in the United States to operate a raptor rehabilitation center. Students volunteer to feed, exercise and provide limited medical care to the birds, as well as maintain the facility. The center houses two bald eagles, a golden eagle, several red tailed hawks, owls and other birds of prey. The Club is featured in Environmental Science, a high school science textbook.
Presentations in which live raptors are perched on students’ arms are given at other schools, community fairs, teacher workshops and state park events. The students have even trained employees with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife in the proper techniques of handling raptors. The club has committed to conducting several presentations at elementary schools this year as their project for the KY EXCEL Program.
Posted by: Attorney Sanders
Categories:
Volunteer Opportunities