(by Willa Coroka)
In mid-April, forty high school students from Manchester visited the Massabesic Center for a full day of activities pertaining to our conservation efforts. These same students are participating in a five-part program on the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, a longitudinal curriculum project generously supported by the Dorr Foundation.
Within moments of arriving, students were observing a live bird banding demonstration. Licensed bander Lindsay Herlihy, a long-time NH Audubon volunteer, walked students through the steps from capture, extract, band, record, and release. Several teens assisted with the latter task, and smiles weren’t in short supply as the newly banded birds blasted out of their hands. While these particular birds did not receive radio transmitters, the students were shown the permanently affixed Motus tower attached to the main building here at MAC and explored recent flybys recorded on the website. This information is available to the public and located here.
The afternoon found us bird watching on the trails, forest bathing on the banks of the lake, and lastly, dipping nets in search of macroinvertebrates at Milne Pond. It was a day full of wonder with a free period tucked between the morning and afternoon activities, with students meandering through the gardens, picnicking in the field, and visiting the ambassador animals. Student feedback was positive, with many remarks pertaining to their newfound appreciation of how difficult migration can be for many species. One participant commented, “Migration is a lot more complex than I thought, and humans play a part.”
Our final lesson wrapped up in May with students tasked to develop action plans that would make their high schools (Memorial or Central) more bird-friendly. Designs ranged from window decals to prevent bird strikes and evening lights dimmed during peak migration periods, to native plants and shrubs replacing the current evergreens in the schoolyard. With social media tags and artwork to encourage awareness, the teens had phenomenal ideas that were far from impossible to implement. “Maybe we could actually do this!” exclaimed one junior in Manchester Central’s AP biology class after sketching a mock Instagram post for lights out at night.
We are excited by the idea of continuing this type of long-scale educational endeavor with our secondary schools in the state. As one Manchester Memorial student commented, “One of the most important parts of helping the environment is knowing how to help, and understanding bird migration is a significant part of that.” NH Audubon is eager to continue sharing opportunities to learn more about our natural world.