On Friday, March 18th, students from Windham-Ashland-Jewett (WAJ) Science Club visited Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Columbia and Greene Counties’ Siuslaw Model Forest Center in Acra, NY. The club’s participants were able to get outside and explore the great outdoors while learning about the difficulties of bird migration.
Students spent the afternoon learning about migratory flyways and the important role preserved greenspaces play in bird migration. As birds migrate for thousands of miles, stopovers become crucial to the success of their journey. Land conservation efforts such as grassland preservation are vital to many species of migratory birds. Science club participants used the model forest to set up migratory bird stations that demonstrated both the help and the hazards birds encounter on their lengthy trips. Participants were responsible for collecting the relevant data for each bird’s journey in their notebooks. At the end of the day the data they collected was combined as students discussed what the most frequent challenges birds faced when migrating were and how humans can pose a threat to birds. The WAJ Science Club would not be possible without the generous financial support of The Windham Foundation. The next session of the program is scheduled to take place in April and will cover topics related to map and compass.