Postcards from elementary school students welcoming migratory birds back to Wisconsin collected in e-book
More than 70 students from six schools throughout Wisconsin joined the
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin<http://www.wisconservation.org/>,
Madison Audubon Society<http://madisonaudubon.org/> and Osa
Conservation<http://www.osaconservation.org/> in welcoming migratory birds
back to the state from Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula. As part of the Wings to
Wisconsin campaign, the three organizations have published an e-book
featuring notes of warm
welcome<http://issuu.com/wisconservation/docs/osa_e-book02_6e893d4b236d0c>
from students in second through fourth grades.
"I chose to have my class participate in the Wings to Wisconsin postcard
activity because I wanted to expose my students to the beauty of birds and
to help them learn to live in ways that help birds and all wildlife," said
Cathie Zlevor, second grade teacher at Winkler Elementary School. "Many of
my students expressed interest in helping birds by providing food and
nesting materials for migrating birds. They were very excited to bring
reports of birds they had seen in their neighborhoods during spring days."
The connection between Costa Rica and Wisconsin may not be obvious at first,
but many of Wisconsin's Neotropical migrants pass through Costa Rica, and 55
of the state's breeding bird species migrate specifically to Costa Rica's
Osa Peninsula for the winter. The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
has provided more than $137,000 to the American Bird Conservancy and Friends
of the Osa since 2009 to protect habitat on the Peninsula that serves as
corridors between existing protected areas.
"We are so impressed by the students who participated in the postcard
campaign," said Lindsay Renick Mayer, communications director for the
Natural Resources Foundation. "The colorful artwork and descriptions were
adorable, and they demonstrated that the students had put some work into
researching the birds, their natural history and why we should help conserve
them."
Local organizations such as the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
and Madison Audubon Society that work to protect habitat in Wisconsin are,
in reality, part of a larger global conservation network.
"Birds, especially our neotropical migrants, spark joy in people of all ages
and help us to be aware of a global wildlife network that expands far beyond
Wisconsin's borders," said Emily Meier, communications and outreach
coordinator for Madison Audubon Society. "A small bird that is the focus of
a colorful, playful postcard can turn into a deeper awareness of a precious
valuable, shared resource."
