Megan Mosby
Executive Director
New year…some new initiatives…follow along.
Our e-newsletter, Nature News, has a special section in it called KidStuff. We realize that we depend on the adults in the room to point it out to interested kids. And, now we are going to ask those same adults to help us spread the word of our new initiative for this year’s KidStuff.
First, if you aren’t signed up to get Nature News you can go online and sign up here for free. No costs…only benefits!
Now, with that detail out of the way, let me set the scene for our new initiative.
Youth Super Heroes
Over the past couple years, we have enjoyed great success and increasing interest in our programs with younger generations. From our onsite Teen program, several years of successful college interns, and many projects with Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops – we are looking to build on this momentum and offer more for even younger kids in our community. But we will need the feedback from families — including the youth themselves!
Join us for a focus group discussion on one of these potential dates (it’s just 1 hour!):
- Saturday January 29 at 9am-10am
- Sunday January 30 at 1pm-2pm
- Saturday February 5 at 9am-10am
- Sunday February 6th at 1pm-2pm
Space is limited, so please RSVP directly to us at: megan@libertywildlife.org, carols@libertywildlife.org, or info@libertywildlife.org.
And you will get free admission on these dates for attending one of the focus groups.
The underlying motive is this: We know that what we do to nature and our natural world is identical to what we are doing to and for ourselves. We are all connected. We are creating a world that our children will inherit…what do YOU want it to be like for them? Whose earth will it be? IT WILL BE THEIRS.
So, in Liberty Wildlife’s way of thinking, the time to get active is now. We are hoping to build in our younger generation both an awareness and knowledge of the world around them. Couple that with a strong desire to act upon those results and what you have is a better, safer, more sustainable world.
Face it; they really have the most to lose or TO GAIN. Our Nature News, KidStuff, wants to create a flock, a herd, a pack, a contingent of “Super Heroes for Nature.” We believe that we can help these kids to identify what needs to be done – through their eyes – and figure out ways they can do it…whatever IT might turn out to be. We want advocates for the natural world…in our own midst.
Maybe you, the current readers of NatureNews and the blog, can help us introduce this concept to the interested kids in your orbit. We thought a focus group of kids (all ages) and their parents would help us create a current cadre of young minds and bodies to vie for Super Hero status. We need you, ADULTS IN THE ROOM, to help us spread the word….and we need to hear from you that you have heard our message.
Do you know someone who would like to identify and detect areas that might need some heroic action? Do you know someone who might just be the right leader to help organize the actions needed? Do you know just the right group of future earth keepers that can help coordinate and act upon needed moves to change the world?
If you do…or if you just know a young person who might be looking for a cause, you are in the right place. Pass the word on and have them contact us with their interest: carols@libertywildlife.org, megan@libertywildlife.org, info@libertywildlife.org or respond to this blog.
We will get back to you with next steps and details on the focus groups. Right now, we are looking for interested, active, potential super heroes…let us know where you are. I am looking forward to hearing from you!
This Week @ Liberty – January 18, 2022
We’re BAAAAAACK!
As we began January of last year (2021), we never really thought we’d get so close to 13,000 intakes for the year, or make the grand progress that was in store for us. Now we have two California condors on our permit, a couple of new vets volunteering during the week, some new structures gracing the facility, and a renewal of the same ‘Help them all’ attitude that we’ve had for the last 41 years! We’ve hit the ground running and we’re starting off the new year with some new falcons in our care, as well as another young bald eagle who was pinned recently. The Education Team is revving up to warp speed and attendance at our public hours is growing by the week, plus we have several new Educational ambassadors to present as well. It promises to be yet another banner year for Liberty Wildlife!
Desert Botanical Garden
Along with the Verde Canyon Rail Road, Liberty partners with the Desert Botanical Garden each holiday season for a series of special presentations. Our Education Team sets up a booth at the Desert Botanical Garden facility near Papago Park and presents an array of birds and reptiles that visitors might encounter in the area. This coupled with the natural beauty of the Botanical Garden can only enhance the experience of anyone touring that facility. Plus it gives us an opportunity to display our ambassadors in their natural setting.
(Look for 3 pictures.)
Recently in Triage
Even on the slow days in late December and January, the birds and animals keep coming in. Luckily, our talented team of Medical Services volunteers is ready to admit, assess, and begin treatment on all new intakes, including the never-ending stream of red tail hawks, kestrels, and Cooper’s hawks. Jan’s team of superlative veterinarians and volunteers do a fantastic job providing expert professional care for animals that would otherwise die unattended in the wild.
The public at the viewing windows in the medical wing gets a good look at what happens during the rehabilitation of animals at Liberty.
(Look for 6 pictures)
Falcons
There are over 60 species of falcons in the world, but only a few inhabit Arizona. Recently, we had a representative of almost all of them in our care. I was able to record the presence of four species in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) one afternoon, beginning with one of the most ubiquitous types, the kestrel. This smallest of the native falcons are found in abundance throughout the northern hemisphere. Also present in the Falconidae family is the merlin, slightly larger than the kestrel, but not as numerous. That day we also had two prairie falcons that had injuries of various types. There was also a peregrine, once near extinction due to DDT use, but now not uncommon after decades on the endangered species list. The only species not present was the aplomado falcon which at one time was plentiful but had its own problems with DDT use in the last half of the 20th century. They are also making a slow comeback from the edge.
(Look for 4 photos)
New bald eagle.
Recently, another young (first year) bald eagle was found on the west side presenting an injured wing. He was X-rayed upon arrival and the radiograph showed a fractured humerus. The break was in a “good” place which is mid-shaft, had minimal splintering, and was not compound. Last Wednesday, Dr. Lamb came in and surgically inserted a steel pin into the bone, along with a few other stabilizing external pins which were also screwed into the humerus. These were then connected externally with a tube filled with acrylic paste to hold the ends of the bone in position while they heal. All of the pins look much like knitting needles, except they are large, solid stainless surgical steel rods. These rods will remain in position until the ends of the bone join and a callus forms at the fracture site. When sufficient bone remodeling has taken place, the bird will be placed in a flight enclosure and allowed to regain his flight abilities along with growing some new feathers.
(Look for 23 photos)
Serenity Garden
Last year, Liberty lost a great friend, George Cole. George and his wife, Liberty volunteer Peggy, loved nature, wildlife, and Liberty. They have been an integral part of our family from the earliest days of the organization. It’s impossible to overstate the contributions they have made over the years, so when George passed away, Peggy donated the construction of the Serenity Garden in loving memory of him. It’s in a beautiful spot on the shore of the wetlands and will be a wonderful tribute to a truly great man.
(Look for 4 photos)
Posted by Terry Stevens
Liberty Wildlife volunteer