ABOUT US

MEMBERS

Barbara Duerksen (Youth Education Coordinator – WSO)
Korie Klink (Director – Children Are The Hope)
Steve Kupcho, Committee Chair (Middle School Teacher, retired)
Molly McKay (Environmental Education Coordinator – Raptor Education Group, Inc.)
Susan Schuller (Resources Specialist – UW-Stevens Point, WI Center for Environmental Education)
John Stathus (Middle School Science Teacher, retired)
Nicole Swanson (Project Assistant – UW-Stevens Point, WI Center for Environmental Education)
Dennis Yockers (Associate Professor – UW-Stevens Point, WI Center for Environmental Education)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Identified key bird education materials and programs appropriate to Wisconsin students preschool through college levels.
• Conducted a teacher survey to discover how best to deliver bird education to the schools.
• Developed a Mentor Program that will be initiated in each county to foster an interest in birds, birding, and bird conservation.
• Developed and began distributing a Bird Monitoring Kit to assist Mentors and educators introducing birds and birding in the field or classroom. Each kit includes 15 pairs of binoculars, a spotting scope and tripod, three field guides, a PowerPoint presentation, a Birds of Wisconsin placemat, poster of backyard birds, and an educator's activity guide.
• Planned and presented a workshop introducing some key bird education resources to educators.
• Trained 173 educators in the Flying WILD program over the past 4 years.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

• Developing a long-term plan for bird education in Wisconsin.
• Producing and distributing additional Bird Monitoring Kits.
• Implementing the Council for Environmental Education's program, Flying WILD, An Educator's Guide for Celebrating Birds.

Website by Jennifer Davis Web Design

Website Image Credits

• Home page main image: "Birdwatching" - USFWS Digital Library (John and Karen Hollingsworth).
• Home page top corner images: "Trumpeter Swan release" - USFWS Digital Library (Larry Dean); "Children hiking in the woods" - USFWS Digital Library (Steve Hillebrand); "Class tour" - USFWS Digital Library.
• Image links: "Prairie pond" - Cofrin Center for Biodiversity (Gary Fewless); "Cranes in flight" - USFWS Digital Library; "Bird Monitoring Kit" - Andy Paulios; "Mallards on bay shore" - Cofrin Center for Biodiversity (Gary Fewless).