Birds of Prey Northwest at Sagle Elementary
GG the Great Grey Owl and Jane Veltkamp of Birds of Prey Northwest stopped by Sagle Elementary this week to speak to students.
(Courtesy photo)
SAGLE — Eagles, and owls and falcons, oh my!
There were plenty of winged creatures on hand when Birds of Prey Northwest brought a few friends along to visit the Sagle Elementary Hawks this week.
Students got up close to a red-tailed hawk, a great horned owl, a peregrine falcon, a great gray owl, and a golden eagle. This presentation was organized through the Title I program at Sagle Elementary and funded by a Science Technology Engineering Math action grant that BOPNW received through the state of Idaho.
Birds of Prey Northwest promotes stewardship and conservation of raptors through educational programs with live birds of prey virtually, onsite at their center in St. Maries, at schools, libraries, public events and professional conferences.
BOPNW owner Jane Veltkamp wrote the children’s book “Beauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle.” The book tells the story of their eagle, Beauty, who had lost her beak and how Veltkamp and the BOPNW team used 3D printing to create a new beak for the eagle.
This presentation went along with instruction some classes have had on birds of prey and the food chain. Teachers read the book “Beauty and the Beak” in class, said Sherry Mitchell, the Title I teacher. Each class has a copy of the book. Some were donated and others were purchased by Title I funds.
During the presentation, students had to be very quiet so they did not distract the birds. In addition, there could only be so many people in the room at a time due to the live birds being present.
Veltkamp and other BOPNW staff went through the basic anatomy of the birds and told them facts of the animals. A major focus was what it means for an animal to be endangered and what can humans do to keep animals safe and which animals are not meant to be hunted.
With the STEM grant first, second and third grade students were able to attend the assembly for free. With the school's Title I program, fourth- and fifth-grade students also attended for free.
Mitchell, is also a bird watcher and said that it was such a joy to have GG, the Great Gray Owl at the school, since that species is so rare to see in the wild. She said she has wanted an event like this for a long time at Sagle Elementary and the students absolutely loved the presentation — after all, the school’s mascot is a hawk.