Raptor Release-Spring 2013.indd - University of Minnesota College ...

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FUND DEVELOPMENTNew and creative ways to giveBy Amber BurnetteThe Raptor Center depends on giftsof time and money to continueits critical work. Here are just afew examples of how the community,volunteers, interns, and students havehelped TRC over the past six months.“Both my parents were very activevolunteering in the community,” Cooksays. “It’s hard to believe I’ve beenvolunteering at The Raptor Center foralmost 40 years. I had always wanted tosupport The Raptor Center financially butwas never in a position to do so. Quiteunexpectedly, I won a contest and receiveda small windfall. I knew this was mychance to make a gift to a place I trulylove and which has become an importantpart my life and my legacy. Donating onGive to the Max day was a real honor andtreat for me.”Shatz’s often go to help fund programs forschools that would not be able to fund aprogram without aid.Give to the MaxGive to the Max Day, November 15, 2012,resulted in 380 donors and more than$52,347 in donations to TRC. Rachel andDenny Hollstadt and the Sarah J. AndersenFund of the Hugh J. Andersen Foundationprovided a match of $52,000, bringingTRC’s total to more than $100,000. TRC’sonline auction in December raised anadditional $3,500 in funds.People who keep on givingMalcolm and Sally McRobertsDeluxe Corporation employee MalcolmMcRoberts and his wife, Sally, aneducation and clinic crew volunteer andformer environmental education intern,came up with a very creative way tosupport TRC. They purchased two privateprograms, along with the adoption of awinged ambassador bird for each program,to offer at a Deluxe auction to benefit theUnited Way. Not only did they supportthe United Way and TRC’s educationdepartment, but they also introducedDeluxe employees to the concept thatraptors help people understand and carefor a shared environment.Miki CookVolunteerism has always been a part ofMiki Cook’s life. Recently, however, theSaturday clinic volunteer expanded theway she gives.Brittany SchatzA former TRC marketing intern andUniversity of Minnesota alumna, BrittanySchatz recently donated to TRC, andshared her thoughts when the Universityof Minnesota Foundation reached out tothank her.“I was so excited to be called by thefoundation because I used to do that,too,” says Schatz. “The Raptor Center leftsuch a huge impression on me and on mycollege experience, and I know firsthandabout all of the awesome work The RaptorCenter does for the community. I feel likegiving to The Raptor Center is kind of likegiving to multiple organizations becauseof how many people it reaches.” Gifts likeRecycling for RaptorsStarted in 2003, this volunteerrunprogram helps individuals andorganizations recycle their inkjet printercartridges while raising funds to supportTRC. To help reduce postage expenses,TRC has published a map of public dropofflocations for used cartridges. Go towww.TheRaptorCenter.org > Support/Get Involved > Recycling for Raptors tofind a convenient drop-off location. Orbring used cartridges to the Spring RaptorRelease on May 4. Since September 2003,143,000 cartridges have been recycled.Amber Burnette is program associate forTRC.Grow a legacyYou have deep roots at The Raptor Center. You can continue to nurture your areaof interest at TRC far into the future with a planned gift:• Bequest in a will or trust• Naming The Raptor Center as a benefi ciary of retirement assets or life insurance• Gifts that provide an income to you or othersFor more information, contact Bill Venne, chief development offi cer, at 612-625-8480 orvenne025@umn.edu.6
EDUCATIONEducating the next generationBy Gail Buhl and Amber BurnetteOutreach and education are coreelements of TRC’s mission. Lastyear, TRC’s education departmentpresented 534 off-site programs, reaching136,084 people. In addition, 19,989people attended on-site programs at TRC’sfacility on the University of MinnesotaSaint Paul Campus.Darner, The Raptor Center’s new ambassador, withan image of a green darner dragonfl y, a commonprey of American kestrels (inset).A new ambassadorTRC has a new ambassador: Darner, afemale American kestrel. Green darnerdragonflies—a common prey of Americankestrels—migrate from the UpperMidwest to Texas and Mexico, and kestrelmigration corresponds to the movementof the dragonflies. Darner migration giveskestrels an opportunity for “fast food”while traveling along the migration route.Darner hatched in 2009. She was foundnear Austin, Minnesota, and is blind inher right eye and cannot vocalize. Theseinjuries prevent her from successfullyliving in the wild, and she has become aneducation ambassador.Opportunities to help throughKestrel WatchIn Spring 2009, TRC launched a Webbasedcitizen-science project calledKestrel Watch to collect information onkestrel sightings through public input. TheKestrel Watch website offers identificationtips, information on the species’ naturalhistory, and answers to commonly askedquestions about kestrels. To report asighting, look for the kestrel icon atwww.TheRaptorCenter.org.Training the next generation ofenvironmentalistsTRC’s new yearlong curriculum,originally piloted at Rockford MiddleSchool, has expanded to two additionalmiddle schools, Hidden Oaks and TwinOaks, both in Prior Lake, Minnesota.The core of the new curriculum allowsstudents to explore the real-world problemof lead poisoning in bald eagles. Studentsare asked to play the role of wildlife healthbiologists in charge of assessing TRCdata on lead exposure in bald eagles forthe fictional Minnesota Department ofEnvironmental Health.For the first half of the school year,students track and graph real-time leadlevels in bald eagle blood samples. In thesecond half of the year, they analyze theircharts and graphs, using them as evidenceto explain whether there is exposure,if it is causing harm, and if the datasuggest a possible cause. This real-world,real-time, inquiry-based curriculum ishelping schools promote environmentalliteracy while providing opportunitiesfor students to develop skills in criticalthinking, problem solving, teamwork, andcommunication.Tech-savvy generation of YouthRaptor CorpsTRC’s youth service-learning club, YouthRaptor Corps, has had such an enthusiasticDr. Irene Bueno discusses raptor anatomy with agroup of students from Rockford Middle School.The students are working with cadaver birds.and devoted following that a new learningopportunity has been created. The pastgroup of Youth Raptor Corps enthusiastschose to demonstrate their learning bycreating YouTube videos to teach othersabout raptors. In small groups, thestudents researched a particular raptor andchose several facts to highlight in riddleform. Then, using iPads, they recordedtheir facts and added background music.Go to TRC’s YouTube Channel (www.TheRaptorCenter.org > Just for Fun >YouTube Channel) to access the videos.Making ACES of them allIn partnership with Athletes Committedto Educating Students (ACES), TRCprovides programming and learningopportunities for at-risk students whoengage in service-learning projects that, inturn, help TRC. The mission of ACES is toclose the academic achievement gap of atriskurban students in grades four througheight. Past projects have included makingraptor lunch boxes (props for teachingwhat raptors eat), puzzles for the children'sarea at TRC, and giant owl pellets, whichare used in programs to demonstrate howowls eat their food whole and how theremains of their prey can be found withinthe pellets.Gail Buhl is the education programmanager at TRC. Amber Burnette is TRC’sprogram associate.7
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