
Illustration by Pengxu Cheng
Many of Minnesota's elementary students who could not access The Raptor Center programs in the past are now being empowered with early STEM education, bringing their classrooms to life with live birds and environmental programming. This completely free programming for teachers to enrich their curriculums is all thanks to funding by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Education Grant Program Naturalist Judy Moran, along with a few of The Raptor Center's (TRC) raptor ambassadors, are bringing excitement to the classroom through learning objectives in feathers, habitat, and flight.
Learning how to identify feathers from different raptor species helps students gain a better understanding of how each type of raptor lives. By exploring the habitats of each raptor species, students see the niche they fill in that habitat and also come to understand the importance of raptors in our shared environment. In understanding the feather/wing and flight differences between species of raptors, students are interpreting the intersection between aerodynamics and bird behavior.
Fifty years of research, data collection, and day-to-day, hands-on experience with raptors perfectly positions TRC staff to connect core STEM learning concepts with empathy and excitement for the live raptors right in front of them.
Funding for this project is provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.