Wings Over America

Description

Pairing adjudicated youth with injured birds of prey is a response to a growing awareness of the need for young people to reconnect to nature, and to have such opportunities as part of the rehabilitation process. In partnership with the forward- thinking vision of DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, these birds offer an access point to engage with the natural world. While this much needed conservation effort is a good idea unto itself, the partnership with youth at risk makes it a brilliant one. The bird sanctuary will be housed in a 100 year old barn on a parcel of land rich with trees, wildlife, and rivers, and conveniently next to New Beginnings, a youth rehabilitation facility for young men between the ages of 15 and 18. Wings Over America is also part of an 880 acre environmental learning center, being created in partnership with the District of Columbia, to serve a greater population of youth in the region, in conservation, education and stewardship.