Georgia Southern University

The Georgia Southern Wildlife Center and Lamar Q Ball Raptor Center are proud to announce a whole troupe of new arrivals! We are very fortunate to have recently taken on several new birds and we have some bright new faces joining the Center for this Fall.

Meet Dudley. Dudley is a juvenile Red-Shouldered Hawk, a very common and beautiful raptor common to Statesboro. Dudley was found as a fledgling after falling from the nest. He suffered a broken clavicle and a punctured eye and was taken in by a rehabilitation center. While there, he was nursed back to health and given time for his bone and eye to heal. It was hoped that he would fully recover and could be released into the wild. The broken clavicle mended well, however, his eye was never the same. The puncture caused irreparable damage, and it's estimated that now his vision is only at 20% of normal for that eye, which prevents him being re-released. Our curator recently arranged with his rehabbers to house him here, where he can be cared for in a safe environment while allowing them the space to accept another injured animal. Dudley is a real cutie and quite inquisitive, and is currently undergoing training to join us in our flight shows. This will allow him a great chance for stimulation and exercise. He's a quick learner and a real charmer, our staff is truly in love with this bird and we hope you'll adore him as well!

Also new to the center are a whole troupe of new wading birds. We have recently acquired several juvenile Black Crowned Night Herons and Little Green Herons, a trio of each! These birds have all unfortunately suffered wing injuries which did not heal properly, a common problem in birds. They are currently being acclimated to their new surroundings and will be released into the Wetland Preserve over the next month or so. They'll be joining our Wood Stork, Great Blue Heron and Little Blue Heron, which was released recently. Keep an eye out during your visit for these gorgeous birds, since they are free roaming you never know where you might find them!

Krista Weatherford, Education Program Coordinator, left the Center’s employment on July 10, 2009. Krista’s husband, Rick, got a great job offer in Richmond, Virginia and the Weatherford family moved from Statesboro on July 14, 2009. We wish Krista the best on her new journey, but she will be sorely missed at the Wildlife Center.

Scott Courdin, Wildlife Curator, is presently a sergeant in the Georgia National Guard with the 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry. He is currently on deployment to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. We wish for Scott a safe and return.

During Scott’s deployment in Afghanistan, Jackie Entz is acting as interim Wildlife Curator. Jackie graduated from Georgia Southern University in 2006 with a B.S. in Biology and in 2009 with a MS in Biology. Jackie has been working for the Wildlife Center since 2003 as both a student and graduate student. As interim curator, her responsibilities are to maintain the health of the Wildlife Center’s animal collection by managing daily care, training animals, and designing new husbandry guidelines.

Matthew Schacht joined the Wildlife Center team in August 2009 as Wildlife Animal Assistant. Matt’s primary responsibilities at the Center are assisting the Wildlife Center’s Curator with the maintenance and the health care of the Center’s vast collection of wildlife. Matt will also assist with the planning, implementing, and delivering educational programs to the general public. Matt is a 2006 graduate of Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, with a BS in Biology, and a 2009 graduate of Georgia Southern University with MS in Biology. Prior to joining the Wildlife Center, Matt was employed by Keep Bulloch Beautiful as a Program Coordinator.

Julie Ray joined the Wildlife Center team in August 2009 as Wildlife Education Assistant. Julie’s primary responsibilities at the Center are assisting the Wildlife Center’s Education Program Coordinator with the planning, implementing, and delivering of educational programs to the general public. Julie will also assist with the husbandry of the Center’s vast animal collection. Julie is a 1984 graduate of Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina with a BA in English and Biology, and a 1995 graduate of Georgia Southern University with a MS in Exercise Science. Prior to joining the Wildlife Center, Julie spent 25 years in the classroom teaching a variety of age groups, subjects and a very diverse group of students.

Patricia Daniels joined the Wildlife Center team in August 2009 as Receptionist and Information Clerk. Patricia’s primary responsibilities at the Center include serving as greeter for all incoming visitors to the Center, as well as performing various clerical duties to support the staff of the Wildlife Center. Patricia is a 2004 graduate of Georgia Southern University with a BBA in Finance. Prior to joining the Wildlife Center Patricia was employed as a Life Insurance Coordinator and Senior Assistant Manager with American General Life and Accident.

April 15th, 2009

Georgia Southern University’s Center for Wildlife Education and the Lamar Q Ball, Jr. Raptor Center To Open New Addition

Grand Opening Event Offers Tours and Activities For All Ages

STATESBORO, Ga. – April 15, 2009 – Georgia Southern University’s Center for Wildlife Education and the Lamar Q Ball, Jr. Raptor Center will celebrate the Grand Opening of the Center’s Wetland Preserve with an afternoon of festivities from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, 2009. The event is free and open to the public.

The Wetland Preserve is a 12-acre expansion of the Center that includes a small pond and capture basin that houses a beaver lodge, a cypress pond that will be home to a variety of wading birds like herons and egrets, and a waterfowl pond. The Center is located on Forest Drive in the heart of the Georgia Southern University campus.

“This expansion means we now have seventeen acres which is very large when you think of a university center, especially one that sits right in the middle of campus. I think the expansion raises not only the Center but the University to a higher level. This truly makes this a preeminent environmental center not only within the state but within the southeast,” said Center director Steve Hein.

Grand Opening events include Behind the Scene tours at 3:15 p.m. and 5:45 p.m., an Outdoor Classroom Wildlife Program at 5:00 p.m. and 6:15 p.m., and a lecture and tour of the new indoor Frog Exhibit hosted by John Jensen at 4:00 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. A Wetland Preserve Tour and Feed the Ducks activity at the waterfowl pond will take place at 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Other activities include crafts, scavenger hunts, geocaching and wetland conservation experiments in the new Outdoor Classroom.

“While visitors will now have the chance to see even more species of wildlife at the Center, the real function and purpose behind the expansion and the creation of the Wetland Preserve is to educate visitors about water and the impact it has on all life. Visitors will see firsthand how water—or the lack of it—affects ecosystems and the dramatic impact it has on the wildlife who live in those ecosystems,” said Hein.

Maintaining the Center and caring for the expanded collection will be aided by a new, modest admission fee. Beginning April 27, 2009 adult admission will be $2. Admission for children age 3-11, active military with I.D. and senior citizens will be $1. Admission will remain free for children under 3 and University faculty, staff and students (all with I.D.). Annual, unlimited admission passes are now available. The passes are $8 for adults and $6 for children ages 3-11, active military with I.D. and senior citizens. All admission fees exclude special event fees and field trip fees.

Special note to the media: A private V.I.P. ribbon cutting, tour and reception will be held at the Center beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, 2009. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Carol Couch who is president of the Georgia Environmental Protection Agency. You are invited to attend this event as well as the rest of the afternoon’s activities. When you arrive at the lobby of the Center, you will be directed to the appropriate location on-site for the ribbon cutting.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 116 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.

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Media Contact:

Betsy Nolen

912-478-2301

bnolen@georgiasouthern.edu