With the ongoing treatment of injured birds, the need
for education and research became increasingly apparent
to those involved. Unfortunately, the majority of injuries
sustained by raptors and shorebirds are directly related to
human activities—including gunshot wounds, collisions with
structures and machinery, electric shock from powerlines,
and toxic poisoning.
The shadowbox pictured on page 51 is a stunning depiction
of everyday items that have caused extensive harm to birds.
Although we are familiar with these items, we may not
always be conscious of the damage they can do if they are not
properly stored or disposed of. Fishing tackle and equipment
thrown on a dock or beach can easily end up embedded in
a bird’s body or intestines. Discarded plastic items can find
their way to a bird’s stomach. Netting left behind carelessly
can result in disastrous entanglement of an unsuspecting bird.
Education has become a primary focus of the ACC to
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bring its message and mission to the public. Stephen Schabel,
the Center’s director of education, completed an M. S. in
environmental policy at the College of Charleston and has
been directing education outreach activities since 2003.
Programs are conducted at the Center’s 152-acre campus
or can be presented at other sites with professionals leading
activities at a particular location. The focus of the Center’s
educational programs is a desire to promote awareness of the
natural world and the importance of the role humans can play
in preserving it.
Inevitably, as the staff at the Center learned more about
taking care of birds of prey and rehabilitating them, they
became involved in research to support the protection of wild
birds and their critical habitats. They have participated in
groundbreaking scientific research involving avian genetics,
environmental toxins, and a critical continuing study in South
Carolina involving the swallow-tailed kite, a threatened species.
Naturally Kiawah