Photo: Luke Franke
Tom Blackburn
It is likely that nearly every one of the readers of this newsletter has a love of birds and nature and understands the importance of preserving natural habitats. However, our success in protecting the environment hinges on passing that understanding on to the younger generation. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, ASNV has been able to undertake several programs that do so.
This year, we hired Annaliese Meistrich, a senior at a local high school, as a summer intern and tasked her with reaching out to other youth to encourage their interest in birds and nature. Annaliese has just enrolled at Virginia Tech, where she plans to study environmental science. She credits her high school science teacher with getting her “hooked” on birding. You can read her article on why she loves birding in our May Newsletter.
We awarded multiple grants recently: three went to two local schools and a church to support planting native species that are attractive to birds in conjunction with youth education activities. One more went to support nature drawing for students at Huntley Meadows Park.
We also awarded full-expense scholarships to two local educators, enabling them to attend the National Audubon Society’s Educators’ Week at Hog Island Camp in Maine. Their experiences at the camp will enhance their efforts to instill students with a love of nature and an understanding of the importance of preserving habitat for wildlife.
Of course, efforts to involve youth in birding and environmental protection are not limited to ASNV. For many years, Fred Atwood, a biology teacher at the Flint Hill School in Oakton, has sponsored the NoVA Teen Bird Club. Fred’s work in mentoring young people has been invaluable in encouraging them to love and become stewards of the environment. A photograph by Adit Nehra, a member of the club, was chosen by National Audubon Society as one of its “Top 100” photos in its 2021 Audubon Photography Awards contest. You can read more about Adit here .