Our School, Our Efforts, Our Osprey.
A group of our students dedicated their time and effort to ensure the return our osprey every year, and they deserve to be congratulated time after time. Many news teams and reporters covered this magnificent story, including the students and adults involved in the process. The following article is from a popular newspaper in the area:
Local News (10/28/2013)
Marion high school students build new home for osprey
By Antonio Coleman
MARION — A family of osprey will return to a newly-built home at Marion High School.
Students from Marion High School’s advanced shop class, along with members of the Department of Natural Resources and Consumers Energy helped relocate an osprey nest from its previous home atop one of the school’s 110-foot football light poles to a nearly 70-foot pole erected near the school’s track.
Starting at 10:30 a.m. on a Friday, members of the high school shop class assisted Consumers Energy in erecting an osprey platform and nest at the school in order to provide an alternative nesting site for the birds.
Adam Cole, shop teacher at Marion High School, said his class began building the platform nearly one month ago.
Marion Public Schools Superintendent, Mort Meier said potential fire hazards prevented the nest from remaining at its previous location near the football field. Meier said he first noticed the nest last spring and hopes the relocation effort will help preserve and protect the nest annually.
“Last year they built a nest up there and the fire department blew it out for fear of a fire when the lights are turned on,” Meier said. “This year I said, ‘let’s see if we can’t save this nest.’”
Ospreys are a fish-eating raptor that typically nest near a body of water. The birds are most common in Northern Michigan, but have began to slowly move south.
The ospreys had nested on the high school football field light pole for the last few years. High school faculty members first discussed relocating the nest in August.
Katie Keen, wildlife outreach technician for the DNR, said the history of the birds have made their ability to find a permanent home at the school a success story. She said seeing the birds return to the high school is an example of the species’ resilience.
“At one time, ospreys were rare,” Keen said. “We were down to very few nests in Michigan in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Around here, most people have seen an osprey, but that has just been in the last 20 years.”
Keen said the ospreys are expected to return to their new home at the high school around April.
Local News (10/28/2013)
Marion high school students build new home for osprey
By Antonio Coleman
MARION — A family of osprey will return to a newly-built home at Marion High School.
Students from Marion High School’s advanced shop class, along with members of the Department of Natural Resources and Consumers Energy helped relocate an osprey nest from its previous home atop one of the school’s 110-foot football light poles to a nearly 70-foot pole erected near the school’s track.
Starting at 10:30 a.m. on a Friday, members of the high school shop class assisted Consumers Energy in erecting an osprey platform and nest at the school in order to provide an alternative nesting site for the birds.
Adam Cole, shop teacher at Marion High School, said his class began building the platform nearly one month ago.
Marion Public Schools Superintendent, Mort Meier said potential fire hazards prevented the nest from remaining at its previous location near the football field. Meier said he first noticed the nest last spring and hopes the relocation effort will help preserve and protect the nest annually.
“Last year they built a nest up there and the fire department blew it out for fear of a fire when the lights are turned on,” Meier said. “This year I said, ‘let’s see if we can’t save this nest.’”
Ospreys are a fish-eating raptor that typically nest near a body of water. The birds are most common in Northern Michigan, but have began to slowly move south.
The ospreys had nested on the high school football field light pole for the last few years. High school faculty members first discussed relocating the nest in August.
Katie Keen, wildlife outreach technician for the DNR, said the history of the birds have made their ability to find a permanent home at the school a success story. She said seeing the birds return to the high school is an example of the species’ resilience.
“At one time, ospreys were rare,” Keen said. “We were down to very few nests in Michigan in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Around here, most people have seen an osprey, but that has just been in the last 20 years.”
Keen said the ospreys are expected to return to their new home at the high school around April.
For more articles on this project, visit:
http://www.cadillacnews.com/news_story/?story_id=1813609&year=2013&issue=20131028
http://www.9and10news.com/story/23792813/marion-students-build-osprey-nesting-platform
http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=966151#.VIIBQIG-2m4
http://www.cadillacnews.com/news_story/?story_id=1813609&year=2013&issue=20131028
http://www.9and10news.com/story/23792813/marion-students-build-osprey-nesting-platform
http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=966151#.VIIBQIG-2m4