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What bird did Benjamin Franklin want as America’s national symbol instead of the bald eagle?
Answer: The wild turkey.
That’s one of the questions Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, Nebraska adjutant general, asked a group of curious young learners, May 12, when he and Brig. Gen. Richard Dahlman, deputy adjutant general, joined Nebraska National Guard Natural Resources manager, Amy Dirks, and nearly 60 students from four Ashland-Greenwood Elementary classrooms at the Camp Ashland Training Site for Operation Bald Eagle 2017.
This annual event allows students, who have been studying about bald eagles, the opportunity to be recognized for their educational efforts. Each year the Nebraska National Guard presents two awards, one to the student who wrote the best eagle essay, and another to the top classroom.
“Originally we set it up as a natural resources education platform with special emphasis on how the National Guard keeps our natural resources in check,” Dirks said.
The event later focused in on environmental conservation and specifically the Nebraska National Guard’s support of eagle habitats.
“Every state National Guard has an environmental office and every Department of Defense has to have an integrated National Resources Management Plan or some sort of plan that says this is how we are going to take care of our national resources,” Dirks said.
“Our Environmental Management Branch has a commitment to environmental stewardship, which includes prioritizing compliance with environmental laws and regulations, for the conservation and preservation of natural and cultural resources so they will be available for present and future generations.”
Nebraska’s Environmental Office has five full-time employees dedicated to managing a wide range of environmental programs and has been recognized multiple times nationally and locally for its environmental stewardship. Operation Bald Eagle is an annual attempt to share the state’s programs and importance with some of the youngest members of the community.
This year, Ann McKnight, 9, won the student award for the best eagle essay, and Ms. Taylor Ruzicka’s third grade class won top classroom – and the right to name the new eagles.
“I’m a big advocate for agriculture and nature explore classrooms, so this is near and dear to my heart,” Ruzicka said. “I think it’s something (the students) have never been exposed to before, and I know other schools don’t always get these opportunities, so it’s really nice that Camp Ashland is within a five-minute drive and that the students get to come out into nature.”
The class of 18 students chose to name the two juvenile eagles Destroyer and Hurricane-Tsunami, respectively.
“Alright, our first hyphenated eagle name,” Dahlman said after the announcement. “Nice strong names for these strong birds.”
Dahlman, who has attended the certificate presentations in the past, said this was his first trip to watch the kids actually view the eagles in their environment.
“We have a great respect for not only the community, but the environment that we’re in and we’re a part of,” Dahlman said. “It’s pretty neat to have the kids be a part of that, to not only see the eagles and get out of class, but to interact with our team, too. You know some of these kids are going to be Soldiers and Airmen. They’re going to be in our team and they’re going to drill out here. It’s just a really great thing for me to get to come out and see that.”
After the awards presentation the students had an opportunity to view the eagles nest, using binoculars and a spotting scope. While the nest was empty at the time, the students were excited for a chance to view “Destroyer” in flight, as one of the juvenile eagles flew overhead near the nest during the event.
“I really love getting the kids out here, it’s really exciting to be able to share the natural habitat that I get to see at our training sites,” Dirks said.
“Soldiers get to come out for their training and all that, but other than that the public doesn’t get to see these natural areas. It’s fun to get the kids out here because they have a whole new sense of wonder that’s fun to experience.”
| Date Taken: | 06.01.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.14.2017 10:39 |
| Story ID: | 258865 |
| Location: | ASHLAND, NEBRASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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