Photo By Maj. Scott Ingalsbe | A bald eagle stretches its wings while perched on a nest at Camp Ashland, Nebraska,...... read more read more
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ASHLAND, Neb. -- For the first time in four years local students visited Camp Ashland to view bald eagles nesting there near the banks of the Platte River.
According to Natural Resources Manager Natalie Madden, about 80 third grade students from Ashland-Greenwood public schools had been learning about bald eagles in their classrooms and were eager to see them in their natural habitat April 6, 2022.
The educational visits to the camp had been on hiatus due to a flood in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. While a flood and a pandemic posed challenges for military training and other activities on the camp, bald eagles have been returning regularly to raise the next generation.
"The students were really interested in the sheer size of the nests, and they think it’s pretty cool that they return each year to build them even bigger," said 2nd Lt. Evan Carroll, Nebraska Army National Guard facilities operations specialist and a construction platoon leader in the 623rd Engineer Company.
"The larger nest has been there several years, and the smaller one is new within the last year or so. Across the river is another nest that is relatively new, and it could be that some of the younger eagles have returned to the camp to nest near where they hatched."
On this blustery spring day, environmental staff from the Nebraska Army National Guard's construction and facilities maintenance office led the students through activity stations that allowed them to view the nests through spotting scopes as well as build small "nests" of their own and locate other resources such as food and water.
The eagles are attracted to Camp Ashland because of its proximity to not only the river but also the riparian forest and grasslands nearby, all of which provide abundant food.
"The students ask a lot about food, as well as the size of the eagles," Madden said.
She also hopes the learning experience builds more interest in conservation.
"The bald eagle is our national symbol, and they are 'charismatic fauna' that can spark lifelong interest in wildlife," she said.
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.21.2022 12:14 |
| Story ID: | 418953 |
| Location: | ASHLAND, NEBRASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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