Last Chance Forever believes that we can not appreciate and protect our wildlife heritage and environment without understanding our natural world. To that end, we provide community education on the subject of raptors in the natural world, and our connection to them. We stress the importance of common-sense conservation regarding the earth and its natural resources.
Our raptor and conservation education programs are presented to over 250,000 people in over 350 programs annually. Our presentations are given to all grade levels in schools and before civic organizations and the public such as at rotary clubs, state wildlife agencies, botanical gardens, zoological parks, universities, and museums. We encourage aid to all wildlife, but focus on birds of prey; we know they are an important part of nature's checks and balances, and are important indicator species, indicating the quality of the environment we all live in and therefore are indicators for the future of our species.
We offer a variety of educational opportunities. The common-sense environmental messages conveyed are appropriate for all age groups and also follow school curriculum guidelines. Flying, non-flying static demonstrations, and slide-based informational talks are available to accommodate a variety of audiences. Presentations can be designed for small, indoor gatherings and/or large outdoor events.
Static Demonstration: a classroom or small group demonstration using photographs, natural biofacts, articles of falconry equipment, and live raptor ambassadors. Topics highlighted include rehabilitation techniques, natural history of raptors, ecological awareness, and conservation measures. Static displays can be arranged to extend from 45 minutes to several hours in length.
Flying Demonstration: an interactive exhibition that incorporates staff members and flying and non-flying raptors. Knowledge of basic raptor biology and natural behaviors, insights into the plight of the natural world and the human effects in the balance of living things is shared in a conservation-themed program. The flying demonstration is approximately one hour in length; the length can be tailored to your needs.
Visual Presentation: a general history of the work of Last Chance Forever and local raptor species. Within this program, the whats, whys, and hows of identifying local species, the reasons birds come to the facility, and the basic steps in preparing birds to be released back into the wild will be explained.
Last Chance Forever educational programming seeks to inspire an interest in, and awareness of, the natural world which we share with all living things. It is our goal to offer an exciting and educational experience that introduces participants to common sense conservation.
For more information concerning our educational programs, please contact program coordinator Kelly Rayner at 210-499-4080 Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Programs may be tailored to individual groups' needs.