A lot of things make VINS unique. A huge part of my job is dealing with wild raptors and educating the public on that. The job changes every day. You roughly know how thing are going to play out, but things also change on an hourly basis. I could be doing an education program, assisting a medical exam on a bird, and teaching a field trip, all in one day.
I have been at VINS for 3.5 years.
It would be hard to pick just one thing. I like the diversity. Lately my favorite part of VINS has been interacting with the birds, teaching new behaviors.
There are lots of ways to get involved. We have a strong volunteer group. These include people that train birds, a rehabilitation department, and volunteers that help with maintenance of our facility. We also offer internships.
*Volunteer opportunities can be found here: https://vinsweb.org/volunteer/
It’s an amazing thing. It’s an elevated walkway in the forest space between our “main campus” and the pond. There are trails through the forest that lead to the elevated walkway. It is totally accessible (wheelchairs and walkers). There is no elevation change on the walkway itself. It’s the ground that drops beneath.
Part of the Forest Canopy Walk takes you by the water, 45’ above ground level. We have also added a huge spiderweb cargo net. Also, there’s the tree house tower that spirals up to an 81’ lookout.
We aren’t supposed to have favorites. But I do like broad-winged hawks. They are migratory. They are also a common species for the area.
My advice is to check out VINS during the shoulder seasons. The weather isn’t the best, but it’s not crowded and you can have a more private experience. Mid-summer is our busiest time. It is also an exciting time because we are running lots of programs.
I wish more people knew we are open in the winter. We are open every day except Christmas and Thanksgiving!
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