Engaging young minds through conservation
Lake Metroparks’ new program, the Apollo Project, features our resident bald eagle Apollo and other permanent resident birds of prey. The Apollo Project is a day-long school program fashioned after the Columbus Center of Science and Industry’s program, COSI on Wheels. The program starts with a colorful presentation and an up-close encounter with two Animal Ambassador birds of prey. Then students view a PowerPoint program of Apollo’s story and meet him in person. Students learn more about the eagle’s adaptations by visiting seven interactive stations with hands-on activities to help them learn more about the bald eagle.
To bring the Apollo Project to your school, call 440-358-7275.
Apollo is the resident bald eagle ambassador for Lake Metroparks. Found in Perry, he arrived at the Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center in June 2011 as a juvenile with an injured wing. He was learning to fly, taking test flights out of the nest and back again. On the second day he was practicing his flight, he flew into the territory of a pair of nearby eagles. Eagles are very territorial during nesting season, and the male of that pair came to chase the intruding youngster away. A fight ensued and the adult attacked the young eagle, breaking its wing and sending him down to the ground. A concerned neighbor called the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the eagle was brought to the Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center.
The eagle’s broken wing was repaired and he was placed in a large flight enclosure with lots of room for him to stretch his wings and practice flying. Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center staff regularly helped him stretch and flex his wing. He spent six months in therapy, but unfortunately he could not regain complete flexibility in his wing and is unable to fly. Because of this, he was not able to be released back into the wild.
Lake Metroparks requested an education permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the juvenile bald eagle to become a permanent resident. The permit was granted in 2012 and the eagle was then trained to become an Animal Ambassador. Staff named him Apollo in reference to the Apollo 11 mission to the moon; the lunar module was named Eagle. Upon landing on the surface of the moon Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin stated, “The Eagle has landed.”
The Animal Ambassadors, including Apollo, represent a variety of native Ohio wildlife species. These residents are under the permanent care of the Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center staff because their injuries prohibit independent survival. Animal Ambassadors allow us to educate the public about conservation.