The Wenatchee Valley College Science Department provides the specimens and holds the necessary federal and state permits for the collection (feathers, eggs, etc. are protected by law and may not be collected without proper permits). The college also autoclaves the owl pellets, which are collected by local Audubon chapter members and others. Autoclaving is essential in such a public program to avoid the remote possibility of exposure to the Hanta virus (potentially deadly) or to other potentially harmful organisms.

How did all of this come about? Chapter member Sue Hoover attended the NAS Western Regional Conference at Asilomar, California, in the early 1990's; there she learned hands-on teaching techniques during a session taught by Meryl Sundove of Richardson Bay Audubon Center (Tiburon, CA). Sue and other chapter volunteers then developed and ran classroom sessions on birds in area public schools for a number of years. They reached a point of wanting additional training, so they had Meryl come to Wenatchee for an informal, one-day session, where she demonstrated for chapter volunteers how she uses nests, eggs, feathers and specimens to engage children in learning about birds. The idea for the Bird Box (completed in 1996), and for the potential partnership with the area's Museum took root that day, and has grown into the current Museum-to-You program. Museum Education Coordinator Michelle Loudon's job is to take programs into the local community; community members can also check out programs for use. They eagerly welcomed the Audubon chapter's Bird Boxes to the check-out program, resulting in this fine example of a community-building and mutually beneficial partnership.

FOR MORE INFO., CONTACT:

Sue Hoover
212 Iowa Avenue South
East Wenatchee, WA 98802
ph: 509/884-3272
email: suehoover@aol.com

OR

Michelle Loudon
North Central WA Museum
127 South Mission St.
Wenatchee, WA 98801
ph: 509/664-3340
email: mloudon@cityofwenatchee.com

OR

Meryl Sundove
Richardson Bay Audubon Center
415/388-2524

NOTE: A complete list of the Bird Box contents and contributors can be found on the Chapter Networker web page at http://www.audubon. org/local/cn/, or call Chapter Services at 800/542-2748 to be sent a paper copy.