This year is starting out very promising! After gaining the 501(c)3 status from the IRS we are in the process of forming a board of directors/trustees. In addition we welcome our first Wildlife Assistant Rehabilitator and sub-permittee Loree B. who will be in charge of the squirrels this year.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg! 3 teachers from Gilbert Intermediate School in Stephenville have visited the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue and want to become actively involved ranging from joining the board of directors to assisting in fundraising, receiving basic wildlife care training, and most importantly develop educational programs to get the kids involved. This would make one of my lifelong dreams come true! Stay tuned for the introductions.

The highlight of our educational program will be web cams in the enclosures streaming live pictures of the animals into the classrooms. The kids can observe these animals throughout the day and collect data on them. This would align with the state Science TEKS particularly with 5th grade and below.

Usually these animals are seen dead on the side of the road but students rarely observe them alive, watching them eat or learning where the sleep. The benefit of having the kids watch the webcam in class would hopefully show them how much amazing wildlife is in their own area.

The students taking the TAKS test will be asked some questions relating to their state and the animals/plants that grow here. If they have never been able to observe an animal in it's habitat it's hard for them to relate.

In order to achieve this goal we are in need of 4 outdoor webcams or security cams that can operate wireless and on batteries and are capable of streaming video over the internet. In addition we need a laptop or netbook to record the pictures and transport data and presentations to schools and other educational demonstrations.