Muscatatuck Visitor Services Intern Whitenack talked to Junior Birder students about bird conservation and ways they could help birds. - Photo Credit: Donna Stanley

Nineteen youngsters spent a beautiful summer morning learning about birds and birdwatching at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge on August 18, 2012. Visitor Services Intern Whitenack and Refuge Volunteers Winegarden and Brewer taught the half-day class on the basics of birdwatching to the group of fourth through sixth-grade students. Although the class featured many interactive birding activities, the most popular part of the day for the students was the "real birding"- using binoculars to identify birds outside the Bird Viewing Room windows. A few days after the class an agreement was finalized with the Indiana Young Birders Association for the group to provide free, take-home bird field guides to youngsters in future refuge classes.