Meghan Condon
Dr. Williams
Ethics and the
Environment
12/2/13
Vermont
Institute of Natural Science
The
Vermont Institute of Natural Science is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
environmental education and avian rehabilitation. VINS makes “high-quality, compelling, and fun environmental
education programs” (About VINS) a priority to inform the community about the
environment and our impacts on it. Its overall
mission is to “motivate individuals and communities to care for the environment
through education, research, and avian wildlife rehabilitation” (About VINS).
Originally
based out of Woodstock, Vermont, VINS
was the first organization of its kind in the New England area. The Trust for
Public Land helped VINS gain 28 acres of land (TPL) in 1996. Now based in Quechee Vermont they have been the
leader in wildlife conservation since their opening in 1972. They are open
year-round, with a 47-acre campus, adjacent to Quechee State Park, featuring “17
state-of-the-art raptor enclosures, 4 exhibit spaces, 2 classrooms, and ¾ miles
of interpretive nature trails” (About VINS).
Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitators
will take injured birds if the parents are known to be dead and the animal is too young
to survive on its own, the animal has been injured, the animal is in immediate
or obvious danger, or the bird is found with a cat. Upon
receiving a raptor VINS decides whether, after given treatment and
rehabilitation, it will be able to live in the wild once more based on the
severity of its injuries. One of the main ways of determining this is a test on
whether they can catch their own food; a mouse is placed in an enclosed area
with the raptor, if it is captured within a certain timeframe the bird is on
its way to being released. (Bird Rescue)
There are many policies and
regulations that the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and its handlers must
carefully follow when considering taking a raptor in. One of the most stressed
policies that Nathan (a handler giving a Raptors Up Close presentation) mentioned
was the inability for VINS to accept any birds that are not native to Vermont.
Additionally, in order to legally rehabilitate the raptors at all both VINS and
its handlers must meet the requirements of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife
Department and then receive permits from them. (Vermont Fish and Wildlife)
VINS’
mission is to motivate individuals and communities to care for the environment.
They believe that it is our duty to help these birds continue a life after injures
and hopefully be able to release them into the wild. Many birds that are taken in for
rehabilitation and rescue are injured through human involvement, because of
this VINS strives to educate others in order to prevent these injuries all
together. They educate their visitors on ways to have less of a negative impact
on the wildlife around them
through their work and assemblies. Their website has an
extensive list of precautions to take ranging from being wary and observant
when trimming trees to keeping your bird feeders clean. (Protect Birds)
Due to the fact that a majority of
birds taken in for rehabilitation and rescue
were injured because of human involvement, VINS sees it as our duty to help
them recover. If the birds are so injured they will not be able to survive in
the wild the organization provides them with a healthy diet that is compatible
with their native food and an active lifestyle in captivity.
Through researching and rescuing
these birds VINS is doing a great service to the environment, the community,
and of course, the birds themselves. These raptors are a part of an ecosystem
and if their populations were to decrease it would throw the entire system off
balance. The decrease would cause an increase in the rodent population which
would then cause a decrease in vegetation. The rescuing of raptors then, in
turn, benefits our community; the fewer rodents means the less vegetation eaten
out of our flower and vegetable gardens.
It cannot be stressed enough
that many of the raptors that are taken in by VINS are injured due to some type
of human interaction. Our way of living has interfered with the lives of
raptors immensely; glass doors, domesticated pets, the felling of trees, are
all know to cause life threatening injuries and even death. However even when
awareness of our negative effects on the environment is raised we do not make
chances, this is because of the Take Story. Takers believe that the world was
made for man, and man was made to rule it; they believe that we are entitled to
everything the world has to offer and we have no obligation to restore it. For
ten thousand years Takers have been disregarding the Peacekeeping Law. We have
been consuming so much more than we need only to become ignorant and lazy.
These lifestyles are not beneficial to any species and we would be better off
to completely change our way of living before we reach a point of no return. (Ishmael)
The VINS group was extremely
energetic, however we had trouble getting the ball rolling at just about every
step. It took us a few weeks to even decide on studying the Vermont Institute,
and after that it was very hard to find a time where everyone in our group was
free. Three of us ended up traveling to the site, which ended up being a three
hour round trip, and were able to see a Raptors Up Close presentation an speak
with the handlers. After the visit the only difficulties were providing
satisfactory research for the poster and finding time to work it as a group.
VINS mission and goals were evident however it was very hard to find
information fitting to the requirements giving for the assignment. As for the
poster, we initially planned on making our own by hand, however we couldn't find the time and Maddie surprised us by whipping up a draft on her own. From
there we all pulled together and were able to provide a very satisfactory piece
of artwork!
The Vermont Institute for Natural
Science is a very ethical organization; it was a pleasure to be able to study them
more closely. Their passion for helping raptors and educating the community on
how to reduce our negative effects on them is inspiring. One of my largest
motivations for preserving the environment and living sustainability with it is
the animals we harm in our Taker culture. I have always been passionate for the
wellbeing of animals, and because of that I hope to learn more about VINS and
other organizations like it.
Works Cited
"About VINS." The
Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
"Bird Rescue." The
Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
"Protect Birds." The
Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
Quinn,
Daniel. Ishmael. New York: Bantam/Turner Book, 1995. Print.
"Vermont
Fish & Wildlife." Vermont Fish & Wildlife. Web. 28
Nov. 2013.
"VINS." The
Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
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