Ospreys in the Nest

This school also created a Bluebird Claymation!

The Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) at Caldwell County Elementary School (CCES) located in Western Kentucky is a group of twenty-five dedicated students grades 3 through 5 interested in the application of technology for the purpose of community service and creating a better world. Each year STLP groups from across Kentucky compete on the regional level with student produced projects. Awards and recognition for achievement are presented at the Kentucky Teaching Learning Conference (KTLC) in Louisville each March.

Osprey nest in platform built by students.

Building Awareness and Appreciation for Ospreys
The CCES STLP group met for the first time in September of 2002 when Ed Ray, founder and director of Kentucky Environmental Education Projects (KEEP) Inc. shared information about birds of prey called ospreys. These birds are known by many as "fish hawks". The students became aware that the number of nesting ospreys declined to zero in Kentucky for about fifty years due to the use of a chemical pesticide known as DDT. DDT was banned in 1972 resulting in gradual environmental improvement. Ospreys were reintroduced to the Land Between the Lakes area at Lake Barkley in Western Kentucky from1981-1989 through a process called hacking. There was one successful osprey nest on Lake Barkley in 1989. Since then osprey numbers have increased steadily. Thirty-three osprey nests were reported on Lake Barkley during a survey conducted by KEEP in cooporation with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in July of 2002.

The ospreys are making a comeback, but due to a need for more suitable nesting structures required by this magnificent bird of prey, some nests and chicks are lost each year as a result of flooding and winds. When the students learned about the need for safe osprey nesting platforms, they were immediately committed to the project. The students felt so strongly about helping the osprey that they emptied their pockets on the spot making the first donations. Students researched ospreys with the leadership of their teacher, Tammie Sanders and the assistance of Ed Ray. They developed a plan to create and present a program including visual displays and technology to inform the public about this little known bird of prey. The STPL group also educated the public on the need for nesting platforms and at the same time raised funds for materials to build nesting platforms.

Teamwork at its Best!
The West Kentucky Technical Center welding class under the direction of teacher, Micky Bayer used the platform diagrams and dimensions created by STLP students. With this information, they made a plan and materials list for building the 20 feet tall platforms including a nesting basket with a 3 foot diameter. By November of 2002, the students had raised funds to build four nesting platforms. They had recorded public information segments for the local radio station, been published in the local newspaper  and made presentations to civic organizations, high school and vocational school classes. The West Kentucky Tech welding class went to work building platforms.

Meanwhile, the STLP students under the direction of Ed Ray began to access the Lake Barkley habitat. They determined potential sites for platform installation using a GPS unit and lake map. The proposed sites were submitted to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and the Army Corp of Engineers for approval. Cornell Lab of Ornithology received news about the Osprey Nesting Project in January of 2003 and proposed a live cam partnership with the CCES STLP and KEEP Inc. If successful, the world would observe the nesting habits of Kentucky osprey via the Cornell web site. The students, their teacher, and KEEP Inc. plunged into the new project with excitement!

So Much To Do, So Little Time...
There was much to accomplish in order to have a live cam operational on a Lake Barkley platform before the ospreys returned in March from their winter homes in the south. The lake levels were at winter pool and would rise as much as five feet by nesting season. The group would need to work fast in order to install platforms on dry land that would later flood providing the over water nesting habitat that ospreys prefer. The live cam site was approved in early February. Carl and Joann McCammon, owners of a lakeside home, graciously agreed to house the computer for the duration of the project. Mrs. Pat Fralick the District Director of Technology for the Caldwell County School System secured a new Dell computer and over 300 yards of wiring for the project and provided guidance and support throughout the endeavor. BellSouth formed a partnership with the project providing funding for ISDN installation at the site. Cornell Lab of Ornithology provided the software, digitizer and camera. Bryan Martin owner of Ziggy.Com donated internet service. Doug Osting, local computer consultant, loaned the group an ISDN modem necessary to connect the internet service to the computer. Rocky Sears, Systems Engineer for the school district, and Brian Chastain, computer technician were the backbone of the project, providing essential technical expertise and support.

The installation occurred over a period of several days. Students traveled the twenty-five miles to the cam site by van carrying computers, cables, shovels, tools and digital recording equipment to document the event. Two steadfast volunteers, Ronnie Sisk and Charlie Clark, donated their time, efforts and tools to the project loading and transporting the bulky platforms, concrete, tools and other items necessary for installation. They worked diligently alongside the STLP students, Mrs. Sanders and Ed Ray of KEEP Inc. to accomplish the task at hand.

The students began by building a temporary bridge using driftwood and rocks making the platform site accessible. A 350 foot trench was dug to lay the cable between the computer in the McCammons' home and the nesting platform. Mr. Sears and Mr. Chastain supervised the software, digitizer, computer and modem installation while Barry Grace from BellSouth installed the ISDN service. Tina Phillips from Cornell was the live cam expert that the group turned to for direction and insight. Finally the installation was complete and the image of a new osprey nesting platform on Lake Barkley could be viewed by anyone in the world with internet access. View the Osprey archives.

Waiting on the Ospreys...
Now it was up to the osprey to choose a nesting site. The group waited anxiously, viewing the computer image frequently. Days and weeks passed. The osprey returned and began nesting. The Nest Box Cam platform remained empty except for songbirds who perched there to enjoy the view. The end of April arrived to find no ospreys on the Nest Box Cam platform, but a pair of Ospreys did nest in another platform built by students. This other platform was too far away from our power source to make filming the nesting cycle possible. It seems the cam project will be on hold until next March.

Disappointment is inevitable but the group is hopeful. We have learned much about osprey and live cam technology. We have shared the joy of working together for the good of the natural world we share. We are wiser and more patient than before. Maybe next year . . . - Tammie Sanders

Epilogue
We come to the close of a whirlwind project. There have been many ups and downs. The STLP group was awarded Outstanding Project at the Kentucky Teaching Learning Conference in March. Tim Gardner, president of the International Osprey Foundation, visited the cam site in April and invited us to the International Osprey Foundation annual meeting in March of 2004 at Sanibel Island in Florida. The students were interviewed about their project at WKMS, Murray State University's public radio station.  While we wait for another nesting season we will bring the computer and equipment back to our school campus and turn our focus to a nesting Carolina Chickadee.