POWERGRAMS

ENVIRONMENT 1 AWC rehabilitates patients, sends them out free birds When Doves Cry Nestled atop a ridge in Oak Mountain State Park, the Alabama Wildlife Center (AWC) cares for almost 2,000 avian patients from over 100 species each year. That is a far cry from its humble, homegrown beginnings. "The AWC grew from literally the front porch, and vision, of our founder and founding executive director, Anne Miller, to where we are today," said Doug Adair, current executive director. For the first decade, Miller operated the center out of her home, but the number of animals that needed care began to outgrow the space. In 1987, the AWC partnered with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) and Alabama State Parks to move into AWC's current location. "It's been a wonderful home for the wildlife center, and a great place to do what we do," Adair said. Last year, AWC celebrated 40 years of serving the people and animals of Alabama. Richard Esposito, a Southern Company Services consulting engineer, has been involved with the center for more than 26 years. "I'm probably the longest-running volunteer participant at AWC. I've been there faithfully since 1991," Esposito said. "I came up here one day because a friend of mine was a volunteer, and the executive director, Anne Miller, said that they needed some enclosures built, and I just started building the enclosures." Since then, Esposito has supported the management and future of the facility through the center's board of directors, and is the vice chairman. "It's the volunteers and employees and the things that they do that inspires me so much … to see people doing this work, including the wildlife rehabilitation and birds being released, and their love for it, that drives me to want to bolster them," Esposito said. REHABILITATION Since its inception in 1977, the center has helped an estimated 100,000 Alabama wild animals. "We receive patients from all over the state," Adair said. "We have a wildlife help line that people can call for assistance with all kinds of wild animal issues. We walk them through what to do and how to get the birds to us." The help line has operated every day since 1981 and receives thousands of calls each year. The line connects callers with trained wildlife specialists who provide information about the situation and determine if the animal should be brought to the center. In some cases, people bring them in. Otherwise, a member of the AWC's statewide network of trained volunteers transports the patient to the center. Once at the clinic, volunteers and staff, collaborating with local veterinarians, evaluate and care for the birds. Patients with more involved injuries, such as broken bones, are taken to local veterinary offices where staff members volunteer their time and resources. "Our release rates are significantly above the national average for rehabilitation centers," Adair said. "It is a testament to our wonderful veterinarians and incredibly dedicated volunteers led by Katie Stubblefield, our clinic manager, and Rachael Adams, our avian program coordinator." Miller pioneered many of the rehabilitation and reuniting techniques used by AWC and wildlife rehabilitation facilities worldwide. BACK TO THE WILD In December 2017, three juvenile red-tailed hawks had recovered from head trauma and broken wings after being hit by cars, and were ready to be released. Typically, raptors, like hawks, begin establishing a specific territory as juveniles. Since these young hawks had not had that opportunity, they were released just outside of the center in 10,000-acre Oak Mountain State Park. "I came back out about 20 minutes later and all three were soaring above the parking lot calling," said Lauren Muncher, AWC's education program coordinator. "They were up on a thermal soaring, calling to each other. It was the most beautiful thing to see, because they were free." If an injured, adult raptor is brought to the center, the AWC staff will make every effort possible to return the bird to the area where it was found – reuniting the raptor with familiar territory. EDUCATION AND OUTREACH In recent years, the AWC's outreach program audience has climbed from about 2,500 people to more than

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