The educational activities of FMWAS support our purpose to promote the understanding and preservation of wildlife and the environments that supports it.
It is our goal that the following educational activities empower individuals to create a healthy and sustainable future for people and for birds and other wildlife in Northwest Florida.
While almost all our activities have an educational component, the Education Committee sponsors these activities.
We have established a partnership with the Escambia County School System to provide environmental education by supporting the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center.
Bird units incorporating the use of live Eastern Screech Owls are emphasized in the curriculum at the Center.
Our membership financially supports our efforts to provide the Audubon Adventures environmental tabloid to area classrooms and to those students who visit the RHEC. http://web4.audubon.org/educate/aa/
We present educational programs to local Garden Clubs and other organizations who request information on local birds and wildlife.
FMWAS has participated in presenting classes on birds for the University of West Florida’s Leisure Learning series.
Our society has supported Chapter leader Lucy Duncan’s efforts to assist a local high school team who competed in the National Science Olympiad, winning first place in the Florida State completion in 2010.
FMWAS has annually presented awards to student participants for outstanding achievements at the West Panhandle Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
The winner receives a certificate of merit, a classic book on bird conservation, and a one-year membership in National Audubon Society and our chapter.
FMWAS participates annually in the Christmas Bird Counts (http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count) and the Great Backyard Bird Counts (www.birdsource.org/gbbc) , the citizen science projects sponsored by the National Audubon Society.
Local school teachers are encouraged to make the Great Backyard Bird Count a classroom project.
The Francis M. Weston Audubon Society is a non-profit IRS 501 [c] [3] corporation and is registered as an exempt charitable organization under Chapter 496 of Florida statues.
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