Camp Woodsmoke


	April 5th, 2008 Camp Woodsmoke nr Greensburg at the Norm Brennan Amphitheater It was a very foggy morning so it took a while to drive over there but it cleared up after we arrived and it turned out to be a pretty nice day. Kathy and I did 6 programs around 40 minutes each, three in the morning and 3 in the afternoon, a very long day but we reached a lot of kids. We brought along Sonja (Eastern Screech Owl), Star (Great Horned Owl), Zephyr (Turkey Vulture) and Rascal (Skunk). I opened each session with Sonja and Kathy then led the rest of the program. All the girl scouts were well behaved and had plenty of questions to keep us on our toes. I hope that our message of leaving wildlife in the wild sunk in. Petting Zoo's and circuses have their place but people should also know the other side, that wild animals don't want to be petted, that they have the ability to defend themselves and don't need our help. The animals we use for education programs have all been injured in a way that means they could not survive in the wild on their own and wherever possible animals are returned to the wild as quickly as possible. All in all a good day and another great opportunity for Utopia to educate children and adults alike about the wonders of wildlife. Richard