Year-end 2020
2020 has been a memorable year, albeit not one we’d like to repeat.
In 2020, SOAR was again awarded a “top-rated” status from Great Nonprofits and has earned the GuideStar Bronze Seal of Transparency. Scroll to the footer to see both of these badges! What do these designations mean for the donor? Click over to our page on Great Nonprofits to read reviews about SOAR. GuideStar is a wealth of information about nonprofits to help donors and funders make decisions. We hope these reviews and designations provide you with an assurance that we are good stewards of your donations.
As we slide to the end of the year, here’s a look back at 2020.
Rehabilitation
Raptor and other migratory bird admits have not slowed… and SOAR may well see more admits in 2020 than last year. Check out this graph of total SOAR admits by year from 1999 to 2019. Your donations help purchase medicine, supplies, and food!
Education
SOAR face-to-face programs have been cancelled since mid-March and will continue to be put on hold until the public health situation greatly improves. Few programs in 2020 has meant a drop in donations from requested program fees. SOAR has had a few virtual programs, but we are looking forward seeing folks face-to-face again.
Here are some images from the few programs in 2020. Click on the gallery image for a full-size version!
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- Lewis & Clark Bald Eagle Days 2020, Taylor and Savanna
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- Savanna and Thora at Jester Park Bald Eagle Day 2020
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- 13 February 2020 “Fragments” premiere at Fontenelle Forest, hosted by Omaha Audubon
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- Des Moines Park and Rec Bald Eagle Day 2020, Terrie and Stella, Thora on bow perch, with Savanna.
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- Lime Creek Nature Center Spring Break 2020 with Linette and Bella
Research
SOAR continues to collect data on bald eagles including age, gender, and lead level.
This Iowa data has been the foundation for our SOAR Student Data project. Science educators are encouraged to use local, authentic data in their classrooms. In 2017, spreadsheets, photos, x-rays, research documents and popular press articles, and videos were collected in a Google Drive Folder along with suggestions for how this (as Linette learned) overwhelming amount of information could be used with high school students.
Three years later and with feedback from science consultants and classroom educators who took this data and used with their students, a second draft is about complete. The high school storyline is: “Lead in our environment – connection between eagles and you!” The storyline has three lessons where students will dive into the SOAR bald eagle database from 2015-2019, learn about the physiology and chemistry of lead and how lead impacts humans and eagles, and then learn about consumer buying power. These lessons culminate with the students having to make and defend an argument or counter-argument based on data and evidence about why non-lead ammunition would be a safer alternative to lead-based ammunition.
Here is an example of a chart students can build in Google Sheets from the SOAR bald eagle data:
Watch the SOAR website for an announcement of the high school storyline being posted.