Mobile County Public Schools Environmental Studies Center held its annual Environmental Fair on March 16. The event is the largest fund-raising event held by the center with the proceeds going directly to the wildlife rehabilitation program on campus. In addition to being a center for environmental education for students and citizens across the area, the ESC is one of four wildlife rehabilitation centers in the state.
The ESC is state and federally permitted to rehabilitate native wildlife. Led by wildlife biologist and Certified Rehabber Susan Clement, the center specializes in the rehab of native birds, reptiles, opossums and rabbits. In 2023, the ESC’s rehabilitation program serviced over 600 native animals, with over 200 being opossums. Baby opossum season is a busy time at the center, and it is not uncommon to have up to 60 or so babies on site at one time. Other interesting animals to come through the rehabilitation program in 2023 included a limpkin, white ibis and purple gallinule.
The ESC is home to three bald eagles, one of which is the star of the popular outreach program, Raptor Road Show. Leuco was born with a deformed beak and has to be hand fed. This was discovered very early after he was hatched, and he has lived in captivity his entire life.
The ESC serves as a triage for bald eagles in the area. Once an injured eagle comes into the center, they are kept until they are well enough to be moved to a facility with appropriate cages that will allow free flight. Once they have been shown to be healed, they are released back into the area where they were initially found injured. Watching healthy animals be released into the wild is one of the highlights of our program and is often an emotional experience for all involved.
The Environmental Studies Center is also a U.S. Department of Agriculture licensed educational facility, which allows us to display native wildlife and use it in educational programming. While not licensed to rehab large mammals, we are allowed to have them on educational display. Mammal exhibits include racoons and deer, all of which were a part of a rehabilitation program and were not able to be released to the wild. In fact, most of the animals on educational exhibit were unable to be released due to limitations in taking care of themselves or securing food. Many of these animals are also handler trained and serve as a part of our outreach programs.
The outreach programs serve to inform the public about the native animals in the area and their importance in the ecosystem. The goal is to inform and alleviate unnecessary fears regarding backyard wildlife. Funds generated by these programs, as well as the Environmental Fair go directly to the animals in our care. Wildlife do not come with health insurance, and it gets very expensive caring for, housing and feeding the animals. Though the center is a part of the Mobile County Public School System in Alabama, the wildlife rehabilitation program is strictly funded through donations, grants and revenue generated through wildlife outreach programs.
We are grateful for our Sea Grant colleagues from the Discovery Hall Programs of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, The University of Southern Mississippi’s Marine Education Center, and Mississippi State University for joining us during the Environmental Fair and helping to make it a successful educational event, which helps ensure that we can care for the animals in the coming year.
Meet the author
Tracy Jay, Ed.D.
Director, Environmental Studies Center
Tracy Jay is a member of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium's Engagement and Education Team. She is the director of the Mobile County Public School System's Environmental Studies... Read more
Phone: 251-221-5000
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