Wings Over America (WOA) is an environmental education/falconry rehabilitation facility on the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Service’s property in Laurel, MD.   

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For over six years, ECC has been partnering with the Capital Guardian Youth Challenge Academy Program providing their cadets with hands-on workforce experience.  The youth have worked on various projects and in recent years have helped to prepare a 100-year old barn for the initial stages of a long-term renovation.  The plan is to turn the barn into an environmental education and raptor rehabilitation center.   

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The raptor component includes basic care of the birds such as: feeding and keeping the aviaries clean.  The cadets learn how to handle the birds and even get an introduction on making falconry equipment.  The cadets have also gained valuable workforce experience by working to construct an equestrian pasture ring for the horses and an aviary in the barn for the raptors.  

Additionally, once a month WOA offers raptor experiences at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.  Hundreds of visitors over the course of the year were able to experience these birds of prey at the Research Center’s visitor center or during special programming. 

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