A big, bad wolf didn't really eat Little Red
Riding Hood.
"Wolves are very shy with people,"
said Barry Braden, managing director of the Wolf
Conservation Center
in South Salem, Westchester County.
Braden met with elementary school and college
students to dispel myths about
wolves and help them understand the importance of the endangered
species in the ecosystem.
He and Atka, an Arctic gray wolf, were among the
special guests at Dutchess Community College's celebration of
Earth Day Thursday.
The 11th annual event, sponsored by the
college's Bios Club, included a variety of music, activities,
free plants and informational
displays. Several
hundred people of all ages attended.
Endangered species were the focus of the day for
the 12-member Bios Club, advised by Wendy
Bohlinger. Bios is a Greek word meaning "of life."
Previous Earth Day celebrations have centered
around global warming,
rain forests, recycling and Hudson River contamination.
"It's been the best day," said Melissa
Murphy, a 19-year-old Town of Poughkeepsie resident and Bios
Club member.
The club wants to raise
awareness of the environment and ways people can contribute to
saving the Earth, she said.
For Braden, his
work is about saving wolves.
Only a few hundred
red and Mexican gray wolves are left in the world.
Several ... are found at the center.
Sixth-graders from Krieger Elementary School
were fascinated to see Atka, the wolf.
"I thought he was beautiful," said
Margaret Anderson, 11.
Matthew Rice, 11, said he was upset that
Atka had to live in captivity and wanted him to be with a pack.
"I want him to live his life and
not be shown to the public," Rice said.
Endangered species
have been a topic of discussion in Rosemary Tanner's sixth-grade
class.
Tanner said they plan to have their own Earth
Day celebration to follow up on what they learned at the
college.
Her daughter, Julia, is president of the college
Bios Club.
Julia Tanner, a 22-year-old biology major, said she
hopes more people will think more about helping environmental
causes.
"Everything is connected," said the
Town of Poughkeepsie resident. "The smallest thing you do
from picking up a piece of trash can make a difference."
Copyright 2006, PoughkeepsieJournal.com.
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