OSHER 29 - Join the Flock: A Bird's-eye View of the Tracy Aviary

Program participants will learn through lecture, hands-on experiences, and walking tours about Tracy Aviary's $30,000,000 renovation that has transformed this cultural asset into one of Salt Lake's finest gems. Participants will get an insider's understanding of how Tracy Aviary connects people to nature through exhibits, inviting landscapes, intimate bird shows, innovative education programs, and citizen science conservation projects. The class will be divided into six parts: the history of Tracy Aviary and the future of zoos; how we train birds (featuring nose-to-beak experiences); a look at advances in aviculture and how we address the special needs of more than 120 species of birds; a walk through wildlife habitats designed to be experiential and aesthetically pleasing; education developed to be fun, with a goal of introducing people to the world around them; and, finally, an explanation of why a small organization launched an ambitious conservation program that funds projects throughout the world while also conducting research in Salt Lake.