Our mission is to conserve native wild birds and to educate and involve the public in ecosystem stewardship through educational outreach, wild bird rehabilitation, restoration, and research projects.
Three Rivers Avian Center (TRAC) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization focused on wild bird conservation, ecosystem education, and community involvement. Established in 1990, TRAC features a 110-acre facility situated in the scenic New River Gorge area of southern West Virginia, between Sandstone and Hinton in Summers County. Bordered partially by the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, TRAC’s location provides an ideal setting for bird watching, wildlife viewing, and connecting with nature. We offer programs and resources on wild bird preservation, habitat restoration, and environmental stewardship for all ages. Visit our avian conservation center in West Virginia today.
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UPDATE on Clay, the Bald Eagle from Clay county: We did a re-test for her blood lead level yesterday. It's down a bit, but just barely and the head still has tremors now and again. She came in with a lead level of 49.9 micrograms per deciliter, after 2 rounds of chelation therapy to help the body excrete the lead she was down to 34.7 micrograms per deciliter. Yesterday's reading was 32.3 micrograms per deciliter. A bit disappointing, but not unexpected. As the body releases the stored lead from the bone marrow and large organs it is not unusual to see either slow decreases like this or even spikes in the blood lead level. It is concerning that she has lost a bit of weight, so we will be working on building her weight back up and then some. We have a very long way to go with this eagle yet. We gave her a freshly killed squirrel as a treat for her trouble! (For more on lead poisoning in birds, please visit our web page on the subject: https://tracwv.org/education/#lead-poisoning)
UPDATE ON YESTERDAYS POST: Exec. Dir. Wendy Perrone made up some hand written notes and posted them on the Asplundh truck windshields yesterday. In the process she met up with their supervisor. A cordial conversation, letting him know of the cigarette butt problem and why it was an issue ensued. He volunteered to let the crews know and later yesterday, when the crews left the area, there were no cigarette butts. Communication works better often just though gentle constructive dialog, as usual. The Supervisor also showed me that he keeps his butts in a half filled water bottle so that they are safe to discard in the trash when he gets gas or goes home. He said he would talk to the crews when they came back. Result: not one butt in the Gwinn Ridge parking lot. Hopefully this will echo throughout the company. Thank you to the Asplundh Supervisor and crew yesterday!
Please, if you are a person who smokes cigarettes, do NOT just toss the butt (especially with tobacco attached). Migratory birds are moving into our State and already nesting has begun. Cigarette butts are soft and easy to carry. It is not unusual to see them lining nests or lining nests of chipmunks, squirrels and other raising young. Cigarette butts are filters that collect concentrated nicotine and tar. Those substances easily transfer into the young nestlings. These chemicals make the young sick, and easy prey for predators. Please! Put your cigarette butts into secure trash receptacles, don't just throw them on the ground. This photo is taken at the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve Gwinn Ridge trailhead after Asplundh crews had used it for a staging area to clear electrical lines. They left as much the day before. The parking lot, which is a major historic landing and gathering area for woodcocks smelled terrible despite volunteer Sashaba Handlin and TRAC Mews Tech's work daily to clean up after them. We are not hearing many woodcocks at TRAC (which is next door) yet. We are still hoping to hear more coming in soon.
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Donations keep Three Rivers Avian Center thriving so we can continue our mission to conserve West Virginia's avian wildlife populations. They are fully tax-deductible and can be made in your or your loved one's name, your group's, or your company's. All sponsors are listed on the website below and in our monthly newsletter. TRAC accepts credit and debit card donations, as well as automatic monthly donations, via PayPal.
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Together, we can keep wild birds flying free.
