Bird researchers from Guatemala visiting Chattanooga to track the Louisiana waterthrush with the Tennessee River Gorge Trust spoke to fifth graders about the work they are doing to protect birds and their habitats.

Tennessee River Gorge Trust Executive Director Rick Huffines talked about how the birds migrate between the Chattanooga area and Guatamala each year. One bird tracked with a geolocator device flew between the two areas in four days, meaning it likely never stopped flying until reaching its destination.

Noel Vicente from the Peten Birders Club in Flores, Guatemala, talked about the work his group is doing to help people understand the importance of birds and their habitats. Birds are threatened by the reduction of rainforest by farming, but also the group encourages children to appreciate birds and enjoy them in nature. His group works to educate children, who might be more inclined to kill a bird with a slingshot out of curiosity. Instead, the group lets them look at birds through binoculars. The club also is part of a burgeoning tourism industry in Guatemala for bird watchers.

Students asked about how the birds were captured to attach the trackers, whether the trackers bothered the birds and what their favorite birds are.

The visit was organized by La Paz and Spanish teacher Cindy Avendano.

Pictured left to right are Rick Huffines, Noel Vicente, Ella Claire Stalvey, Juan Sandoval, Zain Rifai, O.J. Morgan and Cindy Avendano.

For more information about the bird project, read the story in the Chattanooga Times Free Press: https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2019/mar/29/tennessee-river-gorge-trust-concluding-years-/491641/