Wings to Soar kicks off Eagle Expo events

Private schools, parochial schools and home-schooled students were invited to attend a presentation titled Birds of Prey on Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Bayou Vista Community Center. There was no charge to attend, but reservations were required.
The raptor presentation will also visit several junior high schools across the parish including Franklin Junior High, Morgan City Junior High, Berwick Junior High, and Patterson Junior High.
The Birds of Prey Program is presented by Wings to Soar which is a nonprofit environmental education organization founded by John and Dale Stokes. The presentation features a variety of raptors, including owls, hawks, a falcon, a vulture and a bald eagle.
The bald eagle in the presentation is named Osceola and he is 39 years old. Osceola was shot and his left wing had to be amputated to save his life.
John Stokes presented the eagle to the students in attendance and taught them about its natural habitat, food source and its symbolism for the United States of America.
You can see the show 6-8 p.m. Thursday at the Bayou Vista Civic Center. Admission is free.