Herald&Review
SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015
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DECATUR, ILLINOIS
WORK & PLAY Residents of Central Illinois work hard and they play hard. Sometimes, they even get to do both at once. In this section of Outlook, we take a look at our neighbors and appreciate what they do to be at the center of it all.
INSIDE:
IN THE REHAB BUSINESS
Spreading their wings >>> Corvette enthusiast Mid America Motorworks in Effingham is truly Mike Yager's American dream. It's a hub for quality parts and accessories for Corvettes and Volkswagen Beetles, but it is also part museum. PAGE 3
Herald & Review photos, Lisa Morrison
Jacques Nuzzo carefully puts a hood on a sick eagle found in the wild as he prepares to transport it back to the Illinois Raptor Center.
Illinois Raptor Center looks to expand with ‘Super Flight’facility
>>> Collies are a mystic breed
EMILY STEELE H&R Staff Writer
DECATUR – For years, the Illinois Raptor Center has been quietly caring for and releasing countless injured birds and other wild animals that turn up at the door of the wildlife hospital. After two decades of growth, and at a time when similar rehab centers around the state are closing, the volunteers and single staff member at the center are taking more calls and regularly caring for large birds of prey that eat a lot of meat and need room to spread their wings. So the center is investing in new tools, programs, partnerships and a 390-foot-long “Super Flight” facility to ensure their work continues. The wildlife hospital, offices and housing sit on 25 acres on the western edge of Decatur, along the Sangamon River. It's closed to the public most days, but inside a rotating crew of a dozen volunteers work to clean cages, cut up food and care for more than a dozen owls, hawks, ducks, eagles and anything else that shows up. Since 1991, founders Jacques Nuzzo and Jane Seitz have traveled the Midwest with non-releasable raptors in tow — Riley Adams, Avian Protection for educational programming Manager for Ameren Illinois to build a respect of wildlife and prevent future injuries. Some of the resident birds serve as surrogate parents. Nuzzo, the center's program director, said the day will come when they'll be raising baby bald eagles, since they're one of the few facilities authorized to care for the protected species. “It costs a lot to feed rehab eagles, so we do that through programming, donations and grants,” Nuzzo said. The nonprofit organization partners with Ameren Illinois and its Avian Protection Program for projects and educational outreach. A $50,000 donation from the Ameren Corporation Charitable Trust last year allowed the center to build 36 custom cages to house its permanent birds away from the hospital residents. “As they keep growing, they need help,” said Riley Adams, the Avian Protection Manager for Ameren Illinois. “They provide an invaluable resource to the community.” Nuzzo is working with Ameren to plan, fund and build a larger, long-term flight cage that could house the birds safely while they recover. They hope to start this spring.
‘As they keep growing, they need help. They provide an invaluable resource to the community.’
RAPTOR/PAGE 3
While most of us have fond memories of the noble canine, Lassie, Bonnie Cary was inspired to not only buy a collie, but has become a breeder of champions. PAGE 7
Jane Seitz, Nuzzo and Heather Logan work together on keeping records of the eagles that come through the Illinois Raptor Center.
>>> Geographic center point
Steve Kapper works on the transferring birds from Yvette Casner during a volunteer training session at the Illinois Raptor Center. Also in the background are Debbie Lebo and Carla Jordan. Tank is a one-year-old female great horned owl used in some of the educational programs.
No town is at the center of the it all like the Logan County hamlet of Chestnut. A "Geo Center" monument celebrates the town's designation as the geographic center of Illinois. PAGE 6