Students Take Action

By Ava Elizabeth Rios

Contributor

I still remember the first time I volunteered for the Hilton Head Audubon. My brothers, Thaddaeus and Nathanael, both high schoolers at the time, had just gotten back from a workday at the Newhall Preserve. Like any little sister, I was curious to know what they had been doing for the last four hours. “Well, we set up a tent, spread some asphalt, trimmed the forest trails and had donuts,” Thaddaeus (or Nathanael?) responded. DONUTS?! I was entranced.

Thus, the very next month, July 2022, I found an old pair of gardening gloves beneath my mom’s bed and piled in the car with my siblings. After spending the morning rolling logs to the parking lot, I fell in love with volunteering. I’ve been attending workdays at the Newhall Audubon Preserve since.

By helping to maintain the beauty of this preserve, I have learned so much about the necessity for conservation efforts of Hilton Head Island’s flora and fauna. Participating in physical labor has inspired me to get other kids my age involved.

Thus, I am currently forming Adolescents Advocating for the Hilton Head Audubon, an expansive network of middle school and high school students dedicated to supporting the Hilton Head Audubon through volunteer work and community outreach. There are currently 20 of us, and we are hoping to grow in size by garnering support from other local schools. We all share a dedication to protecting the environment.

At the Hilton Head Audubon’s Juneteenth Celebration, which celebrated Naych and B’uhds, Adolescents Advocating for the Hilton Head Audubon organized a craft table for all ages. Adults and children alike seemed to have a lot of fun creating cupcake liner bird crafts. Visitors could choose from a variety of local bird species to create, including the Eastern Bluebird, American Goldfinch and Summer Tanager. Each bird had its own unique station, with cupcake wrappers and heart-shaped wings to match the bird’s corresponding colors. Furthermore, posters were created for each bird species to make the experience engaging and informative.

We all had an amazing time helping out the Hilton Head Audubon, and we are looking forward to growing this network further.

Ava Elizabeth Rios is a student at Bluffton High School and the founder of Adolescents Advocating for the Hilton Head Audubon (AAHHA) to involve kids in conservation efforts in the Lowcountry. If you are interested in joining AAHHA, contact Ava at avaelizabethrios@hargray.com.