Bedford Audubon Society

Sean Prockter Wins BAS Scholarship
June 2004

Sean Prockter of South Salem, New York is the winner of the 2004 BAS Scholarship to the Audubon Camp in Vermont. He has chosen the herpetology program at the camp as his research choice. Currently completing the eleventh grade at John Jay High School, Sean has recently taken a Field Biology course in animals and, also, the Science Olympiad: Forestry and Mission Possible. He has just completed a project on Birds of the Forested Landscape.

Sean's interest in nature and biology has led him to volunteer at the  Wolf Conservation Center, go on Christmas Bird Counts with BAS and compile a spreadsheet of all the BAS CBC data. He also has hung and monitored a number of bluebird at Bylane Farm, and cataloged approximately 1,500 insects for the John Hay HS Science Department.

We congratulate Sean and all the other entrants for their fine contributions. Sean's winning essay follows.

I began my lifelong goal of conserving our natural world one day at Wye Marsh in Midland, Ontario. It was teeming with wildlife. As I was leaving the marsh, a ranger stopped me and asked me to hold out my hand. She put some bird seed on it and said to hold still. Within a minute, a chickadee landed on my hand and took a sunflower seed. From that moment on, I have fallen in love with the outdoors and protecting its natural environment. I started to exhibit my appreciation for the outdoors when I borrowed my father’s professional still camera. I would get up at 4:30 in the morning and walk along the lake I live on, Truesdale Lake. I finally discovered my passion. I found beauty I had never witnessed before. As time went on, I moved from nature photography to wildlife photography as well. I began with the simple feeder birds and moved to ducks and onward to the more obscure and elusive birds that inhabit Westchester County. I finally found my special niche that I found complete comfort and happiness in.

My first major step towards conservation was when I met Henry and the new pup from the Wolf Conservation Center at a fair. I introduced myself and began volunteering for the center in 2002. I worked on a number of topics to help the Wolf Center continue their work. I was able to earn $750 through donations in one day for them. I am presently helping to publicize the center more and more by leaving our pamphlets at over twenty different preserves and nature centers. From the Wolf Center spurred a whole slew of programs and courses that taught me quite a great deal of information about the outdoors.

That summer, I spent a week with the Jim Bruchac of the Ndakinna Project learning all the necessary survival skills one would need in the woods. From making fire with a hand drill to edible plants, Jim Bruchac taught me how to survive on my own. I also took a one day course with Mr. Bruchac which focused on tracking, the field Jim is an expert in and mostly widely known for. From that I went on to take some courses at my high school that was nature-related. I participated in Science Olympiad. I learned how to identify every Northeastern tree in the United States by leaf, twig, and some trees by other features as well, such as bark. I also competed in an event called Mission Possible. This is just like the Rouge Goldberg however there are special standards that need to be met. I also completed a Field Biology course in animal study. I have become a Lab Assistant for Dr. Burke at John Jay High School. I am currently creating an inventory of 1500 insects collected by the science department over the years. My work will hopefully be a great contribution to their science department.

While these events were taking place, I joined the Audubon Society. I did a couple Christmas Bird Counts with John Askildsen and he was the key person that opened up a new realm of learning to me—birds. Ever since the bird counts, I have been avidly working towards learning and saving birds. I compiled all the Christmas Bird Count data since 1954 to one spreadsheet (see attached file) for the Bedford Audubon Society. I am also contributing hand-made bluebird boxes around Westchester County as well as monitoring ten boxes at the Audubon Society on Todd Rd. From this point on, I have been working constantly on various topics towards conserving wildlife. I still incorporate my photography in my work and I am having a photography show joined by Rick Paris at Muscoot Farm in the month of July, 2004. I have joined with Audubon and Cornell to conduct a field study on two chosen species of concern (Cerulean Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush) in a project known as the Birds of the Forested Landscapes. This will hopefully add greatly needed information for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

I feel I am most deserving for this camp because of my contribution towards conserving the outdoors and my passion towards the subject that will be reflected in my field work. I hope I will represent Bedford Audubon Society well and contribute much needed information to Vermont Audubon about reptiles and amphibians.

Photo Courtesy of and Copyright © 2004 by Richard L. Becker
email rlbecker   www.songstar.org

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