Abstract
Cool Crest" in Kansas City, Missouri, was the setting of the first AFA Red Siskin Summit. Cool Crest is operated by my mother and has thousands of locals and tourists who visit it each summer. One day I realized a great potential for an additional attraction that would fulfill a life-long dream of mine to help wildlife. I envisioned an educational exotic bird exhibit that Patterson would enable me to capture people's attention with the "rainforest jewels" (parrots) I dearly love and tell of their plight. Yearly, hundreds of schoolchildren and various groups visit the bird exhibit called Wings of Lovef Through this exhibit, the public becomes aware of the destruction of the birds' natural habitat and the smuggling that occurs. It includes many parrots, toucans and finches. People have been awed by the beauty and intelligence of a Moluccan Cockatoo and a Blue and Gold Macaw at this location since the '70s.The viewing area of Wings of Love incorporates framed educational displays in full color. These include egg displays showing embryonic development to the hatch; species signs with classification, habitat and distribution; personality profiles on the birds and some things they say/ sing; a developmental chart of Moluccan Cockatoo chicks to adulthood; and an informative collage of rainforest photos and rainforest derivatives (drugs, food and other materials). The exhibit area has parrots and toucans perched on elaborate branching systems inside a large solarium. These birds have their own territories among the branching systems but are also...