The Wildlife Sanctuary & Preserve at Bethesda encourages students to focus on conservation of natural resources. This hands-on program uses the 650-acre campus at Bethesda as a classroom and builds classes around the various wildlife habitats on the property. Students get an up-close look at the animals that are the natural inhabitants of Bethesda, and add to this population by raising quail for both study and profit. The program also includes nursery ponds for raising carp and conducting aquaculture studies of marine plant life. The Wildlife Sanctuary & Preserve integrates classroom lessons into the field as students calculate food consumption for quail, monitor water quality in the marsh and conduct deer census surveys.
As a way to expand our work-study program and potentially increase revenue, the Wildlife Sanctuary & Preserve became Savannah’s only quail hunting and sport dog training facility in 2012. After a successful year offering quail hunts and pheasant shoot to the general public, the Bethesda Academy Wildlife Sanctuary & Preserve changed from a public hunting facility to a private membership structure. Within one month, all memberships had been claimed and the 2013-14 hunting season was underway.
With this new structure and a set group of members, Bethesda’s Wildlife work-study students have the opportunity to work the scheduled hunts – everything from greeting members, placing birds, and leading the prayers before and after the hunts. Bethesda’s students played an integral role in launching the Wildlife Sanctuary & Preserve. They are extremely proud of its success.
For questions about membership or sport dog training, please contact Tom Brackett at 912.677.6608.
Click here to pay your 2023-24 WS&P Membership Dues.
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