The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service partners with organizations around the state to extend the resources of the university and strengthen engaging community programs. In Bullitt County the Cooperative Extension Service has worked for several years with Sunrise Children’s Services which operates a network of residential programs across the state that offer long-term, residential care and treatment to young people ages 12-18. Sunrise Children's Services works to help young people transition from a home of abuse and neglect so they are able to return to their homes, or into a more traditional foster care setting.

In Mt. Washington, KY, the Sunrise Children's Services Spring Meadows Center serves up to 20 male adolescents in a welcoming facility that provides housing, meals, education, and recreational space, along with outdoor areas. Therapeutic care and intervention is provided to help young men build a strong foundation for long-term recovery. Part of that intervention includes monthly programming presented by the Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Extension Agent for Bullitt County.

Youth participants learned about identifying and protecting habitat for birds in their area like this Indigo Bunting in Shepherdsville, KY.

In December 2022, the FCS Agent and the Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent partnered to provide a class about the basics of birdwatching, also known as birding. The 10 boys from diverse backgrounds across the state enthusiastically learned how to identify birds by their colors, shapes, sizes, and unusual body parts. Many already recognized some common birds and reminisced about supportive family members who taught them to look out for "cardinals in the berry patch" or "herons down on the farm pond". They recounted stories of peaceful locations in their past where they stopped to observe wildlife. The agents not only applauded their engagement with bird identification activities, but discussed how recalling birds and great bird habitat can be used as a technique to diffuse stress, clear the mind, and practice mindfulness. 

Students then had the opportunity to make a pinecone and peanut butter bird feeder to attract birds to their favorite outdoor spot in their residential facility. After learning to use binoculars, the boys staked out their feeders and practiced identifying birds they had recently learned. Each youth received a bird identification poster and journaling pages to practice mindfully observing birds, habitat, and perhaps even themselves.