The Three Rivers Avian Center (TRAC) is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing veterinary care and rehabilitative care to threatened wild birds. The center also offers public education programs and visits schools, civic groups, and other organizations with some of their non-releasable raptors to help individuals understand the native birds and the ecosystems around them.

TRAC started in 1990 as a hobby on Riverskye Farm in Brooks, W.Va. Ron Perrone, the founder, realized after a few years that his hobby had outgrown his porch and in the winter of 1993, TRAC moved into a building on Perrone's 102-acre farm. The original building accommodated 24 birds, but after five years, that building was also inadequate. The Perrones completed a new building in 2001 now in use for the birds, while the older building has been converted to living quarters for interns. TRAC maintains both a summer internship and a summer residency program.

Twice each year, Steven Rotsch of Positive Image Photograph and TRAC team up for a photo workshop at the Center's facility. Rotsch contributes at least 50% of the workshop fees to TRAC. During the workshop, TRAC positions several birds in their natural environments for photographic opportunities. The birds are accustomed to being around people and the staff is very helpful in making sure workshop participants learn about the birds as they photograph them. Steve is on hand to help with photo techniques and suggestions at both morning and afternoon workshops.

I embarked on my journey to TRAC with fellow Buckhannon-Upshur Camera Club members: John Simons, Mary Cameron, and Vicky Black. We arrived at the Avian Center about 8:30 a.m., ready to visit the birds. We were met by Rotsch, Ron and Wendy Perrone and their volunteer assistant, Caleb Keneitp. Near a very small and decades old barn in a clearing in the woods a short distance from the main building, TRAC staff had already had the birds out waiting for us, encouraged to tranquility by the snacks of dead mice and quail that were offered.

On our return trip home, we lunched in Hinton, then took the Fayette Station Road Tour. This road starts at the New River Gorge Canyon Rim Visitor Center and winds its way down to the bottom of the gorge and back up the other side. At the bottom of the gorge, you can park on the side of the road and walk across the Tunney Hunsaker Bridge for a great view of the New River Bridge, site of the annual Bridge Day. If you like abstract shapes, there are some interesting views from the bottom of the bridge looking straight up or across the river. The Fayette Station Road itself goes directly under the sides of the bridge, 88,000 pounds of concrete and steel.

Fayette County is steeped in the history of coal mining in West Virginia. Some parts of this 100-year-old road are one-way, winding, at river level through abandoned coal town sites. -- now just a distant memory of their former life as the be-all and end-all of the miners who lived there.

The Three Rivers Avian Center is located in Summers County. It is open for free public tours on the first Saturday of each month from May through October, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Winter visits to the center are by appointment only. TRAC is funded by public donations and grants and relies on the generosity of concerned individuals and groups. For more information, visit www.tracwv.org.  For information on Steven Rotsch visit www.stevenrotsch.com.