Hayden is an adult male Swainsons Hawk who was rescued after he was hit by a car on an Idaho highway.See Hayden: Montana Audubon Center brings in program to teach about raptor conservationTheyre not able to return to the wild, a nd because of that, we are able to take them in as rescues. We use them in educational programs to teach folks about the incredible wildlife that we have right in our own backyard and give folks an opportunity to see a lot of these species up close," said Melissa Hill, Buffalo Bill Center of the West's Live Raptor Program Manager.He now lives at the Draper Natural History Museum in Cody as part of their raptor experience, helping educate visitors about the birds of prey that call the Western US their home.On Saturday, Hayden and those from the museum came to the Montana Audubon Center in Billings to teach a lesson in conservation.Were trying to get people to be more knowledgeable about raptors and raptor migration. Its a really cool and rare opportunity to get a live hawk here," said Montana Audubon Center Events Coordinator, Halei Akins.That might kind of create a spark that will make them interested in wildlife around the globe and hopefully start thinking about some of the actions that we take on a daily basis that we dont think about could have a big impact on the entire world around us," said HillThe aim is to teach attendees to the lesson on how to prevent raptors like Hayden from dying of human-related causes in the wild.Those from the program say using alternatives to lead ammunition, paying attention behind the wheel, and not using poison to kill rodents are some of the best ways to help.Anything that is going to make the world a better place for us typically makes it a better place for wildlife as well," said Hill.Those at Montana Audubon say the goal of this event and all of their events are to inspire Montanans to give a hoot about birds and all wildlife.When the community is more in touch with our ecosystems and the outdoors in general, they tend to be more involved. And we hope that especially for the kids coming out here, it makes a difference in their mindset and in their connection to the world around us," said Akins. ...read more read less