Project 2 – 2003 First Kentucky Osprey Live Cam Project 

To enhance osprey education and to involve the public worldwide, KEEP and Caldwell County Elementary School (CCES) agreed to attempt one of Kentucky’s first live cams. A video camera would be placed above a fourth student funded and constructed osprey platform. Cornell University’s Laboratory of Ornithology (CLO) supported the project by providing a camera and software. Bell South contributed to the project with a generous donation and by making DSL service available to a new area. KEEP donations provided funding for the Internet service and provided volunteers. KEEP, students and CCES staff installed the fourth student platform and 360 ft. of video cable. A private lakeside homeowner provided a room in their home for a CCES computer, a location for a DSL connection and their back lawn for burial of a 360 ft. video/power cable placed inside a waterline for protection.

The camera was mounted above the platform on a student/KEEP designed and constructed camera mount made by Kentucky Technical Vocational School (KTVS) students. The camera platform was placed near the shoreline and several summer homes. A site near a home had to be selected to have high speed DSL Internet service and electricity available. However, Lake Barkley ospreys would not nest at this location. Much was learned from putting Kentucky’s first osprey cam project together. The first bird image, a male Eastern bluebird, was sent from Kentucky to New York from our cam site. The bluebird flew under our osprey platform and its image was sent to CLO for showing on CLO’s web site. 

The new KEEP/CCES/KTVS camera platform demonstrated what a non-profit organization can do working closely with a school and other organizations. This fact prepared our group very well for our coming projects. Much additional support and cooperation will be needed for future projects but we learned that no goal is too high to achieve. So, the educational adventure would continue and more help and support will always be needed as we aim even higher.