Editorial: A wildlife winner in Waynesboro

The subjects of technology and the natural world don’t necessarily seem to fit together, but their marriage is certainly bearing fruit for one Waynesboro landmark.

That’s the Wildlife Center of Virginia, which is turning recent donations from eagle-lovers into several projects.

It all started with Buddy, the eaglet with the crooked beak.

He was transferred to River City for medical care about three years ago, and he was already a hit with online viewers who had a — pardon the pun — bird’s-eye view of his original home.

They followed him to the Wildlife Center, and then lots more folks began watching webcam footage of three eaglets who came to Waynesboro in April after their mother was killed by a jet.

The day the new trio got to town, the center’s website crashed because so many people wanted to see the birds. The next day, the center’s site got 40,000 hits.

In just a few days, the eagle fans donated more than $30,000, and the money is still rolling in. It will pay for the construction of an 85-foot enclosure where birds can learn to fly again before being released back into the wild.

The center began seeking more of an online presence last fall, and staff plan to install a fiber optic cable system in the coming months and add more cameras so viewers can track their favorite critters.

But no one’s forgetting about Buddy. He’s getting a new, $25,000 enclosure. He no longer can reasonably make it in the wild, so the Wildlife Center is now his permanent home.

Once all of the gadgets are in place, the center also will be home for more Internet programming, including coverage of animal procedures and other educational forums.

The organization provides an excellent example of what Waynesboro needs to continue doing: It is capitalizing on the region’s natural treasures. As the Wildlife Center adds more and more features, online viewers may become in-person visitors. And when they reach the Valley, educational opportunities become economic benefits, too, as out-of-towners shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants and so on. It’s the proverbial win-win. And it comes not from doing anything out of the ordinary, but simply from emphasizing the wonders that are already here.