Ringle Tornado, rescued birds released back into the wild at Riverside Elementary
RINGLE, Wis. (WAOW) — Three birds rescued after the Ringle F-3 tornado in April were released back into the wild at Riverside Elementary. A red-tailed hawk, a merlin and an American kestrel took flight as students watched from the playground. Before the release, students heard from Raptor Education Group, Inc. Executive Director Marge Gibson about the birds' recovery. "They really love to see the recovery process go. They well know what happened here to their school and to their surrounding and this is just an addition on," Gibson said. "And you know talking about wildlife, they too are responsible for helping it. And some of the birds were found by children.” Other birds remain in recovery at REGI. The Riverside principal said this moment was part of the community's healing cycle. "Really grateful that REGI reached out to us to offer us this opportunity. Our school is put back together. We see some of the houses in our community here being rebuilt and coming back together," Riverside Principal Kevin Kampmann said. "And now we get to see the animals that were hurt in the storm getting to go back into the wild as well. So, it's just part of that healing cycle. The principal added that the release showcased the resilience of the community and the effort to move forward after tragedy hits.