Current C.H.S. junior Walker Catlett has always been fascinated with birds. This fascination with these flying, feathered creatures has influenced many aspects of Walker’s life, from school projects to one of his favorite pastimes, birthwatching. Recently, while at the brand new Brooks Family Y.M.C.A., Catlett noticed that birds were flying into the large windows of the building, almost as if they had no way of telling the window was there. Upon further investigation, Catlett discovered that the window’s at the YMCA are reflective. Knowing this to be a problem for many birds, due to the fact that they don’t possess the perceptive and cognitive abilities to identify the difference between reflection of trees and actual live trees, Catlett decided to do some independent research on the topic. “There is a myth that people can see glass, but birds can’t. In fact, neither birds nor people can see glass,” says the American Bird Conservancy’s website. His research confirmed his earlier theory: the widows at the Y.M.C.A. weren’t bird-friendly. Upon this revelation, Catlett emailed the C.E.O. of the Brooks Y.M.C.A. about the dangers posed by the glass to the local bird population and potential solutions for the YMCA to explore. The Y.M.C.A. is currently “investigating the cost of feather-friendly, A.B.C. bird tape and CollideEscape” in order to both address the concerns raised by Walker, as well as maintain the aesthetic appeal of the new Y.M.C.A. “Even though I’m young , I felt that [I could] still make a difference,” Walker recounted about the experience. In Walker’s case, he did make a difference.