When Bradford Hyde was 12 years old, he saw Saxophone, his dog, with a bird in its mouth. The bird was near death, but Hyde rescued it and nursed it back to health.

“I just knew what to do,” Hyde said. “It gave me the inspiration to know that I can help wildlife and the environment.”

Six years later, Hyde has enveloped himself in numerous environmental causes, becoming a junior wildlife rescuer and even helping create the nonprofit environmental organization Wild Heart of CT, a group that runs educational programs and places volunteers in environmental organizations that need help.

Shortly after Hyde's first rescue he started working as a wildlife rehabilitator during the summers at the Second Chance Rehabilitation Center in Baltic. While there, he cared for deer, raccoons, possums, foxes and rabbits.

“It really opened my eyes to what's out there,” Hyde said. “It taught me that I could make a difference, and I really liked doing it.”

A group of Norwich Free Academy students started Wild Heart of CT three years ago, but it is Hyde who maintains the organization today.

“I'm a big believer of getting out and learning about the natural world,” he said. “I'm really passionate about wildlife. To me it's like playing video games.”

Hyde credits NFA teacher Heather Botelle, adviser to the Science and Environmental Club, with inspiring him to pursue a career in the environment.

Botelle says she had nothing to do with Hyde's determination.

“He was pre-inspired,” Botelle said. “He was the one that wanted to start Wild Heart. All I did was give him some advice to get it started. He did all the legwork. I would say that he was atypical. I didn't know what I wanted to do when I was in high school.”

Two years ago, Botelle, Hyde and group of students went to the Amazon rainforest and visited the Galapagos Islands.

“The experience really put more fire in me to spread the word on how fragile and important our environment is,” said Hyde.

Hyde graduated from NFA this year and in the fall will attend Unity College in Maine, which specializes in the environment. He plans to study wildlife conservation.

He said Karen Murray, a transition coordinator at NFA's career resource center, helped him get into the college.

“That was his dream school, and I encouraged him to go for his dream,” Murray said. “He is so into the environment. He has a passion about him that you can't help but to encourage him. He really has inspired me to help kids follow their dreams.”

For 11 days in July, Hyde will study orca whales in the Puget Sound off Washington and will work with Kenneth Balcomb III, a world-renowned scientist in the field of orca preservation.

Hyde will spend half of his time on a boat on Puget Sound taking photos of the orca's dorsal fin – which is how scientists identify the animals – and the rest at the research center putting the photos into a database to track the orca population.

The orcas have suffered because of PCBs and other toxins found in the water, and the dwindling of their primary food source, which is salmon.

Hyde is also creating the Web site www.orca-research.comabout the plight of these whales.

“I hope to be inspired enough to help inform people about their situation,” Hyde said.

www.wildcore.org