THE PEREGRINE FUND

WORLD CENTER FOR BIRDS OF PREY

• 2005 ANNUAL REPORT •• 2005 ANNUAL REPORT •

THE PEREGRINE FUND

WORLD CENTER FOR BIRDS OF PREY

Working to Conserve Birds of Prey in Nature

Linda BehrmanSue BelloRoger BenefieldJoell BrownJoe BurkeBill BurnhamKurt K. BurnhamPat BurnhamJack CaffertyEmma ChristensenDavid ClineDonna DanielsSam DavilaCameron EllisEdward FeltesBrian GloshenSherri Haley

Tim HauckMichael HaynesBill HeinrichGrainger HuntJ. Peter JennyLeslie JonartPaul JuergensMeagan KaiserLloyd KiffThom LordMichael MaglioneDavid McGrawAngel MontoyaAmel MusticBrian MutchJenny MyersFrank Nebenburgh

Cathie NigroTrish NixonChris ParishNick PicconoTravis RosenberryCal SandfortAmy SiedenstrangCindy ThielRussell ThorstromRandy TownsendRick WatsonDavid WellsEric WeisJim Willmarth

ArchivistS. Kent Carnie

PanamaAracely AbregoEloy AripioEdwin CampbellCalixto ConampiaMarta CurtiSean DavisOmar FernándezBriceño FlacoPróspero Gaitán Margarita GordonNoel GuerraYanina GuevaraKathia HerreraEdwin JiménezMagaly LinaresJosé de Los Santos

LópezPriscilla MaloneyGabriel

MinguizamaRodolfo MosqueraAngel MuelaJulio OvispoRogelio PeñaBolívar RodríguezFidel SabúgaraSaskia SantamaríaJosé de Jesús VargasMark Watson

AsiaMuhammad AsimFaisal Farid

Pan AfricaSimon ThomsettMunir Virani

INTERNATIONAL STAFF

THE PEREGRINE FUND STAFFThe organization’s business-related activities are supported by PatBurnham (Administrator), Cindy Thiel and Donna Daniels (Book-keepers), and Sherri Haley (Secretary/Receptionist). Linda Behrmanis our Membership Director and manages our web site. Joell Browncoordinates our fund raising activities. Amy Siedenstrang is our artdirector.

UNITED STATES

MadagascarTolojanahary R. A.

AndriamalalaYves Rakotonirina

AndriamanarivoAdrien BatouBe Berthin Noël Augustin BonhommeRazafimahatratra

Christophe Eloi (Lala) FanamehaEugene LadoanyKalavah Rox LoukmanJules MampiandraMoïseCharles (Vola) Rabearivelo Jeanneney RabearivonyBerthine RafarasoaNorbert (Velo)

RajaonariveloJeannette RajesyMarius P. H.

RakotondratsimaGaston RaoelisonBien Aimé RasolonirinaGilbert RazafimanjatoJoseph RazafindrasoloJacquot Martial (Lova)

RazanakotoLily-Arison Rene de RolandSeing The SamGilbert Tohaky

©2006 Edited by Bill Burnham and Pat Burnham.Jack Cafferty, Photo Editor. Design ©2006 by Amy Siedenstrang.Thanks to Robert Bateman and Mill Pond Press, Inc. for coverartwork. Production costs donated by members of the Board of Directorsof The Peregrine Fund.

T H E P E R E G R I N E F U N D • W O R L D C E N T E R F O R B I R D S O F P R E Y

Board of Directors Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Northern Aplomado Falcon Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

California Condor Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

T. Halter Cunningham 1922-2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

The Archives of Falconry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Student Education Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Research Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Captive Breeding at the World Center for Birds of Prey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Education Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Arctic Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Neotropical Raptor Conservation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Pan Africa Raptor Conservation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Asia-Pacific Raptor Conservation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Financials and Donors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

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Strong leadership is critical to an organization’s success, and ThePeregrine Fund’s Board of Directors has continued to provide thisleadership since the organization began in 1970. During the fall 2005

meeting of the Board of Directors, Ian Newton, former Vice Chairman,

was elected as the new Chairman of the Board. The organization is for-

tunate to have had six Chairmen of the Board all with strong enthusiasm

and desire to help the organization continue to succeed and Ian Newton

will no doubt continue this tradition in his new role.

Outgoing Chairman of the Board Paxson H. Offield is to be com-

mended on his three-year term and devotion to his leadership role dur-

ing this time. Mr. Offield was always there to lend a helping hand and

help out with whatever was needed and the organization is indebted for

his dedication and kindness. Like all the previous Chairmen, Paxson

Offield definitely left a lasting impression on The Peregrine Fund.

Ian Newton has played an integral role with the organization’s Board

of Directors since 1988. His background includes D.Phil. and D.Sc.

degrees from Oxford University, and numerous academic and civil

awards. He has written several books and more than 300 scientific

papers on birds, and performed research on raptors, finches, and water-

fowl. He is the former President of the British Ornithologists’ Union,

former President of the British Ecological Society, Honorary Fellow of

the American Ornithologists’ Union, and is currently the Chairman of

the Council for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the

United Kingdom.

Elected as the new Vice Chairman of the Board was Lee M. Bass, with

Karen J. Hixon continuing as Treasurer and D. James Nelson fulfilling

the role of Secretary. The organization would not be where it is today

without the support and direction of all our members of the Board of

Directors and we thank them for their dedication.

Ian Newton (above) has worked with numerous species of birds from temperate environments to the Arctic.

Below, he and Bill Burnham survey cliffs in Northwest Greenland.

Kurt

K.

Burn

ham

Kurt

K.

Burn

ham

BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATE

The Northern Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralisseptentrionalis) once occupied a significant portionof the American Southwest. Often hunting coopera-tively as a pair, this strikingly beautiful falcon feedson medium-sized birds, insects, and bats. Prior tothe 1930s this species was regarded as fairly com-mon throughout the humid coastal savannas ofTexas and Taumalipas, Mexico, and the more xericinterior grasslands. Over 100 egg sets were collectedin southern Texas between 1888 and 1915 which

serves as an indicationof how common thisspecies once was.

Populations of theNorthern AplomadoFalcon began to declineduring the first half ofthe Twentieth Century.Prior to reintroductionefforts in Texas, the lastknown breeding of thisspecies within theUnited States occurrednear Deming, NewMexico, in 1952. Afterthis time, no Aplo-

mado Falcon population was known to exist in theU.S. until breeding pairs became established in1995 as a result of reintroduction efforts.

The Northern Aplomado Falcon is the last falconspecies on the Endangered Species List.

�RESULTSThis season 140 young were produced from 36

pairs of falcons. Two young were held back to aug-ment the captive breeding population in Boise, Idaho,now totaling 46 pairs. The current number of pairswill allow us to continue releasing between 100 and140 falcons per year.

A total of 138 Aplomado Falcons were released atsix sites on private ranches in the trans-Pecos regionin Texas during the 2005 field season. For the firsttime in over a decade, we did not release falcons in

South Texas and are now concentrating all of ourrelease efforts in West Texas. Our overall success ratefor this year resulted in 116 (84%) falcons success-fully reaching independence. A total of 1,142 cap-tive-bred falcons have now been released in Texas,and during the previous five years 357 of 538 (66%)falcons released became independent.

Mortality factors after release remained much thesame as in previous years. This included prematuredispersal and predation by Great Horned Owls andcoyotes. We did not experience the predation prob-lem encountered last year with the immaturePeregrine Falcon. Peregrine Falcons were presentagain this year but the Aplomado Falcons were olderand more agile when the Peregrines were present.We did, however, have problems with NorthernHarriers harassing the young falcons, causing themto disperse prematurely. The presence of NorthernHarriers in West Texas at this time of year was ratherunusual and was perhaps the result of the uncharac-teristically high rodent population.

Monitoring the Developing Population inSouth Texas—In 1995, biologists recorded the firstpair of Aplomado Falcons to breed in Texas in morethan half a century. These birds were captive-bredyoung released by The Peregrine Fund. For the 2005season, this population had increased to at least 44pairs. We are confident that more pairs would havebeen located had we been able to expand our searcharea outside of the Matagorda and Laguna AtascosaNational Wildlife Refuges. Unfortunately, this wasnot possible due to time and personnel constraints.

The continued increase in nesting successobserved in falcons provided with artificial neststructures encouraged us to put up additional struc-tures prior to this year’s nesting season. Even moresignificant is the 88% annual survival rate that wehave recorded in the adult breeding population.

The question is often asked why we have notfound more pairs when over 1,000 falcons have beenreleased. The answer is natural attrition. In the bestof circumstances, with natural parents to protectand guide their fledglings, raptors typically lose 65%

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Establish a self-sustainingpopulation of AplomadoFalcons in the south-western United Statesand northern NewMexico through captivepropagation, release, andmanagement with theultimate goal of removingthis species from theEndangered Species List.

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Recently fledged wild Aplomado Falcon in South Texas.

NORTHERN APLOMADO FALCON RESTORATION

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STAFFDirector, Peter Jenny; Coordina-tor, Bill Heinrich; Captive Breed-ing, Cal Sandfort, Emma Chris-tensen, and Travis Rosenberry;Field, Brian Mutch, Angel Mon-toya, Paul Juergens, and ErinGott; and Senior Scientist,Grainger Hunt.

HACK SITE ATTENDANTSKeely Arnold, Therese Catanach,John Coffman, Megan Connor,Melanie Fischer, Amanda Gladics,Sarah Goodwin, Dayna Hawes,Justin Jones, Sam Joyce, ChristinaKleberg, Ashley Linscott, Christo-pher McClure, Chasidy Simplot,and Matthew Stuber.

COOPERATORSWe cooperate with the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service, the TexasParks and Wildlife Department,T & E, Inc., the Secretaria DeMedio Ambiente Recursos Natu-rales Y Pesca (SEMARNAP), Uni-versidad Autonoma de Chi-huahua and private landowners— Miller Ranch of Valen-tine, Texas, Means Ranch of VanHorn, Texas, McKnight Ranch ofMarathon, Texas, Baeza Ranch ofVan Horn, Texas, Rancho DelCielo of Kent, Texas, and theFaskin Ranch of Sul Ross Univer-sity of Sierra Blanca, Texas.Pathology is done by Bruce Ride-out of the San Diego Zoo.

Providing essential financialand/or logistical support wereAA Enterprises/Gayle Allen, theLee and Ramona Bass Founda-tion, U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServicePrivate Stewardship Program, RuthO’Donnell Mutch, Robert J. andHelen C. Kleberg Foundation,National Fish and Wildlife Founda-tion, The Meadows Foundation,Turner Foundation, Inc., EdwardW. Rose III Family Fund of TheDallas Foundation, GrasslansCharitable Foundation, ExxonMo-bil Foundation, Tim and KarenHixon and The Tim and KarenHixon Foundation, The TimkenFamily Charitable Trust, PeterDavidson, Burlington Resources,Magnolia Charitable Trust, TexasParks and Wildlife Department,The Tapeats Fund, Joan and HerbKelleher Foundation, NorcrossWildlife Foundation, and TheSophie Seeligson Bass Foundation.

of their numbers before reaching one year of age.These survivors have endured nature’s highly selec-tive process. In addition, we are certain that morepairs exist than have been observed, and a primarygoal this coming year is to increase our surveyeffort to better assess the total population.Considering the high mortality rate and the vastlandscape, a known population of 44 pairs bodeswell for the success of this program and is, if any-thing, better than could have been expected.

Monitoring Remnant Populations inMexico—We continue to monitor a small popula-tion of Aplomado Falcons in the Mexican state ofChihuahua. Since 1996 we have monitored 220nesting attempts. This season we located 20 occu-pied territories in the Tinaja Verde and Sueco studyareas. These pairs produced 1.40 young per occu-pied territory, an increase from last year’s observedproductivity of 1.06. This population appears to bedeclining, most likely as a result of the continuingdrought; however, in the summer of 2004, amplerains occurred throughout the study area. Theincrease in productivity observed in the falcon pop-ulation illustrates how quickly these falcons canrespond to such beneficial factors as rainfall and thesubsequent increase in the falcons’ prey base. As aresult of the success of our artificial nest structures

in South Texas, our biologists placed five barrednest structures in each of the study areas. None ofthese structures were occupied during the 2005breeding season, and the effectiveness of this man-agement tool, so successful in South Texas, is stillbeing evaluated for the Chihuahuan Desert Region.The Peregrine Fund again sponsored studies whichmonitored grassland prey bird populations at bothstudy sites and installed 10 additional escape rampsin stock water tanks located near falcon territories.This brings the total number of escape ramps inoperation to 30. Since we first installed the escaperamps, no falcons have drowned in equipped tanks.

Federal/State and Private Land Owner Programs—In 2005 an additional 255,362 acreswere enrolled in the Aplomado Falcon Safe Harborprogram. Over 1.8 million acres are now enrolled inthe program in both South and West Texas. This is604 acres larger than the state of Delaware. Becauseof the success experienced in South Texas inreestablishing nesting pairs, release efforts are nowbeing concentrated in West Texas. We will be work-ing with more landowners in order to incorporateadditional release sites and nesting habitat into theAplomado Falcon Safe Harbor program.

The wild population in South Texas will continueto be monitored and survey efforts will be increased

in an attempt to better assess the true populationsize in this area. Additional barred nest structureswill be placed in both South and West Texas wherefalcons are observed.

We continue to work with the states of NewMexico and Arizona, the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService (USFWS), and federal land agencies todevelop a 10(j) “nonessential experimental popula-tion” designation to facilitate the recovery of theAplomado Falcon in New Mexico. A draft 10(j) hasbeen reviewed by the regional USFWS Solicitor’sOffice in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and inWashington, DC. The proposed 10(j) was publishedin the Federal Register in February 2005, and themandatory public comment period ended on15 November 2005. The USFWS should make itsdecision early in 2006; therefore, within the nextyear we hope to begin releasing Aplomado Falconsin New Mexico.

Publications—J.O. Brown, et al., had a paperentitled “Wild Reared Aplomado Falcons Surviveand Re-nest at Higher Rates than Hacked Falconsin a Common Environment” accepted for publica-tion by Biological Conservation. A book publishedby Island Press entitled The Endangered Species Actat Thirty has a section on the Aplomado Falconrecovery in chapter 19.

Left: Artificial nest struc-

tures help reduce mor-

tality caused by raccoons

and other predators.

Right: Paul Juergens

records data about the

size and health of a

young Aplomado falcon.Bill H

ein

rich

Bill

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The CaliforniaCondor is returning tothe canyon country ofnorthern Arizona andsouthern Utah where aworld of cliffs andupdrafts offer homeonce again to this large,colorful, soaring scav-enger. In the 1980s, itsextinction seemed immi-nent when all remainingwild individuals werecaptured in southernCalifornia and held forthe purpose of rebuild-ing the population bycaptive propagation. ThePeregrine Fund createdits condor breeding facil-ity in Boise, Idaho, in the

early 1990s and began releasing birds in Arizona in1996 with the ultimate goal of establishing a self-sustaining wild population and thereby hasteningthe condor’s removal from the Endangered SpeciesList. In the nine years since the first released condorsbegan their explorations, the growing wild popula-tion has evolved traditions of regional movementand foraging. Wild reproduction began in the GrandCanyon in 2003.

�RESULTSThe advantages of experience have accrued both

within the condor population and among the biolo-gists who work toward its eventual independence.The techniques of propagation and rearing havebeen refined at our Boise facility to yield high ratesof hatching and chick survival. Time and experiencehave increased the production of birds hatched andreared by their captive parents and have resulted inbetter adjustment to life in the wild. Field crewshave learned to haze newly-released youngsters from

vulnerable roosts tosafer ones, therebyensuring protectionfrom nocturnal encoun-ters with coyotes.Similar hazing has alsohelped to condition con-dors to avoid humansand man-made struc-tures. This, togetherwith the gradual matu-ration of the wild flock,has contributed toincreased avoidance.

Most importantly, experience has brought an under-standing of mortality sources and ways to reducetheir impact. Highest on the list of harmful agents islead poisoning.

Releases in 2005 began with the February/Marchliberation of eight birds, followed in subsequentmonths with the release of six more. Three of thesecondors were brought from California because oftheir habit of perching on power poles.Translocation broke that pattern of risky behavior,and they have since shown no inclination toward it.One fatality occurred among the 2005 releases;necropsy revealed no findings other than poor bodycondition. By the close of 2005, there were 59 free-ranging condors in the Arizona/Utah populationand nine awaiting release. The captive-breedingfacility in Boise produced 20 young condors in 2005,14 of which were intended for release in Arizona.Seven were transferred to Arizona in December, andthe remainder will be brought to Arizona in 2006.Five were given to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicefor release in California.

The condor flock ranged during 2005 from theSouth Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park tothe Kolob region of southern Utah. As in the past,all condors were equipped with telemetry transmit-ters, and trackers monitored the whereabouts oftheir carriers by means of ground-based VHF

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Establish self-sustainingwild populations ofCalifornia Condorsthrough captive prop-agation, release, andmanagement, with theultimate goal ofremoving the speciesfrom the EndangeredSpecies List.

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Spectators anxiously await the release of California Condors

near the Vermilion Cliffs in Arizona.

Bill

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Ch

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CALIFORNIA CONDOR PROGRAM

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STAFFDirector/Coordinator, BillHeinrich; Captive Breed-ing, Randy Townsendassisted by MeaganKaiser, Joe Burke, andJenny Myers; Release,Chris Parish and ThomLord; Research, GraingerHunt; Research Associ-ates, Kurt Burnham andBrian Mutch; Field Assis-tance, Roger Benefield,Edward Feltes, TimHauck, MichaelMaglione, DavidMcGraw, Frank Neben-burgh, Eric Weis, andJim Willmarth.

COOPERATORSThe historic Arizona rein-troduction is a joint proj-ect among The Pere-grine Fund, the Bureauof Land Management,U.S. Fish and WildlifeService, National ParkService, Arizona Gameand Fish Department,Utah Division of Wildlife,U.S. Forest Service,Southern Utah’s Coalitionof Resources Economics,and others.

Funding and other sup-port for the project wasprovided by the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service,Arizona Game and FishDepartment, NationalFish and Wildlife Foun-dation, Liz Claiborne andArt Ortenberg Founda-tion, Peter Pfendler,Conni Williams, TheKearney Alliance, GrandCanyon ConservationFund, Patagonia, EarthFriends Wildlife Founda-tion, Houston Zoo, Inc.,Natural Encounters Con-servation Fund, ThePhiladelphia Foundation,Norm Freeman, SaltRiver Project, the ArizonaStrip Bureau of LandManagement, thePhoenix Zoo, and theLowry Park Zoo ofTampa Bay.

telemetry receivers. Radio-tracking often involvedunexpected travel. As condors moved easily on thewinds from one region to another, their trackersmoved less efficiently on available roads. Such diffi-culty has been overcome with the use of satellite-reporting GPS transmitters that communicate theroutes and latest positions of condors via the inter-net every evening. Tracking by both methods,enhanced by frequent cell phone communicationbetween trackers, has yielded an unbroken record ofcondor movement and activity throughout the year.This information, together with direct observationof condor behavior, is revealing the true nature ofthis species in the wild.

In general, condor movements have been farmore expansive in the past two winters than in pre-vious winters when the birds seemed more closelytied to the food subsidy at the release site. We attrib-ute the greater winter movement partly to mildweather and partly to the nesting tendencies of con-dor pairs which, in turn, stimulate the movementsof other birds. A third, perhaps even more impor-tant reason, however, is the greater proficiency withwhich condors have learned to forage on their own.In spring and summer, the birds gravitated earlierthan in past years to the South Rim, Kaibab Plateau,and southern Utah, and many remained away fromthe release site later into the winter than previouslyrecorded. The area of Utah now favored by condorsis primarily a rugged, high elevation mosaic offorests and broad meadows where sheep ranching iscommon, together with an abundance of deer and elk.

The need for close monitoring lies primarily inthe necessity of discovering, recording, and respond-ing to mortality factors. Every year, such monitoringenables Peregrine Fund biologists to interveneand/or respond where negative events might haveotherwise produced setbacks. This aggressive strate-gy is expediting the development of a substantialpopulation. Tracking and conditioning has all buteliminated the impact of predation on newly-released young condors, and future wild-producedindividuals should be even less vulnerable. Tracking

has produced evidence as to the sources of leadexposure, and these, in turn, have suggested the test-ing and treatment, when indicated, of condorsreturning to the release site. Analyses during 2005revealed close relationships between condor blood-lead levels and visits to particular areas, and hasidentified rifle-killed deer as the primary source oflead exposure to the population.

Peregrine Fund biologists presented three scien-tific papers at the annual meeting of the AmericanOrnithologist’s Union during late August in SantaBarbara, California, and all are scheduled for publi-cation during 2006. Chris Woods summarized dataon mortality factors, concluding that lead poisoningwas the primary cause of death among free-rangingcondors in Arizona. Overall survival rates werenonetheless within the expected range for a healthypopulation, a result attributed to intensive leadmonitoring and management. Chris Parish thengave details on the lead testing and treatment pro-gram from 1999 through 2004, showing that fortypercent of blood tests indicated lead exposure, andnine percent showed exposure levels above the pub-lished threshold of clinical effect. Twenty-three indi-viduals received emergency chelation therapy, andall survived. X-rays of 14 condors over the yearsrevealed shotgun pellets or rifle bullet fragments inthe digestive system. Grainger Hunt presented dataon the movements of condors in relation to leadexposure in the region and showed that the majorityof exposures in 2002–2004 came from rifle-killeddeer remains during the fall deer hunting seasons.An earlier study by The Peregrine Fund to be pub-lished in the Wildlife Society Bulletin in early 2006demonstrates that ordinary rifle bullets explodeupon impact, often leaving hundreds of lead frag-ments within deer remains. All four papers suggestthe benefit to condors and other scavengers of theincreasing use of nontoxic bullets, some of whichare now considered superior to those containinglead. Accordingly, the Arizona Game and FishDepartment offered two free boxes of nontoxicammunition to every permitted deer hunter on the

Kaibab Plateau in fall 2005. The response was excel-lent, with the majority of hunters accepting the offer.

�FUTURE PLANSThe first goal of The Peregrine Fund each year is

to produce a healthy new cohort of young condorsat the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise forrelease in the Southwest. We will continue to do sountil a wild population capable of sustaining itself isfirmly in place. The core issue of that goal is themaintenance of high individual survival, a require-ment necessitated by the slowness with which thisspecies matures and reproduces. We will thereforework hard to minimize mortality by monitoringcondor movements, testing lead levels, and treatingpoisoned birds. We will continue to work closelywith the Arizona Game and Fish Department andother state and federal agencies, and will strive toincrease public awareness of the important issues ofcondor conservation. We will further analyze fielddata and publish articles in scientific journals.

California Condors basking in the sun.

Ch

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T. HALTER CUNNINGHAM 1922–2005

The Peregrine Fund mourns the passing in 2005of an old friend and falconer, T. HalterCunningham. Although many of us knew him forhis longtime dedication as a member of our Boardof Directors, his involvement with raptors stretchesback to his years as a teenager in Chevy Chase, MD.

Halter was a neighborhood friend of Frank andJohn Craighead (now considered among the “found-ing fathers” of falconry in the United States).Peregrines migrated then, as now, along the Atlanticcoast, and Assateague Island was a favorite trappingspot of falconers. They buried themselves in thesand, holding a pigeon to bait passing falcons.

Halter had homemade perches for his falcons inthe back yard and trained them to hunt in nearbyopen fields, releasing them when it was time tomigrate again. In later years, he and his friend BrianMcDonald developed the pigeon harness, a leatherharness with several slipknots of fishing line sewnon. Once the pigeon was harnessed, it was releasedwith a long cord attached. When a falcon snatchedthe pigeon, its talons were caught in the slip knotsand the falconer could then capture the falcon andtrain it. One of Halter’s pigeon harnesses wasbestowed to The Archives of Falconry along withnumerous other artifacts by his son, Tom.

In an article co-authored with William F. Turnerin the September 1947 issue of Hunting and Fishingmagazine, Halter (a.k.a. “Dusty”) explained falconryand falcons to the layman, calling the PeregrineFalcon “the finest thing that wears feathers.”

“To look in on [the nest of] one of these rarebirds,” he continued, “requires the following: astrong pair of legs, a broad back, a long rope, andnot too much regard for your future.”

Apparently Halter possessed all those traits, andhe applied them in other areas besides falconry. Theday after Pearl Harbor was attacked, Halter enlistedin the Marines and was in the first wave to land onGuadalcanal. He was awarded the Purple Heart forbattle wounds he received there.

He worked as a game warden on the ChesapeakeBay after the war, then took over his family’s busi-ness, Lanman Engraving Company. With Halter atthe helm, the company became the largest privatelyowned pre-press and commercial printing businessin the eastern U.S., providing work for major enti-ties including Smithsonian Magazine, NationalGeographic, and Disney.

Among his lifelong pas-sions, Halter included polo,fishing, and duck hunting;and, to the benefit ofwildlife conservation, hispassion for raptors neverwaned. Even in his mid-70s, Halter accompaniedother board members ofThe Peregrine Fund onPeregrine monitoring expe-ditions at South PadreIsland, Texas.

Perhaps the best wordsto sum up Halter’s lifelongconservation ethic are hisown, written in 1947:

If we had our money back that we have spentchasing these fool birds from coast to coast, wecould probably retire; but if we tried to place avalue on the experiences that Falconry hasafforded us, we don’t think a million dollarswould cover it. For the conservation-mindedreader, remember that a lad who spends his timein the pursuit of hawking will save many morebirds than he will kill, for through constant con-tact with wild things a fellow must learn to lovethem. We have acquired an intimate knowledgenot only of birds of prey, but of nature in gener-al, which is of incalculable value, both physicallyand spiritually.

“...through

constant

contact with

wild things a

fellow must

learn to love

them.”

Cou

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File

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Halter, above, trapping and

banding a Peregrine.

Right: the cover of a 1947

magazine with Halter (left)

and Bill Turner, who co-

authored a falconry article.

THE ARCHIVES OF FALCONRY

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STAFFFounding Curator/Archivist, S. Kent Carnie;Administrator, David Wells;Curator of Books andManuscripts, John R. Swift;Research/Editorial Associ-ate, William G. Mattox;Research Associates: PaulBeecroft, Peter Devers,Harrie Knol, and NatalieNicholson; and GraphicsAssociates, Seth Anthony,Don Garlock, Jim Hansen,and Jim Stabler.

COOPERATORSThe Archives is dependenton the support of manyfriends, falconers and non-falconers alike. Particularlynoteworthy assistance wasreceived from RobertBagley, Andrew Bullen,Tom Cade, Kent Carnie,Tom Cunningham, TheEmirates Falconry Club, JimEnderson, Eyas Foundation(Pete Widener, Jr.), GreatLakes Falconers Association,John Harrell, Walter Hill,Cliff Kellogg, Cynthia Mar-chitelli, Patrick Morel,Natalie Nicholson, NorthAmerican Falconers Associ-ation, Sean Rice, TeresaSwayne, John Swift, BrianWalton, and Jim Weaver.

Falconry has played a significant role in the suc-cesses of The Peregrine Fund. In 1986 the falconerswho had established The Peregrine Fund founded theArchives of American Falconry to ensure the evidence

of our falconry heritagewould not be lost. Sincethen, it has becomemore than a restingplace for old books, cor-respondence, photo-graphs, and the like.Given the short historyof American falconry, amajority of the memo-rabilia from American

donors has been international in nature, resulting incollections that are representative of falconry aroundthe world. In 2004, to better represent the collections,we changed the name to The Archives of Falconry.

�RESULTSThe year 2005 was momentous for our archives:

we made major strides in developing a memorial tohonor deceased falconers; we received a significantgrant to add a new wing to the facility; and, wehired our first salaried assistant.

The memorial wall will be a permanent locationfor clubs, friends, and family to honor departed fal-coners. An adjacent walkway leads to a RossMatteson sculpture, a falcon leaping into flight,against a backdrop of Boise, the valley, and the sur-rounding mountains. A bronze plaque identifyingeach falconer will be set into the wall and the fal-coner will be commemorated in a Book ofRemembrance within the archives. Response to theconcept is outstanding and contributors havealready honored some 20 falconers. Constructionwill begin in spring 2006.

In 2003 we noted acquisition of an Arab majlistent and our need for proper display. Recently, HisHighness, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, son of thefounding president of the United Arab Emirates, hasagreed through the Emirates Falconers’ Club to help

support construction and maintenance of a new3,000 sq ft addition. This wing will commemorateSheikh Mohamed’s father and his love of falconry,and it will allow display of the tent and memorabiliasurrounding the long traditions of Bedu falconry.

Although volunteers have managed the Archivesfor roughly 20 years now, expansion has necessitatedseeking professional, full-time assistance. We havesecured the services of David Wells, who, followingreceipt of a master’s degree in library science, gainedexperience in librarianship and research at DukeUniversity and the city/county public library system inLas Vegas, Nevada, before joining us in 2005.

Donations of materials continue to swell theArchives’ holdings. To enhance our exhibit of theThornton silver-gilt tea urn donated by Bob and CarolBerry, British falconer Tony James placed on indefiniteloan a 16-gauge shotgun made for Thornton in 1801.The Peregrine Fund’s own Tom Cade has begun shift-ing his falconry-associated letters to our collections ofcorrespondence. Brian Walton gave his collection ofJohn Moran hoods to commemorate the late WillShor. The family of the late Morgan Berthrong hasshared pathological records from post mortem exami-nations on many raptors during his decades of serviceto the falconry community. Two stunning NineteenthCentury Landseer engravings adorn our gallerythanks to the generosity of Jim Weaver. TomCunningham, son of the late T. Halter Cunningham, amember of The Peregrine Fund Board of Directors, issending falconry books, art, and memorabilia fromthe extensive collection developed by Halter. ProbablyHalter’s most memorable contribution to our sportwas the development, with his old friend BrianMcDonald, of the pigeon harness for trappingPeregrines, an example of which was included in thedonation. The series of Andrew Ellis’ paintings thatdrew acclaim at the opening of our new wing in 2002has been placed on indefinite loan by their owner,Robert Bagley. Title to individual paintings will betransferred on an annual basis. The Archives’ Curatorof Books and Manuscripts, John Swift, continues tomake significant additions to the library.

As forecast last year, all copies of Volume III ofour Archives Heritage Publication Series, Sir ThomasSherley’s A Short Discourse of Hawking to the Field…,were sold this year—and the edition is now out-of-print. While considering candidates for Volume IV, apublishing respite is appropriate and necessary.

�FUTURE PLANSLaunching of our Memorial Wall and Bedu

Falconry Heritage Wing will demand time, attention,and resources over the coming year. The final resultswill be monumental and will add greatly to TheArchives’ interest to the international falconry com-munity. Both will be complete in time for our 20thanniversary celebration—its date to be announced.

We hope to increase digitization and online capa-bilities, improving internal functions and expandingaccessibility.

Our international role will also expand with thecurator’s inclusion on an ad hoc committee of TheInternational Association for Falconry and theConservation of Birds of Prey, which is seekinginternational recognition for falconry as a worldintangible cultural heritage. He has also joined theadvisory boards of Britain’s newly founded FalconryHeritage Trust and Spain’s Archivo Iberioamericanode Cetreria.

Collect and conserveevidence of the historyof falconry world-wideand document the roleof falconers in raptorconservation.

G OA L

Minard Stevens, pioneer California falconer(ca. late 1930s here), has been nominatedfor representation on the coming ArchivesMemorial Wall.

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STUDENT EDUCATION PROGRAM RESEARCH LIBRARY

Our student education program achieves lastingconservation results in the United States and inter-nationally by providing motivated and capable stu-dents financial support and the opportunity toengage in hands-on research related to raptor con-servation. The Peregrine Fund’s support of studentsis an effective way to promote raptor conservationand invest in local capacity.

�RESULTSIn 2005 we increased and enhanced the existing

level of support, training, and field opportunities forinternational and United States students throughongoing and new raptor conservation and researchprojects. In the Neotropical program we hired a sen-ior biologist to supervise and coordinate studentopportunities. In the first few months, Mark Watsonidentified three research priorities and students inSouth America (see Neotropical Raptor ConservationProgram for details). Other programs/projects withstudent involvement included the East Africa Project,the Arctic Program, the Aplomado Falcon Project,and the Madagascar Project, as well as individuals inNew Guinea and the West Indies.

The following table reflects our cumulative andcurrent contribution to student training and sup-port around the world.

Post Doctorate Doctorate M.Sc. B.Sc.

Students who have worked 18 51 13directly with us

Currently working with 1 2 8 1us on degree programs

�FUTURE PLANS

We will continue to support student educationnationally and internationally to the degree that weare financially able. Students will work in Asian,African, North American, and Neotropical regions.We will also provide travel grants to students toenable and encourage them to participate in theSecond Neotropical Raptor Conference in Iguazu,Argentina, 11-14 June 2006.

8

Provide research andeducational opportunitiesfor students nationallyand internationally tofurther science andconservation.

COLLABORATORSFinancial support was received from the M.J. Murdock CharitableTrust.

G OA LOur Research Library, initiated in 1994 primarily

to fill staff researcher needs, has been a service toother biologists in the Intermountain Region. Manydonations from private libraries and purchase neces-sitated larger space to house them all. Initiated by abequest from the Estate of Jerry and Kathy Herrick,in September 2002 we constructed a building thathouses the Research Library and The Archives ofFalconry. Due to the size and scope of library andarchival holdings, it took until the end of 2004 tocomplete the reorganization and create computer-ized catalogs. We are settled in our new location andcontinue to add titles to our holdings.

�RESULTSBy the end of 2005, our library contained 17,253

titles, mostly on birds, and partial or complete runsof over 1,300 journal and magazine titles. The cata-loged reprint collection included 17,427 records,with at least another 10,000 awaiting cataloging. Wereceive 182 technical research journals, 37 conserva-tion magazines, and 122 newsletters by subscription

or exchange. It is likely that our Research Library ranks among the 10 largest col-lections on birds and related natural history topics in North America.

Computerized versions of the library catalog, reprints catalog, and journalinventory are maintained on The Peregrine Fund web site where they can besearched or downloaded. Although awareness of our library is mostly by word-of-mouth advertising, we are becoming well known in the international conser-vation community. Using a high-speed document scanner, library assistant TravisRosenberry e-mailed free pdf copies of 879 articles in our collection to 204 off-site researchers representing 34 foreign countries and 14 states in 2005. Thisunusual service has been well received by our colleagues living in library-poorsituations, and it has placed our library on the map of the world conservationcommunity. The library collections also enjoyed increased use by the residentWorld Center staff and other local biologists.

More than $65,000 worth of library items were received from 15 individualand nine institutional donors, including Frank Baldridge (Citrus Heights, CA),Mikhail Banik, (Khazkiv, Ukraine), James Clements (Temecula, CA), JackClinton-Eitniear (San Antonio, TX), Charles T. Collins (Long Beach, CA), JamesEnderson (Colorado Springs, CO), H. Lee Jones (Newport Beach, CA), AngelMontoya (Las Cruces, NM), J. Michael Scott (Moscow, ID), Brian Walton (SantaCruz, CA), and Clayton White (Provo, UT). The most significant single gift dur-ing 2005 was the superb library of John Hanes, Jr., of Belgrade, MT, collected over

Establish and maintain acomprehensive ornitho-logical and conservationbiology research libraryrelated to the mission ofthe organization and ofmajor importance to theentire conservationcommunity.

STAFFThe library is supervised byLloyd Kiff, who is ablyassisted by Leslie Jonartand Travis Rosenberry. Tenvolunteers generously con-tributed their time andcompanionship to thelibrary effort during 2005.

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Student Donatien Randrianjafiniasa (center) assists staff member/past student Tolojanahary

Andriamalala (right) with a Madagascar Cuckoo Hawk held by field technician Monesy (left).

Year

Total Females Laying/Laying

Fertile Eggs

Total EggsLaid

Fertile Eggs

YoungHatched

Young Survived

2000 29/26 253 145 (57%) 118 (81%) 115 (97%)

2001 32/27 284 170 (60%) 131 (77%) 129 (98%)

2002 35/32 281 162 (58%) 124 (77%) 120 (97%)

2003* 34/24 297 111 (37%) 93 (84%) 90 (97%)

2004 35/29 286 151 (53%) 120 (79%) 117 (97%)

2005 36/33 309 172 (56%) 141 (82%) 140 (99%)

Total NA 1,710 911 (53%) 727 (80%) 711 (98%)

CAPTIVE BREEDING AT THE WORLD CENTER FOR BIRDS OF PREYa lifetime of travel and birding.

We maintained membership in the AmericanLibrary Association’s Duplicates Exchange Union in2005 and received 35 donations of journals andbooks from other libraries, representing 18 states. Inaddition, exchanges were made with several otherinstitutional natural history libraries which resultedin additions to our collections. Nearly $3,000 worthof duplicate books and journals were sold from thelibrary to support the acquisitions program.

Thanks to a grant from the M. J. MurdockCharitable Trust, we were able to hire biologist LeslieJonart as an assistant for the Global RaptorInformation Network (GRIN), a web-based tool thatallows raptor enthusiasts, researchers, and conserva-tion managers global access to information, the lat-est research results, and others working in the field.Leslie spent part of her time in 2005 improvinglibrary functions and conquering cataloging back-logs—she is a welcome addition to our staff.

Our library has become a significant internationalconservation resource primarily through donationsof funds and publications from many persons, whoare listed on our web site. We welcome donations tothe library, all of which are tax deductible.

�FUTURE PLANSAs awareness in the international conservation

field about our holdings and services increases weanticipate that our Research Library will continue togrow in size and global significance. At a time whensome libraries are replacing books and journal runswith digital versions, we are seeking to preservepaper copies of as much of the relevant conservationliterature as possible and still make the informationwidely available by electronic techniques. We are alsocreating a parallel electronic library on CDs andother media, as more publications become availablein electronic form. We will continue to supply freepdfs to researchers by e-mail. This service has notonly increased our pool of library users, it has alsoresulted in a surprising number of book and reprintdonations from grateful recipients.

APLOMADO FALCON RESULTSIn 2005, the Aplomado Falcon restoration program had 36 Aplomado Falcons lay 309 eggs, of which 172

(56%) were fertile. One hundred forty-one eggs (82%) hatched and 140 chicks (99%) survived to release age.Six of the ovulating falcons were first-time layers. One falcon which ovulated in 2004 did not lay eggs in2005. No nutritional or disease-related problems occurred. The table below compares 2005 production withprevious years.

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MalesFemales

Age of Falcons in Years

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181715141310987654321

EDUCATION PROGRAMFor more than 35 years The Peregrine Fund has

been educating individuals of all ages around theglobe and education remains an integral componentof the organization’s conservation efforts. A success-ful conservation initiative of any size requires an in-depth public education program to raise awarenessand support for the project and to ensure thelongevity of the work. Since the education pro-gram’s formal inception in 1985, more than 700,000people have been reached through on- and off-siteeducational presentations. The Velma MorrisonInterpretive Center is the headquarters for the orga-nization’s Boise-based education program, whichstrives to provide every visitor with a captivatingand informative experience with raptors and impartthe importance of their role in our environment.

The Interpretive Center’s environmental educa-tion program includes three components: adulteducation (general public), school-endorsed pro-grams, and outreach programs. All three aspects ofthe program utilize our live raptors as an avenue forpromoting conservation of birds of prey, their habi-tat requirements, and The Peregrine Fund’s nationaland international conservation projects.

�RESULTSThe Education Program focused its efforts this

year on establishing its reputation within the com-munity as a leader in environmental education. Justas The Peregrine Fund has established itself as theworld leader in raptor conservation, the educationprogram began making strides to become theTreasure Valley’s number one resource for environ-mental education programs. From general publictours, to school programs, to outreach events andeven our web site, curriculum and materials wererevised to ensure all presentations were streamlinedand current. Based on teacher feedback from previ-ous years, a priority for 2005 was offering more top-ical program options and adding cross-disciplinaryprograms to provide a greater resource for localeducators. The new programs were extremely wellreceived and prompted the creation of a new

brochure outlining all of our educational offerings,including service learning opportunities, specialevents, and outreach programs.

Collaboration with Project WILD, a national ini-tiative incorporating hands-on, environmental edu-cation activities in everyday classroom learning, hasbeen solidly established as a result of concertedefforts over the past two years. Teacher/educatorworkshops that incorporate the study of birds ofprey and Project WILD activities are now beingoffered biannually in the spring and fall at the WorldCenter for Birds of Prey. Workshops are filled tocapacity months in advance and as a testimony totheir success, exposure within the education com-munity has significantly increased, prompting moreeducators to visit our facility with their students.

The World Center for Birds of Prey continues tobe a major attraction in Idaho and this year was noexception. A total of 30,687 individuals participatedin educational programs at the Interpretive Center,an increase of twelve percent from the previous year.Visitors came from 50 states and 20 countries,according to our visitor log. Students reached thisyear included 8,914 through on-site activities and4,518 through outreach programs. This year’s totalsincluded 140 schools, grades K-12, from 36 commu-nities in Idaho, Oregon, and Utah. The demand foroff-site programs has dramatically increased andthis year staff conducted 56 outreach programsimpacting 10,825 people. The majority of these pro-grams included at least one of the education birds, a60-minute talk, and encouragement to visit theInterpretive Center. Sites visited included schools,interpretive centers and visitor’s centers around theNorthwest, businesses, state parks in Idaho andOregon, an art gallery in Sun Valley, and many othervenues. The total impact of all the components ofthe education program combined was more than41,000 people!

This year all visiting students were provided anopportunity to enter the “Name the Bald Eagle” con-test by submitting a suggested name and a short,persuasive essay. The contest brought more than 250

10

Educate the public andstudents about birds ofprey and the importanceof their conservation,focusing on ThePeregrine Fund’snumerous successes.

G OA L

This past year Phil and Betsy Eldridge com-

pleted a combined 3,789 hours in 27 years

of volunteer service to The Peregrine Fund.

The husband and wife team have officially

“retired” from their volunteer duties, although

their years of hard work and devotion to the

Education Program will not be forgotten.

We thank them for all their contributions.

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Summer art programs for

children incorporate the

biology and ecology of birds

of prey.

Right: hands-on exhibits

enthrall children of all ages.

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STAFFProgram and facility direc-tor, Jack Cafferty; Volunteersand Gift Shop, Nick Pic-cono; Raptor Specialist,Trish Nixon; Education Pro-grams Coordinator, CathieNigro; and Facility Mainte-nance, Brian Gloshen.

COOPERATORSFinancial partners this yearinclude the Laura MooreCunningham Foundation,Inc., The Harry W. MorrisonFoundation, Inc., U.S. Ban-corp Foundation, IslandsFund, Gannett CommunitiesFund/Idaho Statesman,Bank of America Founda-tion, Ada County Associationof Realtors Foundation,Wells Fargo Foundation, KeyFoundation, Tesoro Petro-leum Companies, Higginsand Rutledge Insurance, TheConAgra Foods Foundation,Weyerhaeuser CompanyFoundation, and numerousindividual donors.

VOLUNTEERSCONTRIBUTINGOVER 50 HOURSOF SERVICE IN 2005Craig Althen, Deb Ander-son, Jane Anson, DeniseBittner, Karen Brender, RayBrucks, Bert Cleveland,Louis Dewitt, Corki Duncan,Julie Ekoff, Leo Faddis,Claudia Fernsworth, DonFox, Joni Frey, Angela Frith-Gomez, Bill Gehring,Connie Gifford, Martin Gre-itzer, Kathryn Hampton,Kathryn Hobson, AnnJones, Ruth Kassens,Connie Leavitt, Pam Lowe,Kip Malone, Paul Malone,Mike McSweeney, MiltonMezian, Dave Oliver, JackOsgood, Brit Peterson, RonPrice, Fred Pugh, CathyQuam, Randy Rasmussen,Nikki Sartin, Ellen Shaw,Michael “Mags” Shaw, ChanSpringer, Charlie Stone,Diann Stone, Janie Stubson,Dick Thatcher, David Wells,and Allyson Woodard.

entries and four winners were chosen: one in eachof three age-group categories and one overall win-ner. A ceremony honoring the winners was coveredby several TV stations and a full-page article aboutthe event appeared in the local newspaper. The posi-tive media exposure was excellent, and perhapsmore important, the contest offered an opportunityfor student involvement on several levels.

The first Habitat Improvement Project allowed usto work with schools and scouting groups fromacross the Treasure Valley to restore native plantspecies to the World Center’s grounds. More than1,000 plants were planted during the event by 158students from eight schools, including a Boise StateUniversity service learning group.

During the summer, two new events were estab-lished. The 2005 Summer Lecture Series took placeone night a month for three months. The lecturespresented were Beat the Heat, Vulture Culture, andWinging it with the Red-tailed Hawk. The presenta-tions lasted approximately 90 minutes and includedan in-depth discussion on each of the topics. TheSummer Program for kids, entitled PaintingPeregrines and Other Artistic Endeavors, ran for fourdays during the second week in August. The pro-gram, open to students ages 6-14, was quite popularand we intend to continue the program during 2006.

Many of our education programs are facilitatedby volunteer docents, for whom a workshop wasgiven on the topic of school presentations. Theworkshop, titled “Basics on Leading a SchoolProgram,” was designed for those volunteers withlimited teaching or program-leading experience andfor those needing to refresh their school programskills. Volunteers learned to define and follow theschool program IMAGE (Interactive, Multimedia,Age-Appropriate, Group Dynamics, ExplicitExpectations) and we discussed teacher expecta-tions, how to facilitate learning through hands-onactivities, inquiry-based teaching methods, anddefining program expectations.

Our Raptor Specialist also conducted five sepa-rate bird handling workshops for volunteers, during

which individuals from beginner to intermediatelearned the proper techniques to work with oureducation birds. Skills learned included showingbirds on the glove, interpreting perched birds in thecourtyard, feeding on the glove, assisting in hus-bandry duties, and maintaining raptor equipment.In total, 73 volunteers attended these workshops. Achart system was instituted tracking the progress ofeach volunteer bird handler and the birds they arequalified to handle.

Contributions of volunteers to The PeregrineFund are immeasurable, and volunteers remain theheart and soul of all aspects of the education pro-gram. A total of 93 volunteers contributed 7,313hours to help implement the program and operatethe Interpretive Center this past year. Based onindustry standards, it is estimated volunteers con-tributed more than $125,000 worth of service to theprogram this past year. Activities conducted by vol-unteers ranged from conducting presentations to

adults and school groups to greeting visitors andringing up sales in the gift shop, cleaning birdchambers, feeding birds, assisting with outreachprograms, and fulfilling many needs at the facilityon a day-to-day basis. As a result of these efforts, theprogram is able to continue to keep operating costslow and admission fees at a reasonable level. Thanksto the support of our financial supporters we wereable to once again waive all admission fees for stu-dents visiting on school-endorsed visits, a sign ofThe Peregrine Fund’s commitment to ensuring thatevery student has the opportunity to participate inour program, regardless of financial constraints.

�FUTURE PLANSThe general public plays a vital role in the over-

all success of this environmental education initia-tive and we will continue to raise awareness aboutthe facility and strive to increase general visitationand participation in student programs. As wintermonths are typically slower visitation months,school programs and outreach presentations willbe encouraged during this time to expand theoverall impact of the program. We plan to enhancethe education component of our web site andmake more activities available for educators andstudents interested in our education programnationally and internationally. Additional specialevents and summer programs will also be consid-ered, as the facility and its activities become moreinvolved within the local community. TheInterpretive Center’s displays, multimedia presen-tations, and facilities will continue to be updated asneeded and plans for future renovations andexpansions put into place as funding permits.

A male Golden Eagle and a male Peregrine Falcon are

among the many raptors that make regular appearances for

visitors in the Interpretive Center’s courtyard when weather

permits.

Jack

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ARCTIC PROGRAMCurrent scientific research has documented a sig-

nificant warming trend throughout most of theArctic, if not all. However, the real effects this warm-ing trend has had on local organisms, specificallyPeregrine Falcons and Gyrfalcons, is much lessunderstood and documented. Only through long-term monitoring of these falcon populations cansmall changes be detected and possible correlationsmade with changing environmental conditions.

Starting in 1993 The Peregrine Fund began work-ing in Greenland, continuing a tradition of falconresearch first begun in 1972 in Kangerlussuaq (WestGreenland) under the leadership of Bill Mattox

(Greenland PeregrineFalcon Survey). Since1993 both the biologicaland geographical scopeof our research hasincreased. This pastsummer marked the34th consecutive yeardata has been collectedin Kangerlussuaq, the13th consecutive yearwe have collected datain Thule (NorthwestGreenland), and oursecond year working inScoresbysund (EastGreenland).Additionally, in pastyears we have alsoworked in both Alaskaand Iceland collectinggenetic samples forcomparisons with ourGreenland study areas.Further information has

been collected on current population levels of anumber of seabird species in Greenland, specificallyin Uummannaq, from which the results havereceived significant press coverage in both Denmarkand Greenland and will hopefully help lead toimportant changes in both wildlife management andhunting laws within Greenland.

�RESULTSWest Greenland—During the 2005 field season

all 66 known Gyrfalcon nests sites were surveyed byhelicopter with nine being found occupied and allproducing young. DNA samples, either moltedfeathers or blood samples, were collected from allnine eyries for genetic analysis. Limited surveying ofPeregrine Falcon eyries occurred with nine eyriesbeing checked for occupancy. An adult femalePeregrine captured and fitted with a PTT in 2003was re-captured and the unit removed.

North Greenland—The 2005 field season pro-vided us with the best weather conditions we havehad in many years, enabling the entire survey area tobe covered.

Gyrfalcons were found breeding at 10 eyries, fourof which were new in 2005. Peregrines were found atsix eyries with successful breeding attempts occur-ring at five. Genetic samples were obtained from all10 Gyrfalcon and all six Peregrine eyries.

East Greenland—From early Septemberthrough mid-October we operated a trapping sta-tion in the Scoresbysund area, capturing 87Gyrfalcons and one immature female PeregrineFalcon. This is the first Peregrine Falcon ever cap-tured (alive or dead) in central-east or northeastGreenland. Researchers trapped a total of 379.5hours, capturing a falcon approximately every 4.3hours. Biometric measurements and blood sampleswere obtained from all individuals.

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Conserve andunderstand Gyrfalconand Peregrine Falconpopulations and theirenvironments inGreenland and otherarctic areas.

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Immature Gyrfalcon,

northwest Greenland.

Biologist Brian Mutch

scans a cliff face in

search of falcons.

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STAFFProgram direction is accom-plished by Kurt K. Burnhamwith the assistance of BillBurnham, and scientificadvice is provided by IanNewton and Bill Mattox.Jack Stephens manages ourfield station, the High ArcticInstitute, at Thule Air Base.Jack Cafferty assists withtravel authorizations andother critical logisticalneeds, particularly whilefield work is being con-ducted. Participating infield work in 2005 were BillBurnham, Kurt Burnham,Jack Cafferty, Bill Heinrich,Jeff Johnson, Brian Mutch,Cal Sandfort, and Jim Will-marth. Genetic analysis isaccomplished in coopera-tion with Jeff Johnson andDavid Mindell at the Uni-versity of Michigan.

COOPERATORSWork in Greenland is incooperation with andauthorized by the Commis-sion for Scientific Researchin Greenland, GreenlandHome Rule Government,the Danish Polar Center,and the U.S. Air Force. TheU.S. government sponsor isthe Department of the Inte-rior/Bureau of Land Man-agement. Special thanks tothe residents of Thule AirBase, the 109th AirNational Guard, the UnitedStates Air Force, NationalScience Foundation, VECOPolar Associates and RobinAbbott, Ed Stockard, EarlVaughn, and Susan Zager,and Basse Vaengtoft andKate Bahr Friis of KISS. Wevalue the longstandingcooperation with KajKampp and the Copen-hagen Zoological Museum.

Financial support was pro-vided by Ruth and BrianMutch, Comer Science &Education Foundation,Peter Pfendler, VetlesenFoundation, PeregrineFinancial, and NSF/VECOPolar Resources.

�FUTURE PLANS

The primary emphasis for 2006 will be finalizingthe write-up of results from previous years and sub-mitting them for publication. Only through contin-ued publication of meaningful results can govern-mental agencies and wildlife managers makeinformed scientific decisions regarding the conserva-tion and management of both Gyrfalcons andPeregrine Falcons and their prey. Within Greenland,field work in 2006 will include continued monitor-ing of both Gyrfalcon and Peregrine Falcon popula-tions in the West and Northwest, and if possible, theexpansion of our Northwest study area furthernorth. Genetic samples and other information willcontinue to be collected when visiting eyries andhandling falcons. A fall trapping station will again beestablished in East Greenland to monitor seasonalmigration of falcons.

Left: Navigating pack ice in Greenland is a challenge unique to conducting research in the

higher reaches of the Arctic.

Above: Recently-banded Peregrine chicks.

Kurt

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The Peregrine Fund has a long history of researchand conservation in the Neotropics. Ourinvolvement began with Orange-breasted Falconsurveys in Ecuador and Guatemala in the 1970s.Since then our Neotropical Raptor ConservationProgram (NRCP) has grown to become the largestcomponent of The Peregrine Fund’s internationalprograms, dedicated to researching and conservingthe roughly one-third of Earth’s birds of prey thatoccur within the Neotropical biogeographic regionwhich encompasses the Caribbean and Central andSouth America. The headquarters of the NRCP,Fondo Peregrino-Panamá, employs a staff of biolo-gists and managers who direct a diverse array ofraptor research and conservation projects. Theseprojects address issues including habitat degrada-

tion, persecution and changing negative attitudestoward raptors, and research on the behavior andecology of secretive and little-known birds of prey.We currently have projects in Panama and Belize inCentral America; Dominican Republic, Cuba, andGrenada in the Caribbean; and Brazil, Argentina,and Colombia in South America. Individual projectsare described in the following pages.

�RESULTSBiologist Mark Watson, who previously worked

with us on the New Guinea Harpy Eagle Project, washired to provide on-site direction and assistance tobolster conservation and research capacity. Thisnewly created position allows us to expand our stu-dent education and research efforts, especially inSouth America. New projects are being implementedin Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina, all countrieswith high biodiversity and pressing conservationconcerns. Fondo Peregrino-Panamá also hired full-time development director Priscilla Maloney tostrengthen our financial and logistical base withinPanama and abroad, and ensure that Neotropicalprograms receive necessary support.

Fondo Peregrino-Panamá and the NRCP had itsfirst-ever direct audit and professional evaluation,both requirements of our cooperative agreementwith USAID. Important institutional relationshipswere established with the Panamanian Ministry ofEducation (MEDUCA) for the publication of therecently completed educational guide Raptors.Fondo Peregrino-Panamá hosted the first-everFestiarpia, a festival dedicated to Harpy Eagles andcelebrating the day the species was proclaimedPanama’s national bird. We participated in a secondyear of the Ocean to Ocean Project, a count of rap-tors migrating south in the fall that are concentratedin the narrow Panamanian isthmus. This projectseeks to detect population trends among species thatbreed in North America.

Benefactor’s Board—The NRCP’s broadeningefforts to achieve financial sustainability include the

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ConserveNeotropicalraptors, theirhabitats, andbiodiversitythrough research,conservationinterventions,public education,and developmentof local capacityfor science andconservation.

Students Laura

Dominguez and Luisa

Cardenete counted

migrating raptors

from the Neotropical

Raptor Center as part

of the Ocean to

Ocean Project. In six

weeks over 573,000

raptors passed over-

head.

Zimbabwe student Tim Kluckow joined our education team in Panama to gain valuable experience while helping

enhance our educational Harpy Eagle flight display.

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STAFFThe Neotropical Raptor Con-servation Program is directedby Rick Watson and MagalyLinares, assisted by CameronEllis, Priscilla Maloney, YaninaGuevara, and MargaritaGordon. Mark Watson directsthe Neotropical Science andStudent Education Projects.Cameron Ellis coordinatesthe Neotropical Raptor Net-work. Other project staffmembers are listed sepa-rately under each project inthe following pages.

COOPERATORSThe partnership of manyorganizations and individualsmakes this program possible,including Autoridad Nacionaldel Ambiente (ANAM), Autori-dad del Canal de Panama(ACP), Fundación Ciudad delSaber, and the Ministry ofEducation (MEDUCA). We col-laborate with the EcopoliceDepartment, InstitutoPanameño de Turismo (IPAT),The Nature Conservancy(TNC), Audubon Society –Panama, Smithsonian TropicalResearch Institute (STRI), JardínBotánico Summit (SummitZoo), Rossana Uribe y Asocia-dos (RUA), Alcaldía dePanamá, and Colegio Brader.Jacobo Lacs serves on ourBoard of Directors and pro-vides invaluable support andassistance in Panama. TheOcean to Ocean Project isconducted in partnership withHawk Mountain Sanctuary,Audubon Society—Panama,Smithsonian Tropical ResearchInstitute, and the PanamanianCenter for Study and SocialAction (CEASPA).

Financial support in 2005 wasprovided by Wolf Creek Chari-table Foundation, UnitedStates Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID), M.J.Murdock Charitable Trust, andMr. and Mrs. Jacobo Lacs. TheU.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment has providedeconomic and humanitarianassistance worldwide for morethan 40 years.

formation of a Benefactor’s Board within the com-mercial and social communities of Panama. TheBenefactor’s Board will be a resource for pursuingin-country support and funding. An element of theBenefactor’s Board is currently planning a country-wide publicity campaign for Fondo Peregrino-Panamá and the NRCP.

Neotropical Science and StudentEducation—In 2005 we began to expand ourNeotropical Program to include projects on raptorsof high conservation concern over a wider areawithin the region. The aim is to extend research tothose species and habitats where the need is urgentas well as to provide funding assistance and supervi-sion to students. This achieves the dual outcomes ofbuilding local capacity and providing informationfor species and area management. Those trainedstudents will go on to play a prominent role in con-servation in their own countries.

In Argentina we are supporting Juan José Macedafrom the University of La Pampa who is conductingPh.D. research into the habitat use of the endan-gered Crowned Solitary Eagle. This is a large eagleof woodland savannas at sub-tropical latitudes inSouth America. Much of this unusual landscape hasbeen lost to conversion to arable farming and theremainder degraded by intensive cattle ranching.The eagle has a specialized diet, eating mainlyarmadillos and snakes and probably forages over awide area in a landscape that changes from year toyear owing to fire disturbance.

In Brazil we are supporting Marcus Canuto whowill soon begin fieldwork on the White-neckedHawk. This is one of a group of 10 hawk species thatlives in forest and edge habitats found only in theNeotropics. The White-necked Hawk has never beenstudied before, and 93% of the Atlantic Forest whereit lives has been lost already. Marcus has spent sixmonths as an attendant at our Harpy Eagle releasesite in Soberania National Park in Panamá. He is oneof an ever-widening group of people whom we havetrained in our core projects who has then gone on todo further work in raptor conservation.

The third project, still under development, seeksto conduct surveys of the distribution and abun-dance of raptors in montane forest in Colombia.Within Colombia there are 76 species of raptors andthe tropical Andes have the highest biodiversity ofany terrestrial environment on the planet. Thispromises to be an exciting and worthwhile additionto our knowledge of Colombia’s amazing diversity.

New Guinea student Leo Legra is currently visit-ing Panama for six months’ training to learn meth-ods for studying forest eagles. He will take theknowledge back to Papua New Guinea to continueworking on the New Guinea Harpy Eagle. Spanishstudents Laura Dominguez and Luisa Cardenetereceived training to conduct migrating raptor

counts from the Neotropical Raptor Center as partof the Ocean to Ocean Project. In six weeks over573,000 raptors passed overhead. Zimbabwe studentTim Kluckow joined our education team in Panamato gain valuable hands-on experience while provid-ing his knowledge in falconry to help enhance oureducational Harpy Eagle flight display.

Neotropical Raptor Network (NRN)—In June2006 the NRN (a project of the NRCP dedicated topromoting communication and collaborationamong raptor researchers and other conservationistsworking in the Neotropics) will convene the SecondNeotropical Raptor Conference (II NRC) in Iguazu,Argentina. The conference will include presenta-tions, workshops, and an opportunity for network-ing on a wide range of subjects in Neotropical raptor research, management, and conservation.Details can be found on the NRN website athttp://www.neotropicalraptors.org

�FUTURE PLANSIn 2006 we will publish Raptors—An Educational

Guide, distribute the guide to teachers throughoutPanama, and hold teacher training workshops toinstitutionalize its use in Panama’s education sys-tem. We will hold the second Festiarpia and contin-ue to strengthen institutional partnerships in envi-ronmental education. We will host the SecondNeotropical Raptor Conference and assist theNeotropical Raptor Network to become its ownindependent organization. Research and conserva-tion efforts will be expanded in South America byassisting students to conduct research on little-known raptors or species in jeopardy. The successfulcaptive propagation of Harpy Eagles at theNeotropical Raptor Center will conclude, howeverreleases of eagles into the wild will continue for sev-eral more years as we continue to refine methodsand follow released birds until they breed in thewild. We will involve the Benefactor’s Board inPanama to pursue regional opportunities for fund-ing and support for ongoing conservation andresearch efforts.

The spectacular Iguazu Falls National Park, Argentina,

is the venue of the Second Neotropical Raptor

Conference in June 2006. Details can be found on

the web site http://www.neotropicalraptors.org.

Rick

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HARPY EAGLE CONSERVATION AND RESEARCHThe Harpy Eagle is probably the most powerful

raptor of the humid Neotropical forests. It is a large,charismatic eagle that is vulnerable throughout itsrange in Central and South America to forest frag-mentation and loss. Even before habitat destruction,the Harpy Eagle appears to be threatened by perse-cution from humans. In the wild these magnificentraptors reproduce slowly, one chick every two to

three years, so their populations are naturallyslow to rebound from declines. The PeregrineFund’s work with Harpy Eagles is focused onestablishing methods for captive breeding and

release to bolster dwindling populations, alongwith research into the ecology of wild Harpy

Eagles to better under-stand what factors limittheir numbers and howbest to achieve theirconservation. ThePeregrine Fund’s propa-gation and release ofHarpy Eagles serves thedouble function of aug-menting wild HarpyEagle populations thathave declined and pro-viding us with a uniquestudy opportunity tolearn about the behaviorand biology of largetropical forest raptors.

�RESULTS Captive Propagation and Release—Through

our captive breeding program we have gained valu-able information on the factors affecting breedingsuccess and reproductive behavior of Harpy Eaglesin captivity, as well as data on the growth and devel-opment of young eagles. In the 2005-2006 breedingseason, through hands-on management, one breed-ing pair of Harpy Eagles laid six fertile eggs in threeclutches of two eggs each, all of which hatched. A new

breeding pair this year produced two infertile eggs, afairly common occurrence for first-year breeders.

A total of 30 Harpy Eagles have been released inSoberania National Park, Panama, and ChiquibulForest, Belize, since 1998. Several juveniles reachedindependence in 2005. Two of these independentbirds, a male named Urraca and a wild-hatchedfemale that was rehabilitated under our care last year,were released into the forests of La AmistadInternational Park in the Bocas del Toro region ofwestern Panama. The female, MW, is faring particu-larly well and the day after release was observed con-tentedly feeding on a sloth. Three other independenteagles were released into the Rio Bravo area of north-ern Belize, a protected forest managed by Programmefor Belize, bringing the total number of releasedHarpy Eagles in this region to nine (eight surviving).All of these eagles have adapted well to their new sur-roundings and have been seen with a wide variety ofprey including monkeys, kinkajous, coatimundis, andporcupines. Many of the birds have begun to dispersefrom the original release site, some traveling as far asMexico and Guatemala. We monitor the dispersalmovements of these far-ranging birds using specialtransmitters tracked by satellite.

Birds in both countries are almost continuouslyon the move as they explore the vast forests aroundthe Panama Canal and Rio Bravo area in search ofprey. This movement presents a challenge to our staffand volunteers who must trek through dense foresthabitat and battle mud, insects, and pouring rain toobserve and study these eagles. In addition to makingsure they continue to do well, we are studying thereleased eagles to learn about their diet in relation toprey availability, hunting frequency, and dispersalpatterns. Tracking and observing captive-reared andreleased eagles in the wild provides a unique oppor-tunity to learn about the species’ biology and behav-ior that is normally not possible with wild birds.Information yielded from these studies may help tobetter manage the remaining tracts of forest whereHarpy Eagles and countless other species live.

Research andConservation—Theresearch program onwild Harpy Eagles inDarién, Panama, contin-ues to go from strengthto strength. We employnine Embera andWounaan technicianswho participate in dailydata collection as well aslocal public awarenessprograms. They bringgreat value to the effortas they possess a combi-nation of traditionalknowledge of the land-scape and are training inthe use of modern scien-tific methods and equip-ment to continue thework. Many are promi-nent members of theircommunities so they areinfluential in collectivedecisions that affectenvironmental conserva-tion. While project man-ager José de Jesús Vargas is in Venezuela studying fora Master’s degree this year, our most senior techni-cian, Rodolfo Mosquera, is ably deputizing for him.

Our field research is a long-term effort. This eagleprobably only breeds in the wild on average onceevery two to three years, so it takes considerable timeto build up knowledge of enough individuals fromwhich we can make generalizations about the popula-tion or species as a whole. Now, after many years, weare starting to obtain important results. For example,comparing the landscape of 29 territories using a dig-ital image of the vegetation cover shows that HarpyEagles can live in places where up to 30% of the for-est has been lost or altered due to human cultivationand conversion to grass for cattle. Previously, it had

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Conserve and restoreHarpy Eagle populationsthrough hands-onmanagement, research,and collaboration with localpeople.

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In the 2005-2006 breeding

season one breeding pair of

Harpy Eagles laid six fertile

eggs in three clutches of

two eggs each, all of which

hatched. The last chick to

hatch (photo) was returned

to its parents to be raised for

release in 2007.

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been thought that eagles were an indicator of contin-uous intact primary forest. This new finding is posi-tive news for eagle conservation and it means theycan live alongside humans if they are not hunted andsome forest remains. We believe the situation in ourstudy area is unusual, and that elsewhere in thespecies’ range it is much more typical for eagles to behunted to extinction long before the forest has beensubstantially altered or reduced by increasing humandensity. Comparative studies elsewhere need to bedone before firm conclusions can be drawn.

José de Jesús Vargas was the lead author on apaper published in Ornitología Neotropical that syn-thesized current knowledge of the eagle’s conserva-tion status. We plan to continue gathering data on

wild eagles to find out how they use a fragmentedlandscape and to assess the impact of different levelsof human hunting on prey abundance. We will alsocontinue to train local people and foster communityparticipation in the conservation of their own pre-cious natural resources.

�FUTURE PLANSFondo Peregrino-Panamá and the Neotropical

Raptor Center have successfully developed theknowledge and skills necessary to predictably breedHarpy Eagles in captivity for release in the wild.Having gained this milestone in propagation oflarge tropical forest raptors, in 2006 we are planningto discontinue our efforts at captive breeding. Allremaining eagles able to survive in the wild will bereleased as they are ready. We will complete a first-ever release of a breeding pair of eagles to determineif the pair will remain together to breed in the wild.

There are seven captive-bred and released HarpyEagles currently in Soberania National Park, Panama;

all are independent of our care and in2006 will be translocated to release sites inmore isolated forests of Rio Bravo, Belize.Four Harpy Eagle chicks hatched in 2004-2005 will be released in SoberaniaNational Park in 2006 at 18 months ofage, while six chicks hatched in 2005-2006are scheduled for release in 2007. As theseeagles reach independence, they will berelocated to remote areas of Belize wheresuitable habitat still exists. Most of theindependent birds will be fitted with satel-lite transmitters to allow us to remotelytrack their survival and movements overtime. This useful technology will enable usto monitor a large number of eagles withminimal personnel in the field. The infor-mation obtained from these units willyield important data about the dispersalpatterns, mortality rates, and nestingattempts for this species.

Summary of Harpy Eagle releases since 1998

(Numbers on 31 January 2006)

Number released 30

Number that reached independence

23

Number still dependent 0

Number surviving 17

Number relocated to Bocas del Toro, Panama(Number surviving)

3(2)

Number relocated to Rio Bravo, Belize(Number surviving)

9(8)

Number awaiting relocation to Rio Bravo, Belize 7

STAFFField research and conservation isdirected by Mark Watson and José deJesús Vargas, with assistance fromRodolfo Mosquera, Fidel Sabúgara,Gabriel Minguizama, Eloy Aripio,Briceño Flaco, Rogelio Peña, JulioOvispo, and Calixto Conampia, and vol-unteers Indalecio Mecheche, LucianoCaísamo, Jerónimo Valdespino, andRigoberto Aripio. Saskia Santamaría isresponsible for captive breeding. Joséde los Santos López, Noel Guerra,Próspero Gaitán, Bolívar Rodríguez,Omar Fernández, and Edwin Jiménezraise raptor food and provide mainte-nance of the NRC facilities. MarySchwartz made important contributionsduring 2005.

Angel Muela coordinates the release pro-gram and is assisted by Marta Curti andEdwin Campbell. Important assistance forthe Harpy Eagle release program wasprovided by the following volunteers in2005: Hervé Bressaud, Marcus Canuto,Luisa Cardenete, Laura Domínguez, ToddGillen, Peiter Haghebaert, PhillipHannon, Chris Hatten, Andrew Hida,Kevin Jablonski, Juliet Lamb, Ken McEnaney, Elisenda Montserrat, JulioObispo, Ryan Phillips, Andrew Plant,Héléna Renaud, and Monty Wallace.

COLLABORATORSThe Harpy Eagle project depends onthe partnership of many individuals andorganizations, including AutoridadNacional del Ambiente (ANAM) and itsNational Parks (Soberania, Chagres,Camino de Cruces, and Darien), Autori-dad del Canal de Panamá (ACP), Fun-dación Ciudad del Saber, EcologicalPolice, Comarca Emberá-Wounaan andTierras Colectivas, Smithsonian TropicalResearch Institute, Asociación Nacionalpara la Conservación de la Naturaleza(ANCON), Summit Zoo, and PatronatoAmigos del Aguila Harpía. In Belize wecount on the support and partnershipof the Ministry of Natural Resources andthe Environment, Programme for Belize,The Belize Zoo/Tropical EducationCenter, Air Wing of the Belize DefenseForce, EcoFlight, and Lighthawk.

Major financial support was receivedfrom the Wolf Creek Charitable Foun-dation, United States Agency for Inter-national Development (USAID), DisneyWildlife Conservation Fund, LedderFamily Charitable Trust, The HoustonZoo, James and Barbara Cimino Foun-dation, and Stichting de Harpij.

Left: Many of our captive-raised and released Harpy Eagles have begun to disperse from the release site in

Belize, some traveling as far as Mexico and Guatemala. We track these far-ranging birds using transmitters (PTTs)

tracked by satellites.

Above: Marta Curti (left) and Saskia Santamaria (right) carry a captive-raised Harpy Eagle to its release site in

Soberania National Park, Panama.

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The Harpy Eagle, with its powerful talons, pierc-ing eyes, and broad, dark wings, is awe inspiring andits presence, both powerful and humbling, hasinvoked a myriad of feelings in those who have beenlucky enough to see it in the wild. For some, theHarpy Eagle is a symbol of strength and beauty; forothers it stands as a representative of large predatorsin general, and is a living emblem for conservation.For still others, it invokes fear and misunderstand-ing, due in part to its large size and curious nature.

Indeed, human persecution of Harpy Eagles fromfear and ignorance has led to the decline of thisspecies throughout much of its former rangewhere forest remains. To combat the myths and

misconceptions that surround this magnificentraptor, we began an environmental education pro-gram in 2002. Since then, the education componentof the Harpy Eagle conservation effort has expandedto focus on the ecological value of this species andthe need for habitat protection, while at the sametime dispelling myths and misconceptions aboutraptors in general. This effort, coupled with a strongscience-based conservation program, is vital to thelong-term survival of the Harpy Eagle and manyother large forest predators.

�RESULTSEducation focuses on three main target areas

within Panama. The first area is Darien, a largeexpanse of Neotropical forest bordering Colombiawhere a population of wild Harpy Eagles remains.Here we work in 19 Embera and Wounaan commu-nities, many of which are located in close proximityto Harpy Eagle nesting sites. The second locale,known as the Panama Canal Watershed, includesthose communities that surround SoberaniaNational Park, the area in which we are conductingreleases of captive-bred Harpy Eagles. The thirdarea, Bocas del Toro, which is close to the border ofCosta Rica, is an area rich in biodiversity. Here wehave experimentally released Harpy Eagles to bolstera much diminished wild population. In this area wework with the Naso and Ngöbe-Bugle communities

that are near our release site. In addition, we contin-ue to work in and around the nation’s capital,Panama City, as well as on a national and interna-tional scale. This year we directly reached more than5,500 children and adults in these areas.

In addition to working with community mem-bers, we strive to provide appropriate and usefulmaterials to educators whenever possible. To thisend, we wrote and submitted a cooperative agree-ment to Panama’s Ministry of Education (MEDUCA) to collaborate with the agency and bet-ter provide quality environmental education materi-al focusing on the Harpy Eagle and other raptors ona national scale. We also completed the environmen-tal education guide Las Aves Rapaces (Raptors), andhave submitted it for publication. With the help ofPanama’s Ministry of Education, we hope to dis-tribute these guides to teachers and schoolsthroughout the country. To ensure and facilitate theguides being utilized once in teachers’ hands, we areoffering teacher training workshops, the first of

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NEOTROPICAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATIONChange human attitudestowards birds of prey,especially Harpy Eagles,to reduce persecutionand help conserve theirhabitat and thebiodiversity itcontains.

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Right: “Luigi,” our edu-

cation Harpy Eagle, is

an important ambassa-

dor for the species. His

spectacular flight display

is part of an educational

program aimed at

improving the public’s

attitude toward Harpy

Eagles and other rap-

tors.

Below: Children partici-

pate in a raptor cos-

tume contest during the

first annual Harpy Eagle

Day, “Festiarpia,” in

Panama City, April 2005.

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STAFFThis project is conductedby Marta Curti and KathiaHerrera with assistance inthe field from José Vargasand others. Also assistingwith the education pro-gram were Tim Kluckow,Michele Kim, and Ben-jamin Montuto. AdrianBenedetti made valuablecontributions during 2005.

COOPERATORSWe collaborate withPanama’s Ministry of Edu-cation (MEDUCA),National EnvironmentalAuthority (ANAM), PanamaCanal Authority (ACP),Soberania, Chagres, andCamino de CrucesNational Parks, EcologicalPolice, Instituto Nacionalde Cultura (INAC), TierrasColectivas Emberá yWounaan, ComarcaEmberá-Wounaan, Con-sejo