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 Courtesy of Dominion
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 Technology in monitoring Knowing where the falcons go Listed as federally endangered in 1970, the American peregrine falcon has been reintroduced to the eastern United States over the last three decades. Although the species was delisted in 1999, scientists are monitoring the population for five years to determine whether the species is reproducing in sufficient numbers to ensure their survival. Knowing where the reintroduced peregrines are migrating or dispersing, where they are exposed to contaminants, and how long they stay in various areas would enable researchers to do more to improve their survival rate. Fortunately, innovative, solar-powered technology for transmitting signals to satellites has recently become available. Just as important, concerned representatives from the public and private sectors have funded a three-year study dedicated to using this technology to map the flight of the falcons in a project called FalconTrak. The project was initiated by the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary in late 2000. The center worked with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Dominion (a power company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia), and Shenandoah National Park to plan and fund the tracking of 8 peregrines in Virginia. In 2001, six additional partners, including another national park unit, dedicated enough funds to track 18 birds. Of this total, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park sponsored 2 birds and Shenandoah sponsored 1. Dominion was the largest contributor, sponsoring 9 birds. This sophisticated attempt to help the falcons begins with locating nests built in a high-risk location (e.g., on a bridge across water) and moving them to a special rooftop or mountaintop nest (hack box) until the young are ready to fledge. Before their first flight, the young birds are fitted with lightweight vests that contain solar-powered transmitters. The signals from the transmitters are received by satellites and transformed into data that reveal the location of the “fitted” falcons. Information about the falcon’s flight paths is updated every three days on the Internet (www.dom.com). The well-planned use of advanced technology is clearly focusing the interest of the public, as well as representatives of government, business, and education, on efforts to restore the peregrine falcon to its original habitat. |
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This material is from Natural Resource Year in Review--2001, published by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, in May 2001 (publication D-2255) /YearInReview/yir/yir2001/02_management/02_od7_falcons.html Last Updated: |
