Restoration Projects in the Parks

Parks have helped and are still helping with peregrine falcon recovery through programs to restore peregrines in parks. Examples include:

To initiate peregrine recovery in Channel Islands National Park six peregrine hatchlings were released on San Miguel Island in 1985 and 1986. By 1990, peregrines had established five natural nest sites in the park, and since 1993 at least 8-10 eyries (nesting sites) have been occupied annually, exceeding the goal of five active nest sites on the Channel Islands set by the Pacific Coast Recovery Team for Peregrine Falcons.

Captive-bred peregrine falcons were released into Yellowstone National Park from 1983 to 1987 as part of a program sponsored by the Peregrine Fund. The number of known eyries in the park increased form one in 1984 to 13 in 1998.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and Shenandoah National Park are participating in a three-year project that is part of a Virginia and Maryland program involving federal and state government agencies, private non-profit organizations, and corporations to restore peregrine falcons to their historic nesting range. This study's main goal will be to track the movements and dispersal patterns of 19 peregrines fitted with satellite-received PTTs (platform transmitter terminals or satellite transmitters) that will be released from 5 different sites throughout the states of Maryland and Virginia. The solar powered transmitters are light enough to be carried on the backs of falcons. Satellite tracking will provide monitoring of their movements by collecting information on their migration routes, where they nest and winter, how long they stay in a given area, mortality rates, and other information that will be used by the scientific community.