Juneau Raptor Center
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Juneau Raptor Center (JRC) was a raptor rehabilitation center in
Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...
in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
. Founded in 1987 and located in the Tongass National Forest, its mission was the rehabilitation of sick and injured
eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
s,
hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...
s,
falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...
s, owls,
raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...
s,
hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...
s and other avian wildlife brought in from Juneau and Southeast Alaska. The JRC was licensed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to handle eagles and migratory birds, and was governed in part by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. The Juneau Raptor Center was a private, 501(c)(3),
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
which relied on donations for its financial survival and day-to-day operation, accepting donated funds and food. Contributions have included
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
10,000 from the US Fish and Wildlife Service toward its building fund, and food for the recovering birds' dietary requirements. The Juneau Raptor Center ceased operations in 2022.


Services

In 2012, the center received and treated 145 birds, of which 40 were raptors and 105 non-raptors. Birds brought to the center were treated by an all volunteer staff, who kept them in their homes during the birds' treatment and rehabilitation. In addition, the center operated an education and viewing center at the top of the Mount Roberts Tramway. The small structure, independent of the main Tram building, included a shelter for birds too injured to release back into the wild, and a viewing platform for visitors. Center volunteers on duty answered questions from the public and provided information on the bird's life cycle, habitat, and the treatment which the bird had received.


Diversity of bird species treated

Juneau Raptor Center staff treated and released a wide variety of birds over the years. Despite the Raptor Center's name, rescues were not limited to eagles or other birds of prey; the JRC staff accepted any species of bird brought to them for treatment. In August 1998, Center staff were notified of a juvenile
bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...
which had collided with an automobile. The staff crated the bird, and took it to the home of a JRC volunteer, who found it to be uninjured. On 3 May 2008, the Juneau Raptor Center released three bald eagles in a single day. The eagles, which Center staff named Truston, Gus and Pete, were all brought to the JRC on different dates and treated by staff members. The eagles' injuries ranged in severity, and included failure to thrive, torn muscle tissue, and "crop stasis", an inability to digest food. All were successfully treated and released. In July 2010, children reported to the Center that they had found a
hermit thrush The hermit thrush (''Catharus guttatus'') is a medium-sized North American thrush. Taxonomy It is not very closely related to the other North American migrant species of ''Catharus'', but rather to the Mexican russet nightingale-thrush. T ...
stranded in the Mendenhall River and in danger of drowning. The uninjured but at risk thrush was cared for and fed by Center staff, who successfully released it two weeks later. In August 2010 the JRC rescued three young barn swallows which had fallen out of a nest. Two of the swallows died, but the Center staff were able to save the third, which they named Clinger. Clinger was fed, treated, and successfully released into the wild.


2022 closure

In September, 2022, the Juneau Raptor Center began phasing out all operations, beginning with its pager service that month. The JRC phone service and website ceased operation at the end of October, after which all birds in residence were transferred to the Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka at a later date. Final vacating of the JRC offices occurred by the end of 2022. Organizers cited a lack of volunteers as well as the
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic and the effects of bird flu for the center's closure. If conditions improve, the JRC may reopen in 2023.


See also

* Alaska Raptor Center * Bird Treatment and Learning Center * Lady Baltimore (bald eagle)


References

{{Reflist, 2


External links


Official website
1987 establishments in Alaska 2022 disestablishments in Alaska Raptor organizations Nature centers in Alaska Wildlife rehabilitation and conservation centers Bird health Museums in Juneau, Alaska Ornithological organizations in the United States Tongass National Forest Environmental organizations based in Alaska Non-profit organizations based in Juneau, Alaska Environmental organizations established in 1987 Tourist attractions in Juneau, Alaska