American Bald Eagle Foundation February 2019
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Aviary Redesign Complete!
Construction on four new aviaries finished
The Aviary Redesign Project is now
complete
here at the ABEF! Zilla, Vega, Ole, and Warrior now call the four new aviaries home. The completion of the aviaries gives these four ambassadors more space, light, and new views. The project has been in development since mid-2015 and ended on December 21st.
The
staff has been tirelessly fundraising over that time, gaining support from the Haines community as well as visitors from all over the world to be able to fund this project. Thank you to Dave Ricke and his crew of local contractors who worked through the Alaskan Fall weather to get the job done. Follow us on
social media
to see the new enclosures and keep up with the flock at the ABEF!
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Alaska Bald Eagle Festival
24th annual festival honoring the world's largest congregation of bald eagles a success
During the months of November and December, thousands of bald eagles flock to the Chilkat Valley. This year the ABEF hosted the 24
th
annual Alaska Bald Eagle Festival to honor this incredible gathering. The first night consisted of a cultural evening and art bazaar featuring local artists to begin the festivities. Other events consisted of a "BirdTalk" for locals to share stories of their experiences with eagles and other feathered wildlife, a film festival hosted by Takshanuk Watershed Council and Southeast Alaska State Fair, and a banquet catered by Southeast Alaska State Fair. This year we welcomed Jason Beale, Animal Care Director at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, as the key note speaker on his presentation titled "
Naturiotism"
. On the last day of the festival, two bald eagles were released at the Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center along the Chilkat River. These birds were brought from Anchorage following successful rehabilitation at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center. Join us next year to celebrate 25 years of the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival!
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Temporary Exhibit Space created in the Museum!
Exhibit room renovated to create new space in our natural history museum
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One of the exhibit rooms in our natural history museum got a face lift this past summer. The walls were painted and new interactive exhibits were installed in the temporary exhibit room. The staff and interns all helped with this task, painting walls, moving exhibits, and building pedestals on which to place exhibits. The temporary exhibit space will house rotating exhibits to give guests a new experience every time they come through the museum. Currently, our horns and antlers exhibit, a bear display, and some of our minerals collection are on display in the TES.
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The ABEF Welcomes New Staff Member
Josh Sanko joins our team as the Program Coordinator
Josh Sanko joined the ABEF team as the new Program Coordinator. Originally a year-long intern, he was hired in October after completing part of the internship. A Pennsylvania native, he attended Penn State University, majoring in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. While at Penn State, Josh had the opportunity to work at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center’s raptor center . Over the two years he spent at Shaver’s Creek and a summer internship at Northwoods Wildlife Center in Wisconsin, Sanko fell in love with working with animal ambassadors and educating the public about their importance.
As Program Coordinator, Josh works under both the Raptor Program Manager and Curator of Collections with any and all tasks. He also oversees interns and volunteers, runs the social media page, and leads the Youth Raptor Program.
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Visiting Professional
Amy Fennell of Natural Encounters, Inc. visits the ABEF
Over the summer, the ABEF reached out to Natural Encounters, Inc. about consultation of training practices at the Foundation. Natural Encounters, located in Winter Haven, Florida, is a facility that employs modern animal training techniques. These are the same techniques that we use here at the ABEF. Their consulting program sends staff to raptor centers, environmental centers, and zoos, to oversee training and share insight on the field. Amy Fennel, a Supervisor with Natural Encounters with years of raptor training experience, joined us in early September for our personalized consultation. She spent the week giving educational presentations, congratulating us on the progress we've made, and advising the staff on how to continue that progress into the future. Thank you Amy and Natural Encounters, Inc. for this opportunity!
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When you become a member of the American Bald Eagle Foundation, you’re helping to
fund educational programs such as our Youth Raptor Program, reduced price programs for low-income families or groups, as well as the resources we need to give our avian ambassadors the best possible care via husbandry, enrichment and training. Interested in joining?
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