Juneau Raptor Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Juneau Raptor Center |
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An injured eagle on display in the JRC's Mount Roberts Tramway habitat
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| Type | Raptor rehabilitation center |
| Location | The Wharf Mall, 2 Marine Way, Juneau and Mount Roberts Tramway |
| Created | 1987 |
| Closed | 2022 |
| Operated by | Dale Cotton (President) |
| Other information | Exhibits: Bird rehabilitation center |
The Juneau Raptor Center (JRC) was a special place in Juneau, Alaska. It was a center where injured or sick raptors and other birds got help. It started in 1987 in the beautiful Tongass National Forest. Its main goal was to help sick and hurt birds like eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, ravens, and even tiny hummingbirds. These birds came from Juneau and other parts of Southeast Alaska.
The JRC had special licenses from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. This allowed them to care for eagles and other birds that travel long distances. They followed important rules like the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
The Juneau Raptor Center was a private group that didn't make a profit. It relied on gifts and donations to keep running every day. People gave money and even food for the birds. For example, the US Fish and Wildlife Service once gave $10,000 to help build their facilities.
The Juneau Raptor Center stopped its operations in 2022.
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Helping Injured Birds
The center helped many birds. In 2012, they took in and treated 145 birds. About 40 of these were raptors, which are birds of prey. The other 105 were different kinds of birds.
Volunteers, who didn't get paid, treated the birds. They even kept the birds in their own homes while they recovered. The center also had a special place at the top of the Mount Roberts Tramway. This small building was a shelter for birds that were too hurt to ever go back into the wild.
Visitors could watch these birds and learn about them. Volunteers were always there to answer questions. They shared facts about the birds' lives, where they lived, and how they were treated.
Many Kinds of Birds Rescued
The Juneau Raptor Center helped many different types of birds over the years. Even though it was called a "Raptor Center," they helped any bird species brought to them.
Eagle Rescues
In August 1998, a young bald eagle crashed into a car. Staff from the center carefully put the bird in a crate. They took it to a volunteer's home, where they found it was not hurt.
On May 3, 2008, the center released three bald eagles on the same day! The staff named them Truston, Gus, and Pete. Each eagle had been brought in at a different time and treated by the volunteers. Their injuries varied, from not being able to grow well to torn muscles. One even had trouble digesting food. All three eagles got better and were set free.
Other Bird Rescues
In July 2010, some children found a hermit thrush stuck in the Mendenhall River. It was in danger of drowning. The thrush wasn't hurt, but it needed help. Center staff cared for it and fed it. Two weeks later, they successfully released it.
In August 2010, the JRC saved three young barn swallows. They had fallen out of their nest. Sadly, two of the swallows didn't make it. But the center staff saved the third one, which they named Clinger. Clinger was fed, treated, and successfully returned to the wild.
Why the Center Closed
In September 2022, the Juneau Raptor Center started to close down. They first stopped their pager service that month. The JRC phone service and website closed at the end of October. All the birds living at the center were later moved to the Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka. The JRC offices were completely empty by the end of 2022.
The people who ran the center said they closed because they didn't have enough volunteers. The COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of bird flu also made things difficult.
See also
- Alaska Raptor Center
- Bird Treatment and Learning Center
- Lady Baltimore (bald eagle)
