Less than one year ago, on Jerry Liguori’s birthday, we announced the Jerry Liguori Raptor Conservation and Education Scholarship. Since then, our three recipients—one each from the United States, Canada, and Mexico—have made great progress on their projects. From providing interpretive tours to getting people involved in community science, we’re thrilled with all they’ve done so far to carry on Jerry’s legacy of raptor conservation and education.
Petalos y miel
Following some delays in acquiring their equipment, Karla and her team at Petalos y miel have hosted the first of the eight planned interpretive tours about the raptors of Baja California. They are excited to use their binoculars and guidebooks (Jerry Liguori’s own Hawks from Every Angle) as they take members of the community out to watch raptors heading back to their nesting sites. We’re excited to hear how the rest of the interpretive tours go!
Jennifer Redmond
Jennifer’s American Kestrel Nest Box Project is off to a great start! She engaged local girl and boy scouts in building nest boxes and placed them in her study area. One box has an internal camera that will allow her to gather information about nesting behaviors. She also installed a camera outside the box to get an exterior view of the entrance. Both cameras are linked to the Town of Parker’s website, engaging the local community in raptor education and awareness.
Rocky Mountain Eagle Foundation
The Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation celebrated 30 years of citizen science Golden Eagle research with its support from the scholarship. The hybrid event, hosted in October 2022, featured multiple speakers and a field trip to the Mount Lorette Hay Meadows hawkwatch site—even for those joining via Zoom!
As our first round of scholarship recipients wrap up their work, we can also share great news. We’re now accepting pre-proposals for this year’s scholarship! Visit https://hawkwatch.org/jerryscholarship to learn more. Pre-proposals are due May 26, 2023.
This blog was written by Kirsten Elliott, HWI’s Development and Communications Director. You can learn more about Kirsten here.
