The Juneau Raptor Center (JRC) was a
raptor rehabilitation Raptor rehabilitation is a field of veterinary medicine dealing with care for sick or injured birds of prey, with the goal of returning them to the wild. Since raptors are highly specialized predatory birds, special skills, facilities, equipment, v ...
center in
Juneau
The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the s ...
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 sove ...
of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
. Founded in 1987 and located in the
Tongass National Forest
The Tongass National Forest () in Southeast Alaska is the largest U.S. National Forest at . Most of its area is temperate rain forest and is remote enough to be home to many species of endangered and rare flora and fauna. The Tongass, which is ...
, its mission was the rehabilitation of sick and injured
eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
s,
hawks,
falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
s,
owl
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
s,
ravens,
hummingbirds and other
avian
Avian may refer to:
*Birds or Aves, winged animals
*Avian (given name) (russian: Авиа́н, link=no), a male forename
Aviation
*Avro Avian, a series of light aircraft made by Avro in the 1920s and 1930s
*Avian Limited, a hang glider manufacture ...
wildlife brought in from Juneau and
Southeast Alaska. The JRC was licensed by the
US Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
to handle eagles and migratory birds, and was governed in part by the
Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 668-668d) is a United States federal statute that protects two species of eagle. The bald eagle was chosen as a national emblem of the United States by the Continental Congress of 1782 and w ...
and the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
The Juneau Raptor Center was a private, 501(c)(3),
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
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 (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
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
![Lady_Baltimore,_in_her_habitat](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Lady_Baltimore%2C_in_her_habitat.jpg)
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 Goldbelt Tram (formerly Mount Roberts Tramway) is an aerial tramway located directly south of downtown Juneau in the U.S. state of Alaska. In operation since 1996, the tram makes a six-minute ascent of 3,819-foot (1,164 m) up Mount Rober ...
. 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 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
Failure to thrive (FTT), also known as weight faltering or faltering growth, indicates insufficient weight gain or absence of appropriate physical growth in children. FTT is usually defined in terms of weight, and can be evaluated either by a low ...
, 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. It is not very closely related to the other North American migrant species of ''Catharus'', but rather to the Mexican russet nightingale-thrush. The specific na ...
stranded in the
Mendenhall River The Mendenhall River ( Lingít: ''Woosh Ilʼóox̱ʼu Héen'') is an Alaskan river north of Juneau in the Mendenhall Valley. The river begins at the Mendenhall Lake, at the base of the Mendenhall Glacier.
Rafting on the river
The Mendenhall is abo ...
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 swallow
The barn swallow (''Hirundo rustica'') is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. In fact, it appears to have the largest natural distribution of any of the world's passerines, ranging over 251 million square kilometres globally. ...
s 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
russian: Ситка
, native_name_lang = tli
, settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough
, image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg
, image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984
, image_size ...
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 a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
pandemic and the effects of
bird flu
"Bird Flu" is an urumee melam-dance song by recording artist M.I.A. on her second studio album '' Kala'' (2007). It was released as a digital download in 2006 through XL Recordings under exclusive license to Interscope Records in the US. Cr ...
for the center's closure. If conditions improve, the JRC may reopen in 2023.
See also
*
Alaska Raptor 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