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 ...

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 ...

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

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.

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

Services

Diversity of bird species treated

2022 closure

See also

References

External links