Modern Day Raptors Shed Light As Indicator Species
The Cascades Raptor Center Is A Bird Sanctuary In Eugene Protecting Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, Owls...Those Of Which Can Provide Insights On Environmental Issues That Can Impact Humans As Easily As They Can Wildlife
While the term “raptor” may conjure up images of a bygone species of dinosaur for some, the raptors at the Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene, Oregon, are species of prey birds that are alive and well. They include eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, osprey, and kites. The Cascades Raptor Center’s mission is to meet the needs of area raptors, as well as educate the community about them, encouraging understanding and appreciation of these often misunderstood birds.
The Cascades Raptor Center was opened to the public in 1994, though it began operating in 1990, when Executive Director Louise Shimmel left her job at a wildlife rehabilitation clinic to focus on educating the public. She began by operating the business out of her rented duplex, conducting her educational programs around the county.
“I was the executive director of an all-species rehab center in town that grew so rapidly [that] I didn’t have enough time to do the education that is a critical part of rehab,” Shimmel explained. “When you’re working with injured, sick, or orphaned wildlife, you’re working with one animal at a time. Maybe you can do some education. But you can have a much wider impact when you can show people the kinds of animals that they don’t ever get close to, like birds of prey, which I have found have a fascination across cultures, across ages. Everybody is entranced by them. And that’s a great educational opportunity because there are raptors in every ecosystem.”
Within a few years, Shimmel’s new organization was able to purchase land from the City of Eugene, and today the Cascades Raptor Center has grown into a community that houses 40 resident birds, as well as the birds as the clinic for rehabilitation. Birds find their way to rehabilitation mostly through members of the community. The Cascades Raptor Center, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the state police all receive phone calls about injured birds. The goal is to rehabilitate them and then release them back to their natural habitat.
Shimmel’s personal interest in wildlife rehabilitation was sparked during her childhood.
“My father taught high school biology when I was really little,” Shimmel recalled. “In fact, he did some rehab…. I remember pictures of me with a couple of bobcat kittens. And I remember we had a desert tortoise. But mostly I think it was the fact that I have windows and I have cats that spend time outside...so I find injured birds. I would search in the area for a facility that would take them and eventually started working with them myself.”
Shimmel learned the technical part of her trade as she describes it, “through the back door.” Her educational background is in English and Accounting, but her substantial knowledge about wildlife and operating a non-profit organization comes from years of first-hand experience. In addition to being the executive director of two different wildlife rehabilitation organizations during her career, Shimmel is a state and federally licensed rehabilitator, has worked closely with the Wildlife Rehabilitation Council in Eugene, and has completed certification programs in veterinary medicine.
Many of her employees at the Cascades Raptor Center have made their way onto the staff roster in a similar fashion. They’ve learned about raptors and rehabilitation through hands-on experiences, beginning by offering their time and interest as volunteers.
“Rehabilitation is way more than the medical aspects,” Shimmel explained. “We have to know about their diet, what they eat in the wild, and what we can provide for them under human care that replicates that. Most of our staff have come up from among the ranks of volunteers. So we know them, they know us. We have a position open and they can apply. It’s been very successful.”
Shimmel and the staff at Cascades Raptor Center are sharing their wealth of knowledge with the public every day. For the sake of the birds, it is vital to have such a well-trained staff. Their experience is truly a community service; something amiss among the raptors could signal a far-reaching problem, even an issue that could affect humans.
“[Raptors are] indicator species, they tell us what's going on in the whole system.” Shimmel said. “They’re predators, so if you think of the food web or the food pyramid, predators are at the top, [above their] prey, [which are] herbivores or seed eaters. If there’s something going on at the base of that food web, then it's going to impact the animals that eat them, which then impacts the predators.”
Shimmel gave the example of the story of DDT that emerged throughout the 20th century. The effects of DDT exposure were felt dramatically by a single raptor species.
“It was really peregrine [falcons] that were the primary alarm that helped us find the impact DDT was having,” Shimmel said. “If someone's spraying for insects, robins eat a bunch of insects that each have a little bit of DDT in them and it accumulates in the system of the robin. Then if one peregrine falcon eats a whole bunch of robins, it accumulates even more in the body of the falcon. People were also noticing that there were no young birds being hatched.”
In the bodies of the peregrines, the DDT was converting into a chemical which inhibited calcium.
Shimmel continued, “So when the females would lay eggs, the embryos would be viable but the shells were so thin, that when [the females] would try to incubate them, [the eggs] would break. So there were very few young birds hatching. There's always a mortality rate among adults, up to 25% a year, and very rapidly that was beginning to impact the population, and people were noticing.”
DDT was eventually banned and efforts were made to restore the affected species. Peregrines were bred in captivity and bald eagle babies that had not been affected were brought from Alaska. Thankfully, these species have been restored, and now provide a cautionary tale for similar toxins in the environment that can impact humans as easily as they can impact wildlife.
“They’re kind of like a canary in the coalmine,” Shimmel explained. “What’s affecting them is impacting us. It may be slower and not as noticeable, but we’re just as susceptible to toxins and chemicals in the environment as they are.”
Shimmel, her staff of ten, and volunteer team of 100, share stories like this and other important education throughout the community in Eugene. Last year, the Cascades Raptor Center welcomed 25,000 guests, not to mention the school groups that visited, and off-site education that was provided around the county.
“For the general public, we have about 40 birds that are on display,” Shimmel said. “We have keeper talks during the day where we bring birds out or we work with them inside their enclosures. We talk about the bird and the natural history of the species and how we train them. It’s a real up close and personal experience. We hope with our programs and the messages we have around the birds that people become more aware, more appreciative, more respectful.”
Kailyn Clay
A graduate of Trinity Christian College in English & Political Science, Kailyn has written for Brilliance Publishing & GEMS' Girls Clubs among others. She enjoys hiking and cooking.
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