Going the Distance
Posted on in Blog by Adam Carter, Educator
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary has been collaborating with the migration watch-site in Veracruz, Mexico, operated by Pronatura, a non-profit conservation organization, to monitor the seasonal migration of millions of raptors since the early 1990’s, known as the Veracruz River of Raptors. This collaboration has also consisted of education endeavors such as producing an educational manual and lesson plan, and other translated materials that could be used for education in Veracruz. In 2017, the Hawk Mountain Education Department looks to collaborate in a new way, through Distance Education, in order to enhance its efforts to accomplish its mission of conserving birds or prey globally.
This coming September, I will have the opportunity to make my first trip to Veracruz. In addition to witnessing the southbound journey of thousands of hawks, I will also get to work with the Pronatura staff working on the ground to conserve and protect this world renowned migration. We will be working together to create Distance Education opportunities within Mexico and Central America through transportable ‘raptor trunks’ filled with education materials to be used to reach classrooms in Mexico who otherwise may not have the opportunity to visit the site of Veracruz River of Raptors itself. The trunk will be modeled after the existing trunks Hawk Mountain has recently created and begun shipping to different states across the U.S. The goal for the trunks in Veracruz will be to tailor them to the species, geography, and habitat unique to Mexico.
One important aspect the Distance Education trunks will have in common between the two sites will be highlighting long-distance migrants like the Broad-winged Hawk. This is a primary species for both Veracruz and Hawk Mountain and some individuals pass though both sites in the same north or south-bound journey. This species will be highlighted to show the connection between the two sites and the importance of global conservation. A Broad-winged Hawk curriculum has already been created in English and is available for class room use with the U.S. trunks. The curriculum is currently being translated into Spanish for use in Mexico and in any Spanish-speaking classroom.
The importance of raptor education and awareness of migration in Mexico could not be more important as it is one of the most concentrated flyways for birds of prey anywhere in the world. More than 95% of the worlds populations of Broad-winged Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk, and Mississippi Kites pass through the narrow corridor monitored by Veracruz River of Raptors. Each species concentrates in a narrow window of time, and daily flights can number more than 400,000 raptors. Through continued collaboration and new efforts through Distance Education, we hope to inform and inspire the next generation of raptor conservationists, especially in Mexico.
To learn more and to help fund this important project, please CLICK HERE. As always, we are so thankful for your support and generosity.