World Center for Birds of Prey
| Established | 1984 |
|---|---|
| Location | 5668 W. Flying Hawk Lane Boise, Idaho, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 43°31′01″N 116°15′22″W / 43.517°N 116.256°WCoordinates: 43°31′01″N 116°15′22″W / 43.517°N 116.256°W |
| Visitors | 30,000 / yr. |
| Director | Bill Heinrich (Interpretive Center) |
| Website | peregrinefund.org |
The World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, is the headquarters for The Peregrine Fund, an international non-profit organization founded in 1970 that conserves endangered raptors around the world.
Built 33 years ago in 1984, the World Center for Birds of Prey is located on 580 acres (2.3 km2) on a hilltop overlooking Boise, south of the airport and east of Kuna. The campus consists of the business offices of The Peregrine Fund, breeding facilities for endangered raptors, the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center, and the Herrick Collections Building, which houses a large research library and the Archives of Falconry.
The Peregrine Fund is known for its worldwide conservation and recovery efforts of rare and endangered raptors. The organization's first recovery effort focused on the peregrine falcon, which was facing extinction due to the widespread use of the chemical DDT. The peregrine falcon was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species list in 1999 at an international celebration held in Boise.
The Peregrine Fund's original breeding facilities were established at Cornell University in central New York state in 1970 and at a Colorado Division of Wildlife facility in Fort Collins in 1974. They were moved to Boise after the organization established the World Center for Birds of Prey in 1984.Morley Nelson of Boise, a well-known raptor expert and member of The Peregrine Fund board of directors, was instrumental in bringing the organization to his hometown.
The first buildings at the new site were an office for The Peregrine Fund administration and barns for the captive breeding program. The organization's first climate-controlled breeding barn (the Gerald D. and Kathryn Swim Herrick Tropical Raptor Building) was constructed in 1986. In 1992, the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center opened to the public with exhibits of rare and endangered raptors, interactive displays, and outreach programs for schools and other groups.
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