Carolina Raptor Center

History

Although Dr. Verna Case of Davidson College and Dr. Richard Brown of UNC-Charlotte were discussing the idea of a center to treat and monitor raptors in the mid 1970s and about a dozen raptors were treated at UNC-C between 1975 and 1979, Carolina Raptor Center considers an event in 1979 to be the real birth of what would become Carolina Raptor Center. During the fall of that year a wildlife officer brought an orphaned great horned owl to Dr. Brown in the Biology department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He recruited Deb Sue Griffin, a biology student, to provide care for this injured owl. Deb Sue kept the owl in her apartment as it was recovering. Another injured owl arrived and Deb Sue took that one as well. One day her roommate rebelled after opening the bathroom door and finding the owl sitting on the toilet lid. It was time for a new home.

Carolina Raptor Rehabilitation and Research Center was hatched. The name was later shortened to Carolina Raptor Center. The basement of the biology building became the new sanctuary with more students becoming involved and more birds arriving. Stories of a black vulture riding the elevator and untying professor's shoelaces began to spread. As the number of birds multiplied it became clear that a new home was needed. Carolina Raptor Center was incorporated as a 501 C (3) non-profit organization in December of 1981. A board of directors was established with Kent Brown as the president.

The organization continued to grow at UNC-C. Outside cages were constructed and a greenhouse was converted into a treatment facility. Drs. Gochenauer and Messenger provide free veterinary care for many of the more seriously injured birds. The number of injured raptors and accompanying costs grew quickly. T-shirts were sold out of a cardboard box to pay for expenses. By 1984 the number of injured birds received annually had grown to two-hundred eighteen. Students as volunteers began presenting educational programs to schools and civic groups. The organization had grown too large to be housed at UNC-C.

Mecklenburg County generously offered a 33 year lease, later expanded to a 99-year lease, for 57+ acres within Latta Plantation Park for one dollar per year. Carolina Raptor Center is currently located within Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, a +1,200 acre preserve on Mountain Island Lake, primary water source for Charlotte and Gastonia. Sandwiched between Charlotte and Huntersville, this region is quickly being gobbled up by development.

The first facility consisted of a donated 12' x 12' shed with no power, water or phone services. Water for the birds was carried in five gallon buckets from nearby Mountain Island Lake. Carolina Raptor Center's volunteer executive director, Dr. Richard Brown, maintained office space at UNC-C until 1985 when two mobile homes were installed at the site. A small mobile home served as a rehabilitation hospital and a larger unit was leased to serve as the Center's administrative offices. Several volunteers, including Mathias Engelmann, lived on-site in the largest trailer during the next couple years. Initial enclosures for the birds were created by wrapping chain link around trees. These later gave way to more advanced structures. A nature trail connecting the enclosures was developed.

The organization depended solely on volunteers until 1986, when Mecklenburg County offered assistance in the form of a three-year decreasing grant to assist in the hiring of initial staff members. Pat Marcum served as the first paid executive director. From that point on, Carolina Raptor Center grew rapidly and established itself as a professional organization. Over the next few years, volunteers built permanent aviaries along the Nature Trail. CRC's membership increased and spread to include more than 30 states, while a corps of dedicated volunteers emerged and began an intensive training process. The staff and volunteers formed a speaker's bureau to carry Carolina Raptor Center's message of environmental stewardship to people throughout the Carolinas and neighboring states.

Additional species of raptors were added to those displayed on the Nature Trail. In 1989, a pair of golden eagles hatched and successfully raised the first golden eagle chick in captivity in the southeastern United States.

Carolina Raptor Center constructed its first permanent building, the 4,000 square foot Edna S. Moretti Environmental Education Center, in 1992. This building provides a visitor reception area, a gift center, a classroom, and administrative office space. In November 1993, Carolina Raptor Center hosted the annual meeting of the International Raptor Research Foundation. Over 200 researchers from seven nations attended the conference.

Construction of the Betty J. and J. Stanley Livingston Eagle Aviary was begun in March 1997 and opened to the public in April of 1998. This new aviary, which is 120 feet by 100 feet and rising to a maximum of 40 feet, provides space for eight non-releasable bald eagles and two non-releasable golden eagles.

In November of 1998, Carolina Raptor Center opened a 4,000 square foot raptor rehabilitation facility. The Jim Arthur Rehabilitation Facility ranks among the finest raptor rehabilitation facilities in the United States. Many volunteers and wildlife rehabilitators have attended classes and studied under CRC staff and senior volunteers.

By 1999 the center had grown to six full-time staff members and a membership of over four hundred. In December 2000, a strategic plan was formulated after input from donors, volunteers, board and staff members. This document became the driving force behind the organization's actions. New operating systems were brought into play resulting in an increase to almost 1,000 members and significant growth in gift shop revenues. Over the next three years, the education department revised and updated its programs. Program material became more structured and aligned to the NC Standard Course of Study curriculum. New programs like the Kids For Conservation summer camp program and special events drew record crowds. Formal docent programs have also been developed resulting in improved presentations by volunteers. Demand for programs has out-paced on-site, classroom space, so groups are encouraged to schedule programs far in advance. In 2003 our first community relation's officer was hired to formalize communications with the public. New newsletter formats, donor events and a website www.carolinaraptorcenter.org were created. News releases and articles on Carolina Raptor Center have appeared from coast to coast. By 2003 the staff had grown to nineteen employees serving over 700 injured birds, 28,000 students and 20,000 visitors annually.

During 2004, the volunteer program began a major transformation. Policies and procedures were reviewed, updated and a new training manual created. This process has created uniformity and a higher level of performance among Carolina Raptor Center's volunteer corps. Each year volunteers contribute over 20,000 hours in service.

The education department provides on and off-site programs. Classroom limitations limit on-site programs to about 9,000 children annually. The Wild Wings traveling program travels to sites throughout the region and has presented hundreds of programs throughout the Carolinas, reaching over 20,000 children each year. Instructors, in specially equipped Wild Wings vans, travel throughout North and South Carolina with live raptors and curriculum based environmental and cultural programs.

The rehabilitation department's patient load had increased to over seven hundred injured and orphaned hawks, owls, eagles, falcons and vultures by 2003. In December of 2003, Carolina Raptor Center reached a milestone with the receipt of its 10,000th injured bird. Of the birds that survive the crucial first twenty-four hours in our care, 62% are eventually released back to the wild. A pilot program, developed in 2001 to share this knowledge with students at the College of Veterinary Medicine at NC State University, is being considered for other universities throughout the Carolinas. This unique experience cannot be duplicated at the university campus. College students from the University of NC at Charlotte, Davidson College, J.C. Smith University, Queens University, and other universities have partnered with Carolina Raptor Center on other research projects.

By 2003 Carolina Raptor Center had been honored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services with two Basic Operating Support grants. Only 20% of the national organizations applying received these grants. The Arts & Science Council also awarded its first McColl Award to Carolina Raptor Center in 2002. The original bronze sculpture of eagle with ten-foot wingspan now adorns our entrance. Carolina Raptor Center joined the NC Grassroots Science Museum Collaborative in 2001 and received its first state funding through this organization during the fall of 2003.

Backyard Tails, Carolina Raptor Center's free flight program, was launched in 2005. This program was created to inspire visitors to care for and conserve our natural resources. During its first year, the program was performed on the first weekend of each month. This program will be expanded to every weekend during the 2006 summer season.

The education department began upgrading its standard teacher evaluation surveys to include true program assessment. During the fall of 2005, an assessment of the "Habitat Is Where It's At" program was conducted. The goal was to teach students that four characteristics are critical in any habitat - water, food, shelter and space. Children drew pictures representing their answers to this question before and after the program. While children's recognition improved by at least 8% in all areas, we were most amazed with the concept of space. This concept includes parks, greenways and open spaces that we all know add to the quality of life. Before the program only 10% of the children recognized space as a key character. After the program, 67% of all the children identified space as a key component to a healthy habitat. Carolina Raptor Center's environmental mission is important to the community in maintaining a high quality of living.

In 2005, Charity Navigator.org evaluated twenty-eight Charlotte based, non-profit organizations. Carolina Raptor Center was one of only three that received their highest, four-star rating. An annual fundraising event was created in May 2005. Jeff Corwin of Discovery Channel's Animal Planet served as the keynote speaker. Over 400 guests joined us at "Take Flight" and helped raise over $125,000. This event will become an annual occurrence in the fall of each year.

Attendance reached an all-time high in 2005 of approximately 28,000 visitors and then broke that record with over 31,000 visitors in 2006. This continues a steady increase that comes with improved marketing, programs and nature trail experiences.

CRC became the first NC institution to give birth to bald eaglets in March 2006. These eagles were outfitted with solar powered satellite transmitters. Within two months of their release one had flown to Canada and the other to New York. You may follow their journeys at http://gisserv1.uncc.edu/website/eagles/viewer.htm.