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Falcon colorado scenery9/28/2023 ![]() Trails on the western side of the base connect to an extensive network of Pike National Forest trails for exploring the Rampart Range area. Thanks to these recovery programs, the peregrine falcon was removed from the list of endangered species in 1999.Over 30 miles of mostly single-track trails wind through the Air Force Academy and Farish Recreation Area for hiking, running, mountain biking, and equestrian use. Fish and Wildlife Service, there were 324 known nesting pairs in 1975 and today there are between 2,000 and 3,000 pairs of peregrine falcons in North America. Programs similar to the one at Dinosaur have helped peregrine populations recover across the country: according to the U.S. In recent years, several peregrine falcon territories, including areas in Echo Park and along the Yampa River, have been occupied by peregrine falcon pairs.Īlthough the canyon country of Dinosaur NM continues to sustain the hiker, the river rafter, and the peregrine falcon, the falcons' success story extends well beyond Dinosaur NM. Within a short time, peregrines that had been fostered or hacked at Dinosaur began returning to the monument after their annual migrations, establishing eyries, and hatching their own chicks. Since 1976, the peregrine population at Dinosaur NM has steadily increased. A hack site was also established in Harding Hole, but never used. Eventually, the peregrine falcons become fully independent.Īt Dinosaur NM, hack sites were operated at Deerlodge Park in the early 1980s and Split Mountain in the later part of the decade. As the young peregrines learn to hunt, the human-provided food is reduced. When the birds are old enough and strong enough, the box is opened. Initially, young peregrines are placed in specially equipped boxes on a cliff ledge and, to minimize their exposure to humans, are fed through a chute. According to Matt Varner, wildlife biologist at New River Gorge National River, which has an active hacking program,"hacking is the process of placing young falcons in a structure and caring for the birds in a manner that minimizes human exposure until they are mature enough to fly." Throughout the 1980s, captive-bred peregrine falcons were also released at Dinosaur NM in a process called hacking. Hack box at New River Gorge National River. Although fostering did not eliminate normal chick mortality, it did help to maintain normal brood sizes during the period of eggshell thinning. ![]() But it was a very, very, very successful program."Įggs collected at Dinosaur NM were taken to breeding facilities where researchers incubated them and cared for the young after they hatched. They could go from pregnancy to teenagers in one fell swoop it was a shock to their system. According to Steve Petersburg, a resource management specialist at Dinosaur NM in the early 1990s, "The parents were totally fooled. To protect thin-shelled eggs -a result of DDT -biologists collected eggs from nest sites and replaced them with peregrine chicks from a breeding facility. In 1974, the state of Colorado began a peregrine falcon recovery program two years later, Dinosaur National Monument joined the effort.Īs part of the recovery program, adult peregrine falcons at Dinosaur NM became foster parents to young birds. Peregrine falcons- identified as an endangered species in 1970-were on the decline across the United States, thanks to the effects of the pesticide DDT. In the late 1970s, Dinosaur NM was home to four peregrine falcons…half of the peregrine population in Colorado.
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