GGRO — In the Press

ROAD CONSTRUCTION CLOSES HAWK HILL

Unfortunately, you cannot visit Hawk Hill until November 2010. Please see our Docent Page for information about an alternate hawkwatching site in the Marin Headlands.

Due to a massive road improvement project, Upper Conzelman Road in the Marin Headlands is currently closed to all traffic, bikes, and pedestrians through October. East Road is also currently closed. Other roads will experience delays of up to 30 minutes for traffic and may be closed completely to bikers. Please see the Project Headlands website for maps and timelines of the closures for cars, bikes, and pedestrians, including weekly updates. This means there will be no public access to Hawk Hill until the road re-opens in the fall. Thank you for your patience during construction!

Flight of Dedication: Volunteers Devote 25 Years of Service

FLIGHT OF DEDICATION: VOLUNTEERS DEVOTE 25 YEARS OF SERVICE
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory Celebrates Citizen Science at California’s Major Raptor Migration Site

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”—Margaret Mead

San Francisco, CA—More than 30,000 birds of prey—hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures—pass over the Marin Headlands each fall in California’s greatest raptor migration. And for over 25 years, hundreds of Bay Area volunteers have tracked the numbers and movements of these magnificent birds, often considered indicators of healthy ecosystems, and set up the first and only bird of prey monitoring system in California at the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO). The GGRO, in cooperation with the National Park Service, is a program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

Over 300 volunteers participate each year in the GGRO’s migration studies as hawk counters, banders, and radiotrackers, and collectively contribute over 40,000 hours annually. Hawk counters keep a consistent daily tally of the raptors appearing over the Marin Headlands from August through November. This effort is now the longest-kept record of raptor migration numbers in the state.

On peak flight days, occurring from mid-September to mid-October, counters may record more than 1,000 raptor sightings a day, seen at a rate of 150 hawks per hour. Quieter days may garner as few as 10 or 20 hawks per hour. Over the long-term, these daily counts help volunteers gather important information about raptor population and travel trends.

Trained volunteer banders spend their days in a wooden blind with nets nearby, with which they catch hawks. Once caught, a hawk is fitted with a numbered aluminum bracelet, measured, weighed, and released within 20 minutes. Studying a hawk in hand allows banders to note the bird’s condition or state of health. Volunteers also report the banding experience to be a deeply moving experience. “The best paintings and all the pixels in the world can’t capture the beauty of these marvelous creatures seen up close,” said long-time volunteer, Bill Barnaby.

Overall, more than 1,500 volunteers have participated in the GGRO’s fall raptor migration monitoring since the organization’s inception in the early 1980s. In addition to counting and banding raptors, volunteers have radiotracked hawks all over California, invented new research techniques, delivered interpretive talks, discovered new migration sites, and monitored hundreds of Bay Area raptor nests.

“GGRO volunteers bring an unbelievable range of talent and experience to the process of studying birds of prey,” said GGRO Research Director Buzz Hull. “There are other hawk migration studies in the United States, but the passion and commitment of this pioneer volunteer group at the GGRO has been truly remarkable.”

While some GGRO volunteers have gone on to careers in bird conservation, others, like hawk counter Keith Gress have continued to contribute one day every other week for 13 years. “Being part of the GGRO, and therefore the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy model, is really cool when you think about the scale of the work being accomplished. I think everyone should volunteer to do something for their community,” said Gress.

David Shaw
Director of Communications & Marketing
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
415-561-3064


	The GGRO is a cooperative program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the National Park Service. The GGRO is proud to be supported by:	ROAD CONSTRUCTION CLOSES HAWK HILL Unfortunately, you cannot visit Hawk Hill until November 2010. Please see our Docent Page for information about an alternate hawkwatching site in the Marin Headlands. Due to a massive road improvement project, Upper Conzelman Road in the Marin Headlands is currently closed to all traffic, bikes, and pedestrians through October. East Road is also currently closed. Other roads will experience delays of up to 30 minutes for traffic and may be closed completely to bikers. Please see the Project Headlands website for maps and timelines of the closures for cars, bikes, and pedestrians, including weekly updates. This means there will be no public access to Hawk Hill until the road re-opens in the fall. Thank you for your patience during construction! Flight of Dedication: Volunteers Devote 25 Years of Service For Immediate Release July 21, 2009 FLIGHT OF DEDICATION: VOLUNTEERS DEVOTE 25 YEARS OF SERVICE Golden Gate Raptor Observatory Celebrates Citizen Science at California’s Major Raptor Migration Site “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”—Margaret Mead San Francisco, CA—More than 30,000 birds of prey—hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures—pass over the Marin Headlands each fall in California’s greatest raptor migration. And for over 25 years, hundreds of Bay Area volunteers have tracked the numbers and movements of these magnificent birds, often considered indicators of healthy ecosystems, and set up the first and only bird of prey monitoring system in California at the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory (GGRO). The GGRO, in cooperation with the National Park Service, is a program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Over 300 volunteers participate each year in the GGRO’s migration studies as hawk counters, banders, and radiotrackers, and collectively contribute over 40,000 hours annually. Hawk counters keep a consistent daily tally of the raptors appearing over the Marin Headlands from August through November. This effort is now the longest-kept record of raptor migration numbers in the state. On peak flight days, occurring from mid-September to mid-October, counters may record more than 1,000 raptor sightings a day, seen at a rate of 150 hawks per hour. Quieter days may garner as few as 10 or 20 hawks per hour. Over the long-term, these daily counts help volunteers gather important information about raptor population and travel trends. Trained volunteer banders spend their days in a wooden blind with nets nearby, with which they catch hawks. Once caught, a hawk is fitted with a numbered aluminum bracelet, measured, weighed, and released within 20 minutes. Studying a hawk in hand allows banders to note the bird’s condition or state of health. Volunteers also report the banding experience to be a deeply moving experience. “The best paintings and all the pixels in the world can’t capture the beauty of these marvelous creatures seen up close,” said long-time volunteer, Bill Barnaby. Overall, more than 1,500 volunteers have participated in the GGRO’s fall raptor migration monitoring since the organization’s inception in the early 1980s. In addition to counting and banding raptors, volunteers have radiotracked hawks all over California, invented new research techniques, delivered interpretive talks, discovered new migration sites, and monitored hundreds of Bay Area raptor nests. “GGRO volunteers bring an unbelievable range of talent and experience to the process of studying birds of prey,” said GGRO Research Director Buzz Hull. “There are other hawk migration studies in the United States, but the passion and commitment of this pioneer volunteer group at the GGRO has been truly remarkable.” While some GGRO volunteers have gone on to careers in bird conservation, others, like hawk counter Keith Gress have continued to contribute one day every other week for 13 years. “Being part of the GGRO, and therefore the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy model, is really cool when you think about the scale of the work being accomplished. I think everyone should volunteer to do something for their community,” said Gress. Media Contact: David Shaw Director of Communications & Marketing Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy 415-561-3064 dshaw@parksconservancy.org

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