Soarin Hawk Raptor Rehabilitation Inc.

“No review was or will be conducted.”

“No documents available to the public.”

“Soarin Hawk has 24 resident education raptors that have been rescued and treated, but which are unable to return to the wild due to lasting effects of their injuries. At the end of December 2019, Soarin Hawk moved most of the operations into new facility in Huntertown. We continued to operate our triage center at a temporary facility in another part of Huntertown. Note: The triage center is scheduled to move into the new location in early November, 2020. Bird releases are usually done by volunteers who often make videos that are shown on the Soarin Hawk website. Sometimes releases are public events, such as in November 2018, when a juvenile bald eagle that had been with Soarin Hawk for two years was released at Salamonie Reservoir in Huntington County. The eagle had been found in 2016 with a broken leg and feathers that had been chewed so badly by mites that it was unable to fly. Soarin Hawk replaced the damaged feathers with feathers from an eagle carcass and rehabilitated the bird. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources, which manages Salamonie, estimated that 500-800 people attended the release event. In May, Soarin Hawk broke ground in Huntertown for its first permanent home. Thiscapped a two-year search for a new location. Soarin Hawk volunteers and friends arebuilding the new facility, which will include new, modern recovery enclosures andhabitats that are designed to provide a natural setting for the raptors, while minimizing maintenance; an aviary that will enable our volunteers to exercise multiple birds in all weather conditions, which results in the return of birds-of-prey to their natural environment more quickly; and an operations building that will provide climate controlled space for triage and treatment, a preparation area for raptors food, and serve as a base for Soarin' Hawk's volunteers. The site also will include restoring a portion of the acreage to much needed Prairie, Pollinator and Riparian habitats. Indiana Michigan Power (I & M) was a major contributor that donated $100,000 to the project. I & M and Soarin Hawk have worked together in wildlife conservation since 1993 with the introduction of peregrine falcons to Fort Wayne and the placing of a nesting box on top of Indiana Michigan Power Center. Soarin Hawk volunteers assist the Indiana Department of Natural Resources with banding falcon chicks several weeks after they hatch. The tradition continued in the spring of 2019, with the banding of four newborns. Another milestone was the purchase of a new (low-mileage, used) van to replace the existing van, which was becoming a challenge to maintain and operate safely. The van is used to transport birds and their volunteer handlers to educational presentations.”