The American Bald Eagle Foundation
Foundation
Natural History Museum &
Live Raptor Center 2015
We celebrated our 20th Anniversary at the 20th Alaska
Bald Eagle Festival
In 2014 we celebrated our 20th Anniversary since the grand opening
in 1994 of the museum and the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival. This year
we hosted another successful eagle release! Thank you for all your
support and help to make this happen. We had a bidding frenzy and
the winning bidders were Nora Lang and Ed Cregg! We had two young
eagles who had gotten into trouble in Adak, Alaska. They had been in
the dump with a burning pile of trash resulting in burned feet, primary
feathers and their tails. The Bird Treatment and Learning center in
Anchorage nursed them back to health. The eagles were transported
to Haines by Bird TLC Director Guy Runco, and attending veterinarian
Dr. Karen Higgs. Thank you to Jim Shook for emceeing the release
once again! Thank you to Bill McRoberts for taking the photos, and the
Chilkat Dancers who danced and sang to send the eagles back into
the wild! The festival raised over $15,000 to help support the
American Bald Eagle Foundation. We had 323 guest attend this year
for the 20th Annual Alaska Bald Eagle Festival. Join us for the 21st!
Details at www.baldeaglefestival.org
Mr. David Olerud,
Founder
Trustees
Mr. Harold Williams, AL
Mrs. Susan Flowers, GA
Mr. Michael Marks, AK
Mr. Al Batt, MN
Mr. Gary Mathews, AK
Mr. Fred Koken, AK
Mr. Sean Gaffney, AK
Trustee Emeritus
Dr. Jim Scott, AK
Mr. Jim King, AK
Dr. Dan Hart, AK
Staff Members
Mrs. Cheryl McRoberts,
Executive Director
Ms. Chloe Goodson,
Raptor Curator
Ms. Samantha Wilson,
Raptor Handler
Ms. Leia Minch,
Raptor Trainer
Mr. Bill McRoberts
Photographer on Staff
We are proud to welcome our new Raptor “Vega.”
Vega came to us from the
Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka,
Alaska. After being struck by a
truck, she had a partial wing
amputation to one wing and was
deemed non releasable. She had
been on display in Ketchikan, AK,
but due to the closing of the facility and the fact she does not like to
sit on the glove, Alaska Raptor Center searched for a home where
she could live out the rest of her life as a display bird. We were quite
pleased to offer her a home in our Master Eagle Mew with Bella.
Vega is one of the largest eagles we know of in captivity. She
weighed 13.6 lbs. when she arrived. The weight of males normally
range from 7-10 pounds, and females up to 14 pounds. Be sure and
stop in to meet Vega! Admission is always free for our members.
New Youth Raptor Class
Our youth raptor class has
started with si x n ew Jr.
Raptor Handlers being taught
this year by our Raptor Curator
Chloe Goodson and assisted by
our Raptor Trainer Samantha
Wilson. We have had 30
student's graduate from our
program. In 2011, the American Bald Eagle Foundation (ABEF) embarked on a
unique program involving the training and educating of young people in the care,
Dr. Michelle Oakley
management, and handling of raptors. The program is only open to youth
Avian Veterinarian
between the ages of 9 and 17 years of age. The program is taught over a period
Trustees In Memoriam of 3 months, meeting each Saturday for a two to three hour class. The student
must obtain a minimum of 25 hours training during the course and must score
Dr. Hans Fluehler,
a passing grade on all tests administered during the course. Grades are not
Canada
issued. However, pass or fail is determined based u p on the students completion
Mr. Ed Shirley, GA
Gov. Jay Hammond, AK of the course material. Students must pass a written and a practical
examination before being certified to handle live raptors. During the course of
Mr. Erv Boeker, CO
the program, students must make multiple oral presentations regarding the
raptor with which they are working.
We are always grateful for donations! We are excited to
announce we are on the list for Pick.Click.Give.org It’s easy
to make a difference. Just Pick.Click.Give if you’re an Alaska
resident. The funds raised will help support the American
Bald Eagle Foundation and our live raptors. Currently we
have 12 Raptors we have been permitted to have as educational birds. We have
created an educational program to share with our guests, students, interns and the
internet. We would like to expand our educational program and start outreach
programs to share with all ages.
IT'S EASY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Thank you to each and every donor!
Our Totem Post “Donor Wall” is filling in! Thank you to all our supporters who
have donated to the funding of our post, by purchasing a ceramic tile to help pay
for the Eagle Pole! For further details to purchase a tile with your donation and to
be a part of this fundraising effort available. Click the link below to order your
choice with a logo, picture or text 6 x 6 or 12 x12
http://www.polarengraving.com/AmericanBaldEagleFoundation
Introducing our Staff
Cheryl McRoberts, our Executive Director, has been with the
foundation for almost seven years. Cheryl states I am very proud to
be the Executive Director. I wanted to make a difference here and felt
this was a wonderful opportunity to do just that. As the Executive
Director, I have tried to build on my Predecessor’s groundwork. We
have a very bright future with many exciting new programs planned
for this year! I also look forward to meeting each and every one of
you, so please feel free to stop in when you’re in the area, or to attend our Festival!
I’d love to hear any ideas and input you may have! Feel free to contact me anytime.
Chloe Goodson, Our Raptor Curator Chloe is a graduate of the
University of Missouri where she logged thousands of hours
rehabilitation. Chloe was a former intern with the Foundation, and
we are excited to Additionally, Chloe is a graduate of the ABEF
Internship program which she completed over 500 hours of
specialized raptor training. Chloe’s experience is a valuable asset to
the Foundation. Chloe’s duties include the care and training of the birds and
overseeing raptor handling by our volunteers and interns. Chloe will be training
our college interns, as well as teaching the youth raptor handler class this spring.
The American Bald Eagle Foundation is excited about having Chloe back as an
employee and looking forward to her exciting plans for our Raptor Programs.
Samantha Wilson came to us after graduating from the University of
Alaska Southeast with a B.S. degree in biology. Upon completion of
her internship she was offered and accepted a staff position. Her
strong biological background coupled with her love of natural history
makes her a great asset to both our raptor and museum programs.
She has been a volunteer for both the U.S. Forest Service and the
Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game in recent years. As a lover of wildlife and
natural history outdoors she regularly scours the coastal shorelines
and forests of Southeast Alaska to add to our displays. She is a lover of Bald Eagles
and often carves forms of multiple wildlife species from driftwood found. In
addition to her duties as raptor handler and museum attendant. Samantha will be
learning the art of freeze-dry taxidermy. This process permits the preservation of
even the smallest specimens and thereby opens the door to more museum
specimens for display.
Leia Minch a 2013 graduate of the University of Oregon. Leia served
as an intern here during the summer of 2014 and will become a
valuable staff member. We are currently in the planning stages to
have live raptor programs in Skagway. Mews are being designed &
built as well as an interpretive walk through the forest to the
demonstration area for the guest to view our Raptors in a natural
environment. Leia is currently acquiring additional training at the Cascades
Raptor Center in Eugene, Oregon. Having been a volunteer there for three
years prior to completing her ABEF raptor internship she was well known
there. Leia also served an internship at the Center for Biological Diversity in
Silver City, New Mexico. Combining her wealth of wildlife knowledge and a
strong desire to make a difference, Leia utilizes her journalistic training and
her outstanding presentation skills to educate others about wildlife and the
environment.New Displays, Specimens, Seating, Lighting, etc.
We are grateful to our members who have kept the donations coming in to
help keep the museum ever changing! New display areas are being created at
the ABEF to utilize the space we have better. Our programming display area is
shown here with invertebrates, eggs, nest, prints and antlers to name a few.
Each piece in this room has its educational value and story to tell. The
generous donation of display cases, from Sue Folletti, have made this new
expanded display area possible.
Our expanded Geology section
continues to grow with
unexpected donations coming
in. We are thankful for part of
the private collection of John &
Erma Schnabel, as well as
Debra Schnabel. Debra has
part of her lifetime collection
on display. A collection of
Geodes and Trilobites arrived
in the mail from Paula and
Barry Gildron which will go on
display. Donations are coming in from various mines in the area to help expand this section
of the museum, as well as private donations. Our Geology display coordinator Tom Binder
will be creating the new display area for education.
We were fortunate to receive a donation of two display cases that are over 100 years old
from the Schnabel family. Displayed in the case we have a dugout canoe replica carved by
master Tlingit carver Wayne Price. The art piece funded by the Alaska Art Acquisition Fund
thanks to the generous support from Rasmuson Fund.
New Seating in our Diorama
Donations received this winter have been put together to purchase new chairs in our
Diorama.
This winter we received a generous grant from the Rasmuson Foundation to complete
upgrades to the foundation that included replacing the lighting in the Foundation with LED
bulbs. The existing lighting had been putting off too much UV, which would eventually
destroy the specimens. In addition to the lighting we have replaced the carpet in the
Museum, had the floors stripped and refinished. This Spring we will be placing UV film on
the windows to protect the specimens, and new doors to secure the building.
Our 1st Quarter has been busy!
In December, staff members Chloe Goodson and Samantha Wilson attended
the 16th annual Alaska Bird Conference in Juneau, Alaska for continuing
education. While there Samantha Wilson gave a presentation entitled “The
History and Effects of the Barred Owl Range Expansion” Utilizing Hunter, our
barred owl. Samantha then joined our Raptor Curator Chloe Goodson and
former ABEF intern Sidney for a presentation with our Barred Owl to promote
our internship program to the students
at the University of Alaska Southeast. Eight interns have been chosen
for our internship program this summer from all over the United States.
We have just made arrangements to have our interns work two weeks
each at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve in Whitehorse, Yukon territory in
Canada to enhance their experience and education.
Introducing our New Trustees
With our continued growth and expansion, the Board of Trustees felt it
essential the ABEF select new trustees who would continue to guide the
future growth of the foundation. The Executive Committee felt the time
was right and decided during their 2014 meeting to make selections. The
Board selected the following individuals to become Trustees: Sean
Gaffney of Haines, AK and Gary Mathews of Anchorage, AK. The ABEF
thanks the new trustees for stepping forward and accepting the position
as a trustee. A sincere and heart-felt thank you was also extended to
those trustees of the past who have given so much and oversaw the
growth and development of the ABEF for the past 30+ years.
Did you know you can raise money for The American Bald Eagle
Foundation through iGive.com when you search or shop online!
www.iGive.com/BaldEagles Raise a penny (or more!) for our
organization every time you search the web. iSearchiGive.com is a search
engine powered by iGive.com, the internet's first online shopping mall,
where a portion of each purchase will be donated to your favorite cause.
Over 700 of the web’s best stores participate in this free program, and
up to 26% of each purchase benefits our cause! To date, we have
received $616.07. Thank you for your support!
Find us on
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Ph. (907) 766-3094
www.baldeagles.org
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