Greater Yellowstone Raptor Experience takes flight!
July 21, 2011
Hello and welcome to the brand new blog for the Greater Yellowstone Raptor Experience!
It’s been a long and bumpy road, getting this program off the ground. We started in February with the designing of the mews (that’s a falconry term for a house that holds birds of prey—a barn, if you will). You would think that building a “barn” that holds five birds would be a simple and fast process…but you’d be wrong. All birds of prey are protected by law and the keeping of these birds is closely regulated by both state and federal agencies. We had a lot of wildlife regulations to comply with, not to mention the city of Cody’s Planning & Zoning board.
After meeting with our Wyoming Game & Fish Department representative to pre-approve the plans, we next presented our proposal for the facility to the Planning & Zoning board. Once we’d been approved there, we applied for our building permits and we finally broke ground on the mews on April 19—a chilly and slightly snowy day as you can see by the picture.
Be sure to check back often on the progress of this fledgling program!
Written By
Melissa Hill
While earning her Bachelor's Degree in Wildlife Management at the University of Wyoming, Melissa began volunteering at Laramie Raptor Refuge and was instantly hooked on birds of prey. Since those early days, she has worked with nearly 70 different raptors at four different raptor education groups in three states. She is a former member of the Education Committee for the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE) and a National Association for Interpretation's Certified Interpretive Guide. When she's not "playing with the birds" she enjoys spending time quilting, crocheting, and exploring the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with her non-bird family.
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