Drum roll please!

On behalf of the entire live raptor education program staff and volunteers, we are pleased to announce the name selected for our golden eagle, as well as the name of the person who submitted the winning entry: Kateri

The name was chosen from 290 entries submitted by the public during a two-week period at the beginning of February. Entries were submitted from 41 states, Yellowstone National Park, and from several foreign countries, including Canada, Germany, Sweden, and from a member of the Armed Forces stationed in the Netherlands.

The winning entry was submitted by 8-year-old Chloe Hanson, of Cody, Wyoming—what are the odds a “local” would be the winner? The six-person name-selection committee was made up of Center staff and volunteers who had the difficult task of weeding through the entries and narrowing it down to the one winner. The process was done without the committee members knowing the identity of those submitting the golden eagle names.

The name remembers Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (1656 – 1680), who is honored as the Patron of people who love nature, work in ecology, and work to preserve the natural and human environments. She is the first Native North American saint.

“Kateri was a child of nature. Her sainthood will raise the minds and hearts of those who love nature and work in ecology.” —Bishop Stanislaus Brzana, Bishop of Ogdensburg, New York.

Chloe will receive a copy of the book Golden Eagle: Sovereign of the Skies with a personal note to her from the author. We congratulate her and thank all of those around the world who submitted names. This was a very difficult decision because of the many wonderful names submitted, and we are overwhelmed by this response.

Thanks to all of you who submitted names for consideration, and we promise that you will soon meet Kateri in person!

Mellissa and Chuck