Meet Our Team

Growing up in rural Eastern New Mexico, Hana was always immersed in the world of conservation. Born, raised, and homeschooled on a working ranch dedicated to the conservation and restoration of grassland ecosystems, she could always be found outdoors exploring nature or caring for her animals. Her father, an avid falconer, meant that her life was also intertwined in the world of raptors and raptor conservation from the beginning. Interested in landscape level management, she studied Natural Resource Management at Colorado State University but ultimately returned to her passion of breeding and raising birds of prey at The Peregrine Fund in 2016 as a Propagation Specialist. In 2018, Hana was asked to join the Puerto Rico program and manage the wild propagation efforts of the endangered Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk. Quickly falling in love with the island, the species and the communities, she helped grow and expand the project to focus on the recovery of Puerto Rico’s endangered raptors.  

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Isamar has always fostered a love for working with animals. She acquired a degree in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico, focusing studies on a wide-range of courses including pre-vet, genetics, invertebrates, disease control and biosecurity. In 2021, Isamar volunteered to assist The Peregrine Fund in conducting the Puerto Rican Broad-winged Hawk pilot surveys and later became a dedicated hack site attendant during the releases of the Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk. In 2022, as a seasonal field biologist, Isamar helped lead and complete The Peregrine Fund's first island-wide Puerto Rican Broad-winged Hawk distribution and abundance study. Growing and excelling in the field of raptor biology, she was then hired as a seasonal Assistant Crew Lead for the Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk team in 2023 where she was involved in all aspects of surveying, searching, monitoring, and managing the species in the wild. With unwavering passion and dedication for the conservation, Isamar is now the full-time Project Coordinator, organizing and leading the Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk recovery effort and assisting future studies of the Puerto Rican Broad-winged Hawk. 

Nashally acquired a degree in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico with studies initially focusing in biomedical sciences. Through the guidance of professors and enrollment in more environmental courses, she found her interest shifting to biodiversity. An opportunity to assist in the recovery of the Puerto Rican Parrot sparked her interest in avian conservation leading her to search for additional opportunities on her home island of Puerto Rico. Nashally worked for several years in the field of bioacoustics before starting as a seasonal field biologist with The Peregrine Funds’ Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk project in 2022. With an already strong background in fieldwork, she was quickly recognized as a leader in efforts of surveying, searching, monitoring and managing the Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk. In early 2023, Nashally moved into the seasonal Crew Lead position where she excelled in coordinating, training and carrying out all aspects of the recovery effort. By the end of that year, Nashally stepped into the full-time Field Coordinator position where she now leads recovery efforts in the field.  

Brendan was born in Colorado with an innate love of all things “animal.” This love never waned and he continued following this passion into adulthood. As a teenager he began working with animals as a kennel technician at a veterinary hospital as well as volunteering at local zoos. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brendan found work at a cat hospital which trained him to become a veterinary technician. Moving to Arizona for Arizona State University’s Conservation Biology and Ecology program, he continued working as a vet tech but shifted to working with exotic animals. Here, he worked with various bird species, including an injured California Condor from the Utah–Arizona flock. Having fallen in love with birds, Brendan decided after graduating that he would dedicate his life to conserving the world’s most endangered birds. After doing small stints of field work in Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico, in 2024 he joined The Peregrine Fund at the World Center for Birds of Prey as a Propagation Grantee where he trained with the propagation team and learned the protocols and methodology for propagating endangered raptors. He took these teachings with him to Puerto Rico where he serves as the team’s Propagation Biologist, incubating, hatching and raising the next generation of Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawks.