The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey announced today that the Grand Opening of their new facilities will take place on Earth Day, 22 April 2023 instead of the originally announced date of September 2022. The organization cites unprecedented supply chain challenges and unforeseen price increases as the cause of the delay.
Project lead and VP of Development at The Peregrine Fund, Heather Meuleman says, “Quite simply, this is an exciting and uncharted time to build the future of environmental education through the lens of raptor ecology. But the good news is that we are building something truly spectacular and our momentum continues thanks to the leadership of Jordan-Wilcomb Construction and Hatch Design Architecture as well as all of our project partners who have made this expansion possible.”
Thanks to the incredible generosity of donors and the community, the Center has received $3.5 million dollars toward their $4.1 million goal that will bring the STEM learning resource to fruition.
The new facilities will include a Welcome Center, the Idaho Power Flight Lab hawk exhibit, the Jan S. Alsever Peregrine Falcon exhibit, and an outdoor sandstone classroom supported by Boise Cascade, Idaho STEM Action Center, and many community members who sponsored perches, benches, and bricks. To address capacity needs, the expansion also includes a new, larger parking lot and bathrooms.
Since the Center first opened, more than 500,000 students have visited and visitorship has grown by 48% over a five-year period. “This expansion will help us to meet the increasing needs that we have projected. We currently have to turn away schools because of limited space, but this will allow us to double the number of kids who get nose-to-beak with raptors and learn the value of Idaho’s landscapes,” says Tate Mason, Director of the World Center for Birds of Prey. “We hope that everyone marks their calendars now to bring their families and friends out and celebrate this success for the Treasure Valley on April 22nd of next year.”
In the meantime, the Center encourages the community to plan to come out to this year’s Fall Flights bird show running September 23 - October 30 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, weather permitting. Watch as the Center’s education avian ambassadors fly outdoors, where they do what they do best – soar! You may even “get winged” as a hawk, owl, or falcon swoops above your head. This event has become an autumn tradition in Idaho and tickets will go on sale at the end of August. Learn more about Fall Flights and keep an eye out for tickets to go on sale at www.peregrinefund.org/fall-flights-2022 Get your tickets early - they sell out quickly!
To learn more about The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey expansion and how you can get involved, visit www.peregrinefund.org/hatched
