The People of The Peregrine Fund: Isamar Flores Rodríguez

“As a kid, I was always interested in wildlife conservation. Watched documentaries, always loved being around forests and rivers,” shares Isamar Flores Rodríguez, our Puerto Rico Project Coordinator. “But it wasn’t until university that I started helping out several colleagues on their field research and said ‘conservation is what I should try out.’” We’re very glad that she did!

A native of the island territory, Isamar—in an origin story not unusual in our organization—began with The Peregrine Fund as a volunteer, assisting both our Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk and Puerto Rican Broad-winged Hawk projects in 2021. The birds made a strong impression on her, and she made a strong impression on our team. Isamar became a paid seasonal technician for the 2022 season, then a full-time staff member in late 2023.

“I just fell in love with these birds and the work to conserve them,” she explains. As Project Coordinator, she coordinates and executes a wide range of tasks, including staff training, searching for and monitoring nests, banding nestling hawks, trail maintenance, conducting outreach events and tree climbing workshops, and much more. “Basically protecting and caring for the hawks however I can,” she says with a smile.

Isamar notes that as a Puerto Rican, she feels a special happiness and pride in being part of the work to conserve birds found nowhere else in the world, work that she describes as arduous but extremely rewarding. “These hawks in particular are very secretive, and our climate here can make the work even harder, but that doesn’t in any way diminish my drive,” she says. “I want to continue growing, learning, and introducing these birds to other Puerto Ricans who, like me in the past, may not know about them. I think it’s wonderful to contribute my piece towards their conservation.”

Video:
Hana Weaver
Nashally Folch Mercado
Melissa Murillo
u_vzdpugfofv / Pixabay
Isamar Flores Rodríguez
Nadia Swanson
Diego Bisbal

Music:
StudioKolomna / Pixabay

Additional Audio:
DRAGON_STUDIO / Pixabay