The People of The Peregrine Fund: Nojine

His name is Hilario Jorge Polanco… but the team members of our Dominican Republic program simply know him as Nojine. And the team has had quite a while to get to know him! Originally starting as a volunteer, Nojine first took on a paid seasonal position as a Hawk Observer in 2005 before becoming a permanent staff member in 2012. With 20 years on the project under his belt, he’s not only one of the longest-serving employees on our Dominican Republic team, but throughout the entire Peregrine Fund organization.

Our Dominican Republic team works to conserve the Ridgway’s Hawk, a Critically Endangered bird of prey found only on the island of Hispaniola in several small populations in the Dominican Republic and a recently re-discovered population on the island of Petite Cayemite in Haiti. Nojine is part of the team monitoring the population of Ridgway’s Hawks at one of our Los Haitises National Park study sites. “Ridgway’s Hawks are unique in the world,” he says with a smile. “And they greatly benefit farmers because they maintain biological control. The hawks hunt mice that can damage farmers' crops.”

Despite this, persecution by humans remains one of the largest threats to the species, making education a critical part of the team’s work. And that work is… well, working. Since our project began in 2002, the Ridgway’s Hawk population has doubled, giving great hope for the future of the species. “We had to walk far too much to find pairs before,” says Nojine. “But now we have a sustainable population. The work has been successful. I feel good, happy, and content because we are getting results.”