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.  

Melissa grew up on a small farm in Idaho where she happily took on the many responsibilities of caring for the farms animals. Growing up, she was actively involved in her local 4-H Club and could always be found outside, playing and caring for her animals. Intrigued and excited by the idea of working with wild animals in their natural habitat, Melissa studied Wildlife Conservation at Humboldt State University. Following college, she spent many seasons working on a variety of fish and wildlife projects, which allowed her to gain experience, travel and work in beautiful ecosystems all over the country. In 2016, she worked as one of The Peregrine Fund’s first field biologists in Puerto Rico; studying and laying much of the initial groundwork for the Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk project. From 2017-2019, Melissa continued her dedicated involvement in the Puerto Rico project, volunteering her time to help train new staff and assist during critical field activities such as nest searching, tree climbing and releases of wild hawks. In 2019, she stepped into her role as the Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk Field Coordinator where she oversees and carries out the organization and management activities of the recovery effort. 

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 a full-time Puerto Rico Field Biologist, 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 a full-time Puerto Rico Field Biologist position where she now leads recovery efforts in the field.