1990s: The Era of Raptor Challenge



Executive Director Cynthia Lenhart (center) hired
Keith Bildstein in 1998 as Dir of Research & Education



Researched and Compiled by
Jeremy Scheivert
Education Coordinator

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Following Brett’s departure and continuing into the 1990s, leadership shifted from volunteers to interns. I joined the staff in 1996 and two years later Director of Research and Education Keith Bildstein restructured the field trip experience. Building on Nagy’s thoughts of yesteryear, off-site civic and scholastic programs were phased out, placing a renewed emphasis that the best
education opportunities happen on the grounds of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.



"The Return of Magic" marked the first publication that combined Hawk Mountain
education aimed at young people with Hawk Mountain conservation science.



Interns present "Tracking and Trapping,"
a new program that teaches visitors how
biologists study long-distance migrants.

Field trips focused more on raptors and raptor migration both in spring and autumn then perhaps ever before, a trend that reflected not only the interconnectedness of Sanctuary Conservation Science and Education during this period, but also the fine tuning of the Sanctuary’s mission. Over the next decade the department produced downloadable resources on the web, the first Hawk Mountain children’s book (pictured above), kestrel nestbox building instructions, a series of raptor species accounts, a guide to the North Lookout Trail, a new weekend program by interns to share raptor study techniques (see photo at right).

The 21^st Century brought "Nature Deficit Disorder," makred by fewer children than ever before spending time indoors. Increasingly, local schools faced decreasing field trip budgets. Although Hawk Mountain never once lacked student, civic, social or scholastic groups to lead, for the first time, demand hit a plateau and many schools could not promise students a full four-hour visit.

In 2006, President Lee Schisler Jr. replaced Cynthia Lenhart and brought with him yet a new focus on education in the form of "Raptor Challenge."  The new program offered a series of age-appropriate lessons on raptors for both overlooked and underserved students. Partnering with four school districts and their teachers, the program developed lessons on raptors into core disciplines (math, science, geography, and social sciences), then offered an in-class program along with a follow-up, on-site visit for all third graders.

Pre- and post-testing appealed to the Department of Education, and over the next four years, the program was financially successfull, raising significant new funds for this pilot outeach program.