It began innocently enough. My quilting buddies and I also enjoyed the outdoors so we formed a Quilter’s Hiking Group to explore the vast trail network in the stunningly beautiful Sandia Mountain Wilderness Area, just east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Over the course of a couple of years, we hiked one day a week, exploring different trails. We’d bring a snack, and sit in the shade of a tree at lunch time, sharing conversation ranging from quilting to the environment to more eclectic topics.
One day, we decided to devote some of our time to benefit a wildlife group that reflected our interest in the outdoors. It had to be locally based, and not be so large as to laugh us out of their office when we offered to make a quilt for them. The first group that we found was a local hawk watching group. They accepted our offer, and we set about making the quilt, “Save our Eagles”. During that time, I met and fell in love, not with a human, but with a Red-tailed Hawk. She was their educational bird, and until that moment, it had never occurred to me that I might be able to be that close to such a magnificent animal. I became a volunteer, and later a paid staff member.
Hawks Aloft, Inc.
When that organization moved, I, along with others formed the non-profit organization, Hawks Aloft, Inc. in 1994. Today, this organization is the other love of my life! When I am not quilting, you might find me in the back country of New Mexico, working on one of our many studies, or in the classroom, teaching youth and adults about protecting wild areas or even improving your neighborhood for the wild animals that share your community.
I am privileged to work with our large staff of avian ambassadors. Each of them has some injury that permanently prevents their release to the wild. Many of them share my property, in large flight cages out back. Each of our birds has a unique personality, just like each human. One of my favorite activities is training new arrivals, helping them to become calm and able to act as ambassadors for their wild cousins.
My work with quilts and birds has taken me to far flung places such as New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, and the Northwest Territories of Canada. I feel very fortunate that I can combine my love of this art form and my love of nature.
As a member organization, Hawks Aloft offers a variety of outings to interesting locales near and far. Past trips have included High Island, Texas to see the spring warbler migration. In November 2011, we are offering a 21-day New Zealand Bird and Maori Culture tour, with a hand-picked itinerary off all of my favorite down-under stops. For more information, contact Gail.
Education
Each year, Hawks Aloft staff and educational ambassadors reach more than 25,000 people, ranging in age from pre-school to seniors. Our education program features a wide variety of age-specific programs, each featuring live educational raptors.
Here, long-time volunteer, Charles Brandt, speaks about the American Kestrel, the smallest falcon in North America, at the Monte Vista Festival of the Cranes, in Colorado.
School programs range from age-specific, single visit programs to the centerpiece of our education program, “Living with the Landscape: Building a Future for Communities and Wildlife”. Classrooms that participate in this program receive multiple classroom visits, two field trips, and students design and implement a local conservation project.
Past projects have included releasing endangered species, water quality monitoring, building and installing bat boxes, planting xeriscape gardens, etc. To learn more about the Hawks Aloft Educational programs contact education@hawksaloft.org.
Research
Our research is centered in New Mexico, and ranges from studies of large raptors such as the Golden Eagle and the Ferruginous Hawk, to smaller raptors like the Cooper’s Hawk and Burrowing Owl. About 50% of our studies focus on songbirds, measuring their abundance and number of different species relative to land management. Like the canary in the coal mine, changes in avian populations can provide early warning of declining habitat.
Hawk Talk – Ask An Expert
Do you have a question about wild birds? Hawk Talk – Ask an Expert is a feature of the Hawks Aloft website in which our staff of avian experts will answer your question about any species of bird, even songbirds!
Hawks Aloft Quilts
Each year, Hawks Aloft volunteers get together to stitch a raffle quilt. I create the design, create the paper foundations. Then, with the help of fellow quilters and Hawks Aloft volunteers, Mary Chappelle, Michele Hymel, Patty Phillips, and Anita McSorley, we select the fabric, and get everything ready for our weekend long event. We are proud of our annual fund-raiser, which has been stitched by a totally balanced gender mix the last few years! After the retreat, we quilterly types take turns quilting the layers together. Bonnie Rosenbaum has made the beautiful fellow signature block for the back — a true team effort. The winning ticket is drawn on the second Saturday in December at the annual holiday party!
The 2011 Hawks Aloft Raffle Quilt
This photo was taken at our quilt retreat, when the top was completed. Please check back for photos of the finished quilt.
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