This year the world's first refuge for birds of prey, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary near Kempton, Berks County, will celebrate its 75th anniversaryThe Sanctuary started during the Great Depression when an amateur ornithologist by the name of Richard Pough, offered a dramatic and compelling experience for birdwatchers, hikers and nature lovers.
In 1929 the Game Commission placed a $5 price tag on the goshawk's head—a grand sum in Depression years. Two years later, while Pough was a recent college graduate living in Philadelphia, he became one of a growing number of conservationists opposed to the widespread movement to eradicate wildlife predators, including predatory birds.
Pough heard of the place locals called "Hawk Mountain" and decided to visit. There he saw gunners stationed, shooting hundreds of passing hawks for sport. He returned to gather the carcasses lying on the forest floor and take photographs. Pough unsuccessfully tried to stop the shooting himself, but his photographs were eventually seen by a national conservation activist New Yorker Rosalie Edge.
In 1934, Mrs. Edge came to Hawk Mountain and leased 1,400 acres. She installed a warden on the property, a New England bird enthusiast named Maurice Broun, and Maurice's wife and bird conservation partner, Irma Broun.
The shooting stopped immediately and the next year, Mrs. Edge opened the Sanctuary to the public as a place to see the beautiful, but persecuted birds of prey. She purchased and deeded the 1,400 acres to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, incorporated in 1938 as a non-profit organization in Pennsylvania.
During the Fall migration season, it is not unusual to see more than 25,000 hawks and other birds of prey safely migrated passed Hawk Mountain. And now is the best time to go.
Click here for schedule of 75th Anniversary events.
Video Blog: Hawk Mountain Offers Unique Experience
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