Free Peregrine Falcon Workshop For Educators In Harrisburg April 13

A free workshop called “WILD in the City” offers educators unique up-close learning experiences and curriculum materials on peregrine falcons in Pennsylvania on April 13, at the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg.  

The workshop is sponsored by the Department of Environmental Protection and Game Commission, in cooperation with ZOOAMERICA North American Wildlife Park in Hershey and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

All teachers, non-formal educators, homeschoolers, and youth group and scout leaders are invited to attend. Teachers are eligible for 5.5 Act 48 credit hours.

At the workshop, which will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Rachel Carson Building auditorium, participants will:

-- Observe the state-listed endangered peregrine falcons in the wild;

-- Learn about Pennsylvania’s peregrine falcon restoration efforts and population status;

-- Explore using the high-definition live PA FalconCam in their classrooms or programs;

-- Receive standards-based curriculum guides from DEP and the Game Commission and a book from the DCNR-coordinated program Project WILD.

The workshop will be led by falcon experts including Art McMorris, peregrine falcon coordinator at the Game Commission, and Patrick Miller, naturalist at ZOOAMERICA.  

Registration is required. To register, educators should contact the DEP Environmental Education and Information Center by phone at 717-772-1644 or send email to: adevine@pa.gov  by April 6.  Space is limited, so registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.  

Peregrine falcons were absent from Pennsylvania in the early 1960s as a result of DDT use. While the birds remained extremely rare for many years, they’ve made a comeback through reintroduction programs, adapting to life in cities such as Harrisburg, Reading, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Williamsport.  

Peregrine falcons have nested on a ledge on the 15th floor of the Rachel Carson State Office Building since 1997. The nest site has been very productive, with 61 young peregrine falcons hatched since 2000.

The PA FalconCam chronicles the lives of the famous Harrisburg falcons for viewers around the world.

For more information on the species, visit the Game Commission’s Peregrine Falcons In PA webpage.