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GUIDE TO YELLOW SPR INGS | 2021– 2022 57 GLEN HELEN, THE OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTER AND RAPTOR REHABILITATION Introduction by CHERYL DURGANS Before there was the Raptor Center, injured raptors were housed and rehabilitated at the Glen’s Outdoor Education Center. The first raptor to be cared for through the center was an injured hawk who had been shot and blinded. He was rescued and brought to the Glen in 1970. The Raptor Center has a two-fold mission: “To improve the welfare of raptors across Ohio through educating the public about birds of prey, wildlife and conservation issues, and through the rehabilitation of injured rap - tors across Southwestern Ohio.” The following article was written at a time when the bald eagle was on the threshold of extinction. In 1979, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, or ODNR, had identified just four remaining eagles’ nests in the entire state. Yet today, there is good news in the face of diminishing returns facing the world, as climate change has ushered in the whole - sale elimination of some animal species. The Glen’s initial efforts to support the survival of raptors through the establishment of the Raptor Center has contributed to more positive developments in recent years, particularly through the comeback story of the bald eagle population in Ohio. According to the Bald Eagle Breeding Population Status released to the public in Novem - ber 2020, there are 707 known eagles’ nests in 85 counties throughout Ohio. This represents a 150% increase from the 2020 census which documented 281 nests in 59 counties. The report attributes the population increase of eagles to the banning of the synthetic insecticide DDT, which Rebecca Jaramillo, director of the Raptor Center at Glen Helen Nature Preserve, handled Velocity, a female peregrine falcon, during a raptor photography program at the center on Sunday, Feb. 24. | PHOTO BY LUCIANA L I EFF caused both animal and human deaths and birth defects, and the regulation of other environmental pollutants, eagle adaptation to living near human populations, and human wildlife rehabilitation efforts, something the Glen has been on the forefront of in the area since 1970. A version of the following article was originally published in the Oct. 17, 1984, issue of the News. BIRDS OF PREY ARE AN ENDANGERED SPECIES By DIANE CHIDDI STER W hen eagles soar and hawks swoop, we grounded humans can only imagine these birds’ graceful freedom. But most of us like to imagine. The flight of rap- tors — also called birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, vultures and owls — offers “aesthetic appeal,” says Roger Beatty, supervisor of the Raptor Center at Glen Helen’s Outdoor Education Center. “People like to see creatures so wild and natural." But raptors are in trouble. Their numbers are declining, and many birds of prey have suffered from our society’s continual development of advanced technology. In recognition of the raptors’ GLEN HELEN Continued on page 58 Springs Healing Massage Since 1999! Amy Spurr, LMT • 937-374-2699 Keri Speck, LMT, RYT • 937-767-8483 Swedish Massage • Myofascial Release Pregnancy Massage • Deep Tissue • Reiki Master 213W.Whiteman St. rear building, Yellow Springs Your Downtown Florist & Gift Shop 239 Xenia Ave. 937-767-1658 or 1-800-248-1658 Full Service Florist • Teleflora Daily Specials • Children’s Books Personalized Service • Unique Gifts