Raptor program expands mission and finds new home

By Gary Raham
Correspondent

A new center to be built on 27 acres along East Vine Drive in north Fort Collins will allow the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program to pursue some lofty goals.

The RMRP, which rehabilitates injured birds of prey and helps the public become better environmental stewards, is frequently seen at public gatherings with its amazing birds.

"The community has been extremely supportive of this program throughout our 18-year history," said executive director Judy Scherpelz. "With the continued support of our friends and benefactors, we will create an amazing attraction for children and families in this region, and the city will experience an economic boost from tourism. We could not be more excited about the possibilities."

The RMRP began as a student volunteer effort in 1979 to rehabilitate injured birds brought to the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. It has grown into an organization nationally recognized for its quality of medical care, community educational outreach and volunteerism. Scherpelz, hired in 1987, guides the program, which now reaches 10,000 school children and up to 1.4 million people annually with messages of respect and care for raptors and the environment they need to survive and thrive.

The new site will contain a 30,000-square-foot building that will house both a rehabilitation medical center and a public education area containing exhibits, observation room, gift shop, snack bar and classroom space. Outside, visitors will have access to an amphitheater, picnic area and a trail system through a variety of raptor habitats, including a prairie dog town. Exhibits will help visitors understand how they can interact with nature in sustainable ways, using raptors in local habitats to explain biological concepts. Visitors will be able to reach the facility by car or by shuttle from Old Town Fort Collins.

In 2002, the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences announced that the RMRP's facilities would be needed for a new veterinary diagnostic laboratory. In response, the RMRP created a nonprofit corporation to secure funding and locate a new base of operations before a January 2007 deadline.

The program ultimately forged connections with Tim Merriman and Lisa Brochu, executive staff members of the National Association for Interpretation. With 5,000 members in 32 countries, NAI teaches interpretation techniques with the goal of "forging emotional and intellectual connections between the interests of the audience and the meanings inherent in the [natural] resource."

NAI led in developing a plan for RMRP's new home and facilities that drew on the expertise of volunteers, donors, neighbors, representatives of Fort Collins' Downtown Development Association, city government, Fort Collins Audubon Society and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.

In the process of rehabilitating injured birds and returning them to the wild, the RMRP hopes to become the leading authority in the world on raptors, and public education is a large part of this effort. The pursuit of these goals in developing a new center should also prove to be good economics for Fort Collins by providing enjoyable activities for local families and opportunities for volunteerism. It could also serve as a magnet for ecotourism.

The design and development phase of the project will take about six to eight months. It's hoped groundbreaking will occur in 2006 and that the center will be operational in 2007. Revenue will be generated through public/private partnerships, land development and philanthropy. Because RMRP's land has been incorporated into the Downtown Development Authority's boundaries, charitable gift donors to the project are eligible for a 25 percent state of Colorado tax credit, in addition to federal and state tax deductions.

Bob Francella, RMRP's director of outreach and communication, is confident that the raptor and avian center will become "a destination for families from down the block and around the world; a place to learn, to be entertained, to marvel in; a place for fine dining and snow cones; a place for music, culture and wild creatures; a source of pride for all that call Colorado, and earth, their home."

More information is available by calling 297-4225 or e-mailing Francella at bf@colostate.edu. The organization's web site is located at www.rmrp.org.