Boise State University alum Steve Alsup (Master of Science in Raptor Biology, ’12), Department of Biological Sciences and Raptor Research Center Professor Jim Belthoff, and Raptor Research Center advisor Todd Katzner (U.S. Geological Survey) recently published an article assessing observed Prairie Falcon numbers in the raptor-focused National Conservation Area near Boise, Idaho, compared to numbers going back 45 years. Co-authors on the publication also included long-time U.S. Geological Survey collaborators Karen Steenhof and Michael Kochert, who conducted the surveys in past decades.
“Despite widespread declines in North American grassland bird populations over the last fifty years, a falcon species on a conservation area in Idaho appears to be holding strong. This is according to the new paper ‘Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus) Abundance in a National Conservation Area in Idaho Has Increased since the 1970s-1990s,’ highlighted in the current issue of the Journal of Raptor Research. A team of collaborators from Boise State University and the U.S. Geological Survey conclude that Prairie Falcons nesting and foraging in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Southwestern Idaho have increased in abundance and maintained nesting success over a 45-year period. This suggests efficacy of the National Conservation Area as a refuge for Prairie Falcons and offers a glimmer of relief for raptor conservationists…”