#GivingTuesday

We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, Tuesday, December 1st, a global day dedicated to giving back! If you like the work we do, please consider making a donation. You can donate online via paypal or mail a check to the Raptor Resource Project, PO Box 16, Decorah, IA 52101.

We are celebrating #GivingTuesday with some very special guests on our Decorah Eagles Ustream channel at http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles. We'll be starting chat at 8:00am Central Time and running through 8:00pm. Our planned schedule (weather permitting) will be:

10:30  Intro - John Howe
11:00  PE Project Update - Neil & Laura
12:00  Trapping and Monitoring - Dave Kester
3:00  Cameras and Projects Update

We will take questions from chat, although you are also welcome to email questions to amy@raptorresource.org. I can't guarantee we will get to all of them, but please feel welcome to send them!

What does the Raptor Resource Project do? We are a 501c3 that specializes in the preservation of falcons, eagles, ospreys, hawks, and owls. In addition to bringing you the Decorah Eagles, Great Spirit Bluff Falcons, and other birds of prey, we create, improve, and directly maintain over 50 nests and nest sites, provide training in nest site creation and management, and develop innovations in nest site management and viewing that bring people closer to the natural world. Our mission is to preserve and strengthen raptor populations, expand participation in raptor preservation, and help foster the next generation of preservationists.

As a nonprofit environmental organization, we depend on donors, research, and our other programs for our entire budget. With your tax deductible contribution to the Raptor Resource Project, we can:

• Continue updating to high definition digital cameras in Decorah and elsewhere.
• Help develop and realize a dream of Bob's:  establishing a Philippine Eagle cam to save a beautiful bird of prey who's very existence is threatened. We are working in cooperation with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Philippine Eagle Foundation. Neil and Kike will be traveling to the Philippines to scout locations with staff from both organizations in February of 2016.
• Provide one of the world’s largest public wildlife education programs to countless classrooms through our unequaled Ustream channels, interactive chats, facebook page, and blog.
• Partner with landowners, private businesses, and government agencies to monitor and band peregrine falcons at over 40 sites. 
• Continue our collaborative raptor nest-box, trapping, and monitoring programs.

These things all take money. As of 2015, our annual expenses were hovering around $99,000 per year:

• Staff/Compensation costs were around $55,000. We incurred extra expenses for our N2B build and two camera installs: one at N2B and one at Decorah North Nest. These were intensive projects that required a lot of help. The N2B camera installation alone took five full days of work from dawn past dusk.
• Equipment – computers, camera upgrades and maintenance, tools, encoders, software, transmitters, and so on – cost around $27,400. 
•  Supplies – primarily cable, tools, climbing equipment, banding equipment, bands, installation hardware, maintenance equipment, and lumber – cost around $2200 annually.
• Internet access costs roughly $4,500 annually.
• Other/Miscellaneous costs around $9,000 annually. This category includes gasoline, electricity, travel-related costs, equipment fabrication, and propane so we can heat the shed!

Our income is generated entirely by donations from viewers of our various cams, and we sincerely appreciate your generosity and support of the Raptor Resource Project mission. Would you please help us make a difference with your donation?

Thank you so much for your support and we hope you enjoy watching in 2016!