April

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Dear Fellow WFA Members:
You may not know me, and
that’s fine. I don’t normally get
the front page—because I’m
usually behind it.
I have been your Mewsletter
editor, your Facebook admin,
and your Webmaster. I have
even very briefly been your
President, an honor which I
shall never forget.
or tornadoes, or driving off the
road in the snow; stories of
blood and guts and pain and
pizza and love and joy and
friendship and, for some
reason, falling out of cars. And
so many, many more. But not
today.
I have done everything I ever
dreamed possible as a
falconer—and then some. Back
in 2006, I was the NAFA
Once upon a time, I waddled
webmaster too, so during the
into a WFA picnic, heavily
NAFA-IAF meet I was privileged
pregnant but still wanting to get to attend the opening of the
involved. WFA needed a
new Sheikh Zayed Arab Falconry
Webmaster; I volunteered, and Heritage Wing at the Archives of
that was that. That day … was
Falconry. Falconry has gifted
fourteen years ago.
me with an unbelievable
number of such once-in-aNow, over that length of time,
lifetime experiences and dearly
you get to do a few things.
beloved friends.
I could tell you a story of deadly
massaging beds, or magic fog,
But lifetimes, as I am rapidly
finding out, just don’t last as
long as you think. It won’t be
long at all now before that oncebaby fledges into a life on his
own.
It is time for me to pass this
opportunity on— to give
someone else a chance to
make his own mark on WFA’s
history. Tomorrow is someone
else’s day to shine.
But tonight, I just wanted to
take this one last opportunity to
say Hi. My name is Jayme, and it
has been a pleasure serving
you.
Y’all take care now.
~ JP
WFA Webmaven 2001-2015
P h o t o
C r e d i t :
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Straight From the State:
Tricia’s Corner
2
Dr. Ray’s Veterinary
News and Notes
3
President’s Report
4
Treasurer’s Report
6
Mandatory Simone
Photo
6
NW Director Report
7
Central Director Report
8
Eastern Director Report
9
Op-Ed: Thoughts on
Sponsorship
11
Historian’s Report
13
Board Meeting Minutes
15
Support our Donors
18
WFA Board Contact Info
19
A ar o n
© Copyright 2015 Washington Falconers Association
S m i t h
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Str aight From the State:
T r i c i a’ s C o r n e r
Avian Influenza in
Washington State
10% bleach solution. Signs of infection
in raptors may include:
 Nasal and eye discharge
Unfortunately, our
 Blood-tinged nasal or eye
falconry community was hit very close
discharge
to home by the highly pathogenic
 Sudden neurological signs such as
avian influenza viruses (HPAIV)
outbreak infecting and killing a fellow tilting head and lack of coordination
falconer’s birds. This influenza strain is  Depressed/ruffled feathers
highly lethal to raptors. Continue to
 Sudden death
avoid hunting wild avian species,
Natural hosts (waterfowl) do not
particularly waterfowl, and do not feed usually become sick when infected,
your birds wild-caught waterfowl.
but spread the virus in their feces and
respiratory secretions such as sneezes.
If raptors are infected the incubation
period can be short. Immediately
HPAIV viruses can survive well in cold
isolate sick birds and follow with
water and under appropriate
appropriate sanitation and
conditions survival can be several
decontamination of your equipment
weeks. In the right environments they
and facilities with soap, water, and
may survive a day or two on inanimate
objects. They are easy to kill with most
common disinfectants or by drying.
Please read http://wdfw.wa.gov/
conservation/health/avian_flu/
index.html. We do not believe HPAIV is
a cause for panic but do encourage
you to be vigilant. We do not want
anyone else to experience the tragedy
of losing a bird to HPAIV.
~ Tricia Thompson
Wildlife Biologist
Wildlife Rehabilitation and Falconry
Manager
WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
16018 Mill Creek Blvd.
Mill Creek, WA 98012
[email protected]
If you suspect a domestic bird is ill, contact the WSDA Avian Health Program at 1-800-606-3056.
Sick and/or dead wild birds should be reported to the WDFW at 1-800-606-8768.
If you are concerned about this illness in you or your family, please contact the
Washington State Department of Health at 1-800-525-0127.
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Dr. R ay’s Veterinary
News and Notes
Beginning in early December of
2014, news of an outbreak of avian
influenza in poultry farms in the
Frazier Valley of southern British
Columbia was followed shortly
thereafter with the loss of several
captive falcons in Whatcom County
here in Washington due to a
slightly different strain of highly
pathogenic avian influenza. At
about the same time, samples
taken from wild ducks in Whatcom
County were tested positive for
avian influenza. Since then, avian
influenza has been reported in
both wild ducks and backyard
flocks of ducks and chickens. The
states reporting outbreaks include
Washington, Oregon,
California, Idaho and Utah. To most
falconers, most of this is old news.
Falconers hawking ducks were
advised to stop taking waterfowl
for the time being. Now that the
waterfowl season is over, we will
have to wait to see how this
disease evolves. It may have
subsided by next fall. Then again, it
may not. A recent meeting in
Burlington, WA of people
interested in avian flu provided a
lot of interesting information. Four
raptors found dead in
Washington have tested positive
for avian influenza. Much valuable
information was provided by Dr.
Victoria Bowes. She is an avian
pathologist who works for the
British Columbia Ministry of
Agriculture. Much of the problem
with avian influenza in her province
comes across her desk. She was
also involved with the devastating
avian influenza outbreak in the
poultry industry in 2004. Her
knowledge of this disease is
extensive. Her
comment that they
had never seen this
virus mutate this
fast was very unsettling. The
prospect that this disease may be
around for a while in our waterfowl
populations, or that it may mutate
into other species, is a real
possibility. This virus mutates so
rapidly that it makes our
knowledge of this disease outdated
on almost a daily basis. The best
advice to falconers now is to have
your birds avoid contact with wild
birds, especially ducks and geese
which are the reservoir for avian
influenza. Very possibly, the
situation regarding this disease will
change in the next few months.
Hopefully for the better.
~ Tom Ray, DVM
Photos from the Winter Meet
Top Left: Dinner at Time Out Pizza
Top Right: Sue Hanneman and Pearl
Lower Left: Holly Ackerman with Jim Nelson’s Aplomado
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P r e s i d e n t ’ s R e p o r t
B r a d F e l g e r
Greetings from the Skagit Valley. As this
hawking season is over now and the
raptor breeding & moulting time is
upon us, I can’t help but reflect on
everything that has happened this
season and is still happening now. For
the past 25+ seasons my falconry has
been with falcons on waterfowl. This
season I started a new falcon that I
acquired in October 2014, he is a ¾ Gyr
x ¼ Peregrine. I quickly got him flying
and during the Thanksgiving week Sue
and I went to the east side of the
Cascades during the cold snap. The
temperature hovered between the
single digits and a high of 15 degrees,
Hoko my new tiercel thought he was in
heaven while Sue and I froze our hands
and noses off!!! During the week there
he began to take a good pitch of over
1000 feet and the day after we came
home I put him over his first duck slip.
He flew great, we flushed, he stooped,
and he scored!!! First duck of the
season with a new falcon (I had to retire
my 12x intermewed falcon last season
due to an injury by a Bald Eagle). I
thought to myself “This is going to be a
great season!”
The next day my phone rang, it was Dan
Pike, he called to warn me of the Avian
Influenza and told me the tragic story
Hoko on Pheasant.
Photo Credit: Brad Felger
that had just happened to his 4 falcons
and what he was going thru. At that
moment I quit hunting waterfowl for
the season as I continued to hear and
read news stories of its spread in British
Columbia, Washington, Oregon,
California, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. For
the rest of the season I served pigeons
and some bagged pheasants to Hoko
and called it an early season back in
January. I am really hoping that this
tragic influenza outbreak is not with us
after this season. There are differing
opinions on this and next waterfowl
season there will be testing done as the
waterfowl migrate down thru and out
of Canada and we will know then what
the status is on this. About a month ago
the Central Flyway was hit with the
Avian Influenza as the waterfowl have
been migrating back. Some Waterfowl
and a few raptors were found dead and
tested positive for the virus. Some
Turkey farms were also hit with
influenza. The virus has made its way
east with migrating waterfowl
transporting the virus as the migration
heads North. Then just over a week ago
a Goose tested positive in Wyoming and
a falconers bird died and tested positive
in Montana.
Back in February I was invited to a
discussion group organized by Bud
Anderson on Avian Influenza as it
pertains to raptors here on the Skagit
Valley and the Pacific Northwest.
Present were scientists, raptor
biologists, college professors, a
Canadian Dept of Agriculture
pathologist, Dr. Tom Ray, Dan Pike,
Steve Layman, Simone, & Paul and Rona
DeBruyn (Paul gave a presentation on
the subject), Sue, & myself. I learned a
lot that day and also that while data is
being gathered no one knows what is
going to happen in the future and/or
how long this will last. What is known is
that this is High Pathogen Avian
Influenza epidemic effecting the
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Northern Hemisphere and that it
reached North America from possibly
one individual duck carrying Avian
Influenza migrating across from Russia
to Western Canada where it spread to
North American Waterfowl and then
down thru British Columbia (and
devastating the poultry industry there)
and into Washington where Dan Pikes
Gyrfalcon caught a duck and Dan fed it
to 4 of his falcons on which all 4 died
within a week after eating the duck.
Waterfowl carry the influenza but
normally do not become ill with it. The
spread happens thru contact with the
feces of infected waterfowl (in most of
the non-raptor cases) and in raptor
cases, by eating infected waterfowl.
Freezing does not kill the virus, but
cooking does (which does not matter
because you can’t feed cooked meat to
raptors!!!) We will keep you informed
as more information comes in about
Avian Influenza.
So my solution for the season was to
trap and hunt with a Merlin. I have
gone back to my earlier falconry year’s
back in the 1980’s and until 1992 when I
flew several passage Merlin’s.
So I trapped a nice Black female and
she is flying well and with the warm
winter there are still plenty of Starlings
and other small birds around. Fun, fun,
fun! I really enjoy hunting with Merlin’s
and have often wondered why I
stopped flying them. They are truly an
amazing falcon to fly.
Brad and his passage Merlin,
early 1980’s.
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In January WFA held its winter meet in
Soap Lake. Game was taken and we had
a good turnout of falconers who
gathered at “Time Out Pizza” in Ephrata
on Saturday night to listen to the
presentation by John Szabo about the
“Ark” back in the late 70’s in Spokane
which was a falconer’s hangout where
every year they would tame hack
Merlin’s and then hunt with them.
We ate lots of pizza and spoke the
language of “Falconry” with one another.
Thanks Roni for hosting the meet, we
had a great time! Then several of us
ended up in a motel room where Cliff
Kellogg showed slides from the past.
Present in the room were Cliff, Tom
“Jackie” Gleason, Raul Ramirez, Jim
Nelson, Willis Lake, Lee Tostevin, Holly
Ackerman, Tim Ainge, Kalin Pearson,
Jeremy Pottenger, Sue, myself, & some
others (sorry if I missed your name on
this). I lasted until 3am and I understand
it went until 4am! What a fun time we
had!
We all went to breakfast the next
morning and then went to watch Jim
Nelson and Raul demonstrate the Quad
Copter (Drone) with one of Jim’s
Aplomado falcons. Thanks Jim and Raul!
All of us from WFA say “Thank You” to
Jayme Pearlman for her many years of
service developing and maintaining
WFA’s website, putting the Mewsletter
out, serving as interim President, and
many other volunteer tasks for WFA.
Jayme’s kids are growing up and she
wants to spend as much of her spare
time as she can with them so she is
handing over the website to WFA’s new
NW Director Aaron Smith and we are in
process of finding a new Mewsletter
editor.
Thank You Jayme!!
I also want to thank Aaron Allred for
serving WFA as the Northwest Director
among other tasks he has done for WFA.
Due to an increase in his demands with
his job he could not continue to serve as
the NW Director. Thank You Aaron for
your service and we wish you the best.
Aaron Smith was appointed by the WFA
Board as the WFA Interim Northwest
Director. For those of you who do not
know Aaron Smith he is a hardcore
Austringer, especially with Goshawks
and it has been a pleasure to get to know
him over the past couple of years since
we first met. Welcome to the WFA Board
Aaron!!!
With the annual Summer Picnic coming
up soon in July we need help. We need
volunteers to help out at the event and
we are looking for donations. If you have
Photos from the Winter Meet
Left: Jim Nelson and his Aplomado
Right: Cliff Kellogg’s Harris’s Hawk Hera
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Brad’s Merlin
perches, leashes, hoods, or other
falconry equipment, artwork, books,
food, cookies, etc. to donate to the
Summer Picnic please let your area
director, myself, or Ron Moorhead know
so we can put together this very fun and
very important fund raiser for your club.
See you at Fall City at the Summer
Picnic!
I hope you had a good hawking season!
Thank You,
Brad
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Treasurer’s Report
Lee Tostevin
For those who attended the Winter
Meet, I hope you all had as much fun
as I did. We had about forty people
attend! I made some new friends and
heard some great stories from longtime falconers. I also got out hawking
with several people over the weekend.
As an apprentice, I’m very appreciative
and thankful for the time and effort
people take to teach and include me
in their falconry.
So far, my experience as an
apprentice has been with kestrels.
This fall I will be trapping my first Red
Tail. Over the spring and summer I’ll
be busy “upsizing” my equipment and
working with my future little rabbit
flusher, Neala, a six-month-old longhaired mini dachshund.
Most of our membership has now
renewed for 2015 and we’ve had
about fifteen new members joining
WFA for the first time! Welcome to
WFA!
we do things to better serve our
members. Our membership is our
greatest resource, so if you have some
new ideas, a particular skill set that
might be a good fit, and you’d like to
get more involved, please don’t
hesitate to contact a Board Member.
Please feel free to contact me with any
questions, suggestions, or concerns
Behind the scenes we have a lot going you may have at
on. We have closed out 2014, we
[email protected].
have invested a portion of WFA’s
funds into some short-term
Enjoy your summer! ~ Lee
Certificates of Deposit, and we are
finalizing our 2015 budget, We are
looking at some other changes to how
Snowshoe Slayer
Simone
We apologize for any
inconvenience while our
PayPal account was down.
You can again renew on-line
at our website.
www.wafalconers.org
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NW
My name is Aaron Smith and I am
pleased to be stepping in for Aaron
Allred as NW Director. We figured we
could ease the transition by picking
somebody with the same name - you're
welcome ;) For those who don’t know
me: I have been a falconer since 1999,
with experience with red-tails, Harris
hawks, and all of the North American
accipiters as well as a few European
goshawks.
This year I was fortunate to be able to
search for young birds with fellow
falconers, with experiences
ranging from rappelling off cliffs for
peregrines, "video taping UFOs", and
boating to remote locations, to climbing
trees in the West Cascades and
Olympics, as well as being attacked by
birds in the East Cascades. I have
enjoyed seeing how these native birds
have been raised and hunted by friends.
It truly is wonderful to see the happiness
a young eyass brings to a falconer and to
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N o r t h w e s t D i r e c t o r
A a r o n S m i t h
see them grow up and hunt later on.
Several of them have been very
successful. We also have several
apprentices who are doing well with
their new birds this year. I appreciate
seeing the excitement of apprentices
with their new birds. Helping them train
new dogs and enter their birds is a
rewarding experience. It was just
reported to me that one apprentice has
been doing really well with her bird, and
has caught over 100 rabbits with her
Harris hawk. Good job Sue!
While the hunting season ends,
breeding birds gear up, and many
neglected projects are revisited, we
look forward to new imprint,
chamber, and/or passage birds for
the next year. With the nice weather
we have been having, my own birds
have been making breeding calls and
started building nests since early
February. It looks like we may have
an early start to the breeding season!
I know that most falconers in the
Northwest are thinking about how
the Avian Influenza has impacted the
current duck season and will be
looking ahead to what the next year
will bring. I hope it runs its course
quickly. Personally, I chose to pass up
many duck slips this year, though I
was not able to completely avoid
catching a few ducks with an
opportunistic bird like a goshawk.
This summer I look forward to
chasing sparrows and starlings with
my sharpie. I wonder how many
falconers will take the duck situation
in mind when making plans for new
birds? Will there possibly be a
renewed interest in microfalconry in
the Northwest?
Feel free to contact me with any
thoughts, questions, or concerns
about the future focus of the WFA or
about falconry in general.
~ Dr. Aaron L. Smith
Aaron in a Tree
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C e n t r a l D i r e c t o r
R o n U p d e g r av e
Well not much happening, in the
Central part of the state. The duck
thing has everybody messed up “at
least those flying falcons”. Hopefully
this virus doesn’t last much longer,
or there may be a lot of people
changing what they would normally
be flying, just to be able to fly.
hear from the general membership
for some ideas on new things, places, and activities, that we could all
change up. Where would you like to
meet? Maybe add to the fall or winter meets with a larger auction. It is
very hard to make things work for
everyone, let’s do some brainstorming and get with your respective diJeromy Bradshaw’s book on Merlin’s
rectors with some ideas. If everyone
has already sparked a lot of interest,
would donate one item for the aucmaybe Merlin’s will be much sought
tions- Wow. The only way anything
after, for the folks flying Ducks.
can change is with communication.
Maybe some of us “die hard long
wingers” will have to try a Harris
I have finally moved out to 65 acres I
bought back in 1995, built a house
Hawk or even a Goshawk!
and am working on finishing up lawn
We the board, sure would like to
system and landscaping. I have lots
of Russian olives piled up for quail
habitat and also, have spread out
some pipe for the rabbits to hide in.
Larry Ray and Simone, Brad Felger
and Sue have been out to chase a
few bunnies. I have moved things
around here a quite a bit in the lasts
weeks and months, hopefully in the
best interest of you bunny hawkers.
Keep Em flyin !!
Ron Updegrave
Hunting Information
After March 15, only starling, pigeon (rock dove), Eurasian collared dove,
and English (house) sparrow are permitted.
Starting to slow down before eyass season...
Still need Hunter’s Ed? If you were born after January 1, 1972 you do! Register now at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/huntered/
Save the Date
The WFA Summer Picnic will be in Fall City, WA, on July 18th, 2015.
Come for the day or camp for the weekend!
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E a s t e r n D i r e c t o r
A l G a r d n e r
Eastern Washington weather has
not been to favorable for flying falcons.
But those with shortwings may have the
conditions much more suitable! But you
know what they say about the
weather...
Jim Cook lamented the same theme.
The uncooperative conditions sent Jim
and hawking partner, Ron Jurcevich,
packing for the high desert of SE Idaho.
First hand description of a memorable
flight..
Jim: "Looks like he's getting out there
Ronnie. Are the dogs still on point?"
Ronnie: "Yeah Jim, the dogs are
good...and he's getting way out and up"
Jim: "Can you see him?"
Ronnie: "No Jim.....wait....I think I see
him....he's turning back...and it looks like
he's climbing."
Jim: "Can you see him?"
Ronnie: "I think so....he's pretty small"
Jim: ALARMED "What??? Can you SEE
HIM?"
Ronnie: "No Jim...last time I saw him he
was on his way back...REALLY high!"
Jim: "CAN YOU SEE HIM!!"
Ronnie: .....no.......
deadening blow and she fell limp to the
ground, leaving only a cloud of
powdered feathers drifting. silently.
Good for you Jim! Our lives savor these
moments in time. But nothing remains
the same. A subsequent trip revealed
good numbers of these flying dinosaurs,
but nature doused the flame with
conditions preventing any quality
falconry. Always next year and thanks
for sharing. I wish I could have
witnessed!
Danny and Jorgene Ertsgaard
headed for the grasslands of the Great
Plains in mid November and just
recently returned. High intensity prairie
grouse hawking doesn't come without
sacrifice. painful at times. What started
as a perfect flight, ended in Danny losing
his falcon to a feral cat. Danny arrived to
see the feline hot-footing the scene as
he looked to see his dead falcon still
clutching the very alive grouse. It is
painful to lose seasoned gamehawks of
any kind for any reason.
that ended his season with outings that
required two people monitoring his
location. He was flying at the limits of
high powered magnification—
repeatedly! She said he was just a baby
and that next year would reveal the real
falcon!
Garry Starr (no relation to Ringo)
apologies for being socially absent as of
late.
In October, Garry and Anne's daughter,
Suzanne, survived a tragic auto accident.
They were bedside when Suzanne
awoke from a lengthy coma.
Garry said, "She will take a long time to
heal, but thank God she will survive".
A week after returning from Suzanne’s
side, Garry slipped and fell on his ___
and broke his hip! No hawking this
season. He does however report
graduating from walker to cane. He has
confidently assured me that he will be
ready for the upcoming breeding season
and will be back out in the field next
season. He hopes to see everyone in July
Thinking the worst had played out,
at the picnic. You can't keep a good man
tragedy struck again. Another of Danny’s down! (he has however cancelled his
team clipped some barbed wire and
solo ice skating tour)
A quiet voice in the background, it's Hub severed an artery on the underside of
Quade.
his wing. After nearly bleeding to death, Larry Ray's goshawk and beagle team
are having difficulty finding new
Danny transported him to the able
Hub: "I...think...I...see...him..."
hawking grounds. Older sites are being
hands of falconer/vet, Dr. Tim Sullivan.
Jim and Ronnie: In a perfectly
lost to development and some newer
The artery was sutured, but
harmonized sagebrush duet. "WHERE?"
landowners are just not granting
reconnection
was
impossible
due
to
the
Hub: "He's coming straight overhead"
severe trauma. The odds of full recovery permission. Larry told me of the passing
Jim and Ronnie: Same duet. "Can YOU
were doubtful, at best. Danger of losing of his old hound, "Kirby". The loss of our
see HIM?"
old hunting partners is a type pain I will
the wing was a likelyhood. But, with a
Hub: "Not anymore...but I know he is
never get used to. RIP Kirby.
couple
of
weeks
of
rest
and
attentive
dead overhead"
Larry's 3rd season goshawk is
care, recovery was looking to be a
The flush ensued with the powerful
reality! Danny last informed me that the maturing into a fine hunting partner.
thrum of grouse wings. The sizzle of a
falcon has made a full recovery and was The early spring has halted the bunny
large falcon stooping is in need of new
on the wing again and approaching
hawking, as signs of nexts years crop is
descriptive adjectives. Leave it
100%.
evident with many pregnant bunnies.
as, "heard before seen". The audible
Jorgene did very well bagging a number More bunnies, that's a good thing!
crack of the large falcon broke the
of Sharptail and Greater Prairie Grouse. I did not have a highly productive
silence of the sagebrush desert. The Gyr
But she seemed most excited about a
struck the hen sage grouse with a
Continued next page...
new pupil named "Vise". A white Gyrkin
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E a s t e r n
C o n t i n u e d
hunting season. But that was offset by
the incredible luck of being drawn for 1
of 36 passage peregrine capture permits.
Mine was ideally drawn on the State of
Texas. A Sept. 20 to Oct. 20 trapping
season of true passage peregrines! Lori
and I booked flights, reserved rooms on
Padre Island and had a rental car waiting
on our arrival. The Texan hospitality over
our 10 day trip was amazing! We dined
on fine seafood and Lori absorbed all the
sun she possibly could!
And we were witness to one of natures
most phenomenal events, the fall
migration of the arctic peregrine. In a
short 3 day period we saw a daily count
of 5 or 6 birds explode to 50 or more on
the best day. Field researchers from the
Arctic to S. America have
extrapolated numbers from 5000 to
8000 immature migrants heading south
D i r e c t o r ’ s
f r o m
R e p o r t ,
p r e v i o u s
yearly! Politically influenced biology
ridiculously justify a maximum of 36
birds!! This is hard to swallow.
Regardless, we saw birds
and essentially had our pick of many,
many peregrines!
I saw what I wanted, I trapped her, I
have her and we are hunting Hungarian
Partridge! My favorite gamebird!
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As a falconry association we will always
have issues of varying importance. They
will come and we will deal with them
accordingly. But some things must
remain steadfast. We are a group of
people that have pledged ourselves to
the protection and preservation of
falconry. Its ever so natural appeal has
filled our lives. And we are people who
take very seriously the harvest of wild
game with our raptors. To me, anything
less than this belief is unacceptable.
Just in the last few days she has
advanced from being a fun falcon to fly
to a serious gamehawk. She caught only
In closing.
her 2nd partridge, but from excellent
pitch over a staunch point from Joe
"Falconry is not a hobby or an
Snyder's setter, Wyatt. Joe is flying an
amusement, it is a rage. You eat it, drink
August trapped female Peale’s from our it, sleep it, even in recollection"
Washington Coast. She also had a
T.H. White
beautiful flight and put a partridge in the
Respectfully,
bag also. It was just one of those
Allen Gardner
beautiful days!
WFA Eastern Director
W FA D i r e c t o r a t e M a p
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O p - e d : T h o u g h t s
o n S p o n s o r s h i p
By Clifford Kellogg, North Bend, Washington
I recently read an interesting article in the December 2014
issue of the newsletter of the North American Falconers
Association (Hawk Chalk), regarding the perspective of the
author (Joe Kosakowski) on Sponsorship. This was a thought
provoking article, and talked about such things as hunting
license, funding, access to hunting property, distance from
sponsor to apprentice, and other conditions of sponsorship. I
appreciate the author’s perspective and would like to add my
own thoughts on this subject.
First, allow me to introduce myself; I’ll soon be turning 60, and
have been practicing falconry for over 40 years. I am married
to my Bride, Janna, who is also a falconer. I have flown and
caught game with Redtails, Harris’ Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks,
Sharpshins, Kestrels, and Goshawks. I have also been very
involved in falconry “politics”, having been a founder of the
Washington Falconers Association and a Director for the North
American Falconers Association for many years.
I have had a number of apprentices and through these
experiences, have formed my own thoughts and perspective
on the sponsor-apprentice relationship.
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First, let’s define apprentice and sponsor:
According to Webster’s online dictionary, an apprentice is:
one who is learning by practical experience under skilled
workers a trade, art, or calling
an inexperienced person : novice <an apprentice in cooking>
A sponsor is, according to the same source:
one who assumes responsibility for some other person or thing
So it can be said that a sponsor has assumed responsibility for
the apprentice in all things falconry related. That is quite a
serious undertaking!
Before getting into what I believe are the requirements for
sponsors and apprentices, let’s explore the reason for having
sponsors/apprentices.
39 years ago, we saw the first U.S. Federal falconry
regulations. Many states (including Washington) had been
working on their versions in anticipation of this event. Prior to
that, falconry was either ignored by most state and federal
regulators, or banned outright. The falconry community, with
NAFA in the lead, helped to write the first and each
subsequent set of regulations. The apprenticeship system was
introduced in the very first set of regs, which laid out the
permit class system we still see today: Apprentice, General
and Master class permits. The apprentice/sponsor system was
seen as a way to demonstrate that the falconers were a
responsible group of conservationists, who were willing and
able to ensure that future falconers would be just as
responsible.
With the foregoing in mind, it is important that the role of
both the apprentice and the sponsor be given some thought
and discussion. The future of falconry as we know it could
hang in the balance. As it is said, “one bad apple spoils the
bunch”. This could be particularly true in states where the anti
-falconry crowd has any political clout. Let’s begin the
discussion with the role of the sponsor.
Availability: The sponsor needs to be available to the
apprentice to guide them in their activities in falconry. This
includes teaching the beginner to make equipment; jesses,
leashes, perches, mews, traps, etc….. It also includes guidance
in other areas of the sport, such as how to trap, train and hunt
with their hawks. The sponsor should be the very first person
the apprentice thinks of when questions arise.
Mentorship: Not only should the sponsor teach the basics of
the sport, but a good conservation mindset as well. The
apprentice needs to learn early on what is acceptable behavior
and what may bring disrepute to our sport. These things are
of equal importance as the basics of falconry.
Cliff and Hera in Central
Washington, December 2014
Experience: The sponsor should generally be a well
accomplished falconer. While some may not agree, I believe
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that the majority of falconers who have JUST obtained their
“General” falconry permit are NOT qualified to be a sponsor. It
is difficult to draw that line…..how many years of experience,
and what quality of experience is required? Just as a rule of
thumb, I would suggest that the potential sponsor should have
flown multiple birds of varying species, successfully at quarry,
and have kept those birds in good feather and health. This is
something that potential apprentices should look for in a
sponsor.
Know your limitations: Different states may have limits on
how many apprentices a sponsor may have. My
recommendation is to limit oneself to one apprentice at a
time, with two being a max under certain conditions. Having
too many apprentices at one time limits the attention you can
provide to each. This can do a dis-service to the sport and the
resource.
Not just on paper: Sponsorship is NOT just on paper! I’ve
seen too many instances wherein an apprentice gains a
sponsor only to be left out in the dark, with the sponsor either
unavailable or non-responsive. Not only is this unfair to the
apprentice, it is not good for the sport!
Expectations: The sponsor should, prior to agreement to
sponsorship, set forth any requirements of the apprentice;
some of these may be:
Make your own equipment (jesses, leashes, lure, etc)
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Responsibility: Especially once you have a bird, you have a
big responsibility to handle that situation with the utmost care.
We are given permission by the government agency to possess
these birds. We have taken them out of their environment
and placed them in captivity.
This is an enormous responsibility!
Make sure that you take that responsibility seriously. This
means listening to and following the advice of your sponsor.
Be Prepared: Read books on falconry. While falconry is best
learned under the tutelage of a sponsor, and with hands-on
experience, you need to start with a good falconry book. I
recommend any edition of North American Falconry & Hunting
hawks. Purchase this book! You will refer to it for many years
to come. Begin to build a falconry library. Consult with your
sponsor for recommendations. Make sure that you have the
financial wherewithal to build your mews, weathering yard,
traps, equipment and so on. Also ensure that you can have a
ready supply of quality hawk food on hand.
Research: Find out about potential sponsors. How long have
they been active falconers? Are they game hawkers? Can
others in the falconry community vouch for them? Have they
had any run-ins with the law? The potential sponsor should
not be judged by what kind of birds he/she might have..rather
by their proven experience and character.
Join: As a potential apprentice, show your commitment by
joining both national and state falconry organizations. These
Build your own mews/weathering yard
clubs have the best interest of falconry and the raptor
Trap your own bird
resource in mind, and without them legal falconry would
probably not exist. They are also a valuable resource for you
Have a number of hoods on hand and learn how to use them
and potentially may lead you to your sponsor! As you gain
Take your bird to a suggested raptor vet
experience, consider contributing to your falconer’s
association by volunteering at club functions, and, eventually,
Have a hunting license and obey all applicable regulations/laws
giving back to the sport by taking on a club office.
Additionally, as a sponsor, I expect any of my apprentices to
Discretion: As an apprentice with a new bird and
feel free to talk to others, whether in person or on internet
experiencing a new passion in your life, it may be tempting to
forums, with questions they may have on any aspect of
give falconry presentations, express yourself on internet chat
falconry. This comes with one requirement: NEVER act on
forums, create your own falconry web page, agree to a
advice given by anyone, other than your sponsor, without first
newspaper interview, or a number of other endeavors that are
discussing and coming to an agreement with the sponsor. This
wide open to the general public. Understand that you do not
is paramount and adherence to this will promote a good
have the experience to appropriately deal with the negative
sponsor/apprentice relationship.
ramifications that can come from these activities. Falconry
Just as a sponsor should be selective in whom he/she takes on does have its detractors, right or wrong. Always ask you
as an apprentice, so should the potential apprentice be careful sponsor’s advice before engaging in any of the above.
in whom they solicit as a potential sponsor. This is a two way
Concluding remarks: These thoughts are not the end-all, nor
street!
am I the final authority on the subject of sponsors/apprentices.
Respect: The apprentice must respect the time and space of The foregoing discussion is meant to provide some guidance to
the sponsor. Remember that the sponsor is giving of his/her
those who may be considering entering into sponsorship or
time and energy. While it is imperative that, as an apprentice, apprenticeship, and perhaps generate additional dialogue.
your questions get answered, and that you be given the proper Falconry is a difficult endeavor at best, made easier and more
guidance, talk with the sponsor ahead of time regarding what fruitful by a well thought out sponsor/apprentice relationship.
times you may call, what constitutes an emergency, and so
forth.
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T h o u g h t s o n t h e H i s t o ry o f t h e
Wa s h i n g t o n Fa l c o n e r s A s s o c i a t i o n
Clifford Kellogg, WFA Historian
who each were expressing the desire to see a formal state
organization formed. Foremost among these were Doug Pineo
and a number of the Spokane area falconers, Dave Bates and
some of his friends on the coast, and the Kellogg family and
their circle of close friends.
Recently, I was asked by our current WFA President, Brad
Felger, to become the official Historian for the club. I am
honored by and thankful for this opportunity, which comes
during the year of the 35th anniversary of the WFA. While at
this time the total statement of work for such a position needs The real start came in 1978. It was then that Cliff Kellogg along
yet to be completely defined, I will do my best to fulfill these
with help from Brian Sullivan, Brian and Linda Kellogg, and Lee
duties.
Mann, arranged the first in several years field meet at the
residence of the late Russ Taylor’s in Selah, Washington, near
I would like to begin by introducing myself, for those who may
Yakima. A more complete description of the 1978 meet can be
not know who I am. As of this writing, 05 February 2015, I am
found on page 27 of the December, 1978 Hawk Chalk*.
59 and soon to be 60 years of age. I have been married to my
Another detailed observation of this event is on page 37,
Wife, Janna, for almost 20 years!
December, 1987 Hawk Chalk.
I have flown raptors in falconry for over 40 years, my first
Since that fall meet at Russ’s place, we’ve not missed a year
“real” hawk being a redtail named MacBeth. See the photo of
here in Washington State. Indeed, we’ve had many
her with a San Juan rabbit in the early ‘80s…..
memorable times!
As I was the author of the 1978 article, it is re-printed here with
the Author’s permission:
Washington Falconers’ Meet
Clifford S. Kellogg - P.O. Box 983, Preston, WA, 98050
I have flown and caught game with kestrels, redtails, harris’
hawks, sharpshins, cooper’s hawks and Goshawks during my
falconry career. I currently fly an 18 year old captive bred
female harris’, named “Hera”, who is a complete joy to work
with.
I was a founding member of the WFA in 1980; I have served as
President, Regional Director, Director at Large, Treasurer and
Editor of the WFA over the last 35 years, as well as serving as a
NAFA director for 10 years.
The beginnings of the Washington Falconers Association were
prior to its actual inception. It all started about 1977/78.
During that time period, there were various circles of friends
Andy Bolland and I arrived at the Taylors’ about one o’clock
Friday afternoon and immediately proceeded to unload the
pickup. Everything came out – ferrets, food, cooking
equipment, 2 redtails, 1 Cooper’s hawk, etc…. All except the ½
pack of Coors which we kept in the cab “for reference”.
Saturday was officially the first day of the meet so we had our
work cut out for us in making preparations. At about 4:00 pm
we had made much progress, so took some time to let our
redtails stretch their wings a bit before darkness fell. By the
time we got back to Russ’s place, the people had begun to
arrive. There were many new falconers to meet as well as lots
of familiar faces.
Fifty-four persons registered for the meet of whom 14 brought
20 birds. Of these, the prairies were most numerous, 6 being
officially registered. Also present were 5 harris’ hawks, 3
Goshawks, 3 redtails, 1 gyrfalcon, 1 Cooper’s hawk, and 1
sharpshin. All were immaculate in feather and they looked
good, which says a great deal about their respective falconers.
Continued next page...
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The first flight I had the privilege of seeing was Russell Taylor’s
female sharpshin at English sparrows. Her speed was certainly
impressive! One sparrow she knocked into the brush where
Russ was able to retrieve it live , with his bare hand! That was
Friday evening and quite a start for the big weekend!
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female redtail, but again lack of cottontails proved to be a
setback.
Of course, the field wasn’t the only place where everybody
enjoyed themselves. Friday evening those who came early (or
late) occupied themselves with the standard booze and B.S.
Saturday and Sunday also saw some excellent flying, starting
along with a brief slide show by Russ. He ran an excellent
off with a bang as Bill Mulvihill’s female Goshawk smoked a
collection of Goshawk slides with a few other miscellaneous
rooster pheasant. Dennis Bartz had an excellent flight on
items thrown in for good measure. To top all this off, we had a
another rooster with his 2-year-old intermewed female harris’. comfortable fire going in the back yard, so everything
Although she didn’t catch this one, from what I hear it was
combined nicely to provide a very pleasant evening.
praying (and flying) hard for over 200 yards!
The banquet was held Saturday night after all had wandered
Quail and English sparrows seemed the most abundant quarry back from their various treks afield. The food was great,
in the area so those with quail and sparrow-catching birds had thanks to those lovely ladies who prepared it. Also of special
no difficulty locating game to fly at. By the time I exited
character was Lee Mann’s pot of “secret recipe” beans. Lee
Sunday afternoon, at least four quail had succumbed to the
and the ladies certainly deserve a big thank-you for their
mischievous deeds of men and hawks. David Leo and his 3trouble. Also, thanks to Steve Layman who provided the
year-old tiercel harris’ hawk “Woody” (a captive bred bird) had chicken to BBQ!
nailed 2 quail while Lee Mann and “Hirc”, his 3-year-old
After the meal, everyone settled down near the fire for
intermewed tiercel harris’ grabbed another in a fantastic tail
outdoor movies, etc. Dave Bates brought a few, including
chase that many had the good fortune to see. A fourth quail
shots of eagle release (re-hab birds) on San Juan Island.
was consumed by my intermewed female Cooper’s hawk
Another interesting movie was “Game Hawks’ Day Off”, by
“Eunice”. After a long hard hunt in which she chased 15 or 20
Larry Bates. This one depicted many of the amusing things our
different birds in the same covey, she finally ended up with the
birds do when not flying (up to moult, etc..). Allen Gardner
well-earned meal in her feet.
had a very fine film of various birds flying game and lure. This
Although the area seemed more suitable for shortwings, the
film really was spectacular!
falcons saw some action also. Chris Merker’s female prairie
After the movies, it was time for the drawing. An excellent
smacked a hen pheasant head over heels. It ended up
harris’ hawk print donated by Dennis Bartz (who also had
escaping (minus a good number of feathers) as did the quail
much beautiful work on display and for sale) went to Donald
that Brian Kellogg and his intermewed tiercel prairie “Chester”
Stewart of Everett. Next, the bells, donated by Ye Olde
had a shot at. Perhaps one of the most interesting flights
Bellmaker, Pete Asborno, were drawn by Mike Arnold, Tom
described to me involved Larry Bates’ 2-year-old female prairie
Stralser, Jane Bryant, Russ Taylor, and Bob Johnson.
and a wild prairie. Apparently when the wild bird spotted
One might think that we all would’ve hit the hay at a
Larry’s, she decided to show her stuff for everyone and both
birds went out of sight! Fortunately, Larry picked his bird up a reasonable hour, but, of course, this wasn’t the case at all. The
bit later, none the worse for the experience. My only regret is meet was rapidly drawing to a close, and we all had so many
people to see, stories to tell, etc…. This having been the first
that, like most of the others, I missed this flight.
falconry meet in the state for quite some time, it was a new
For the redtails, bunny-finding was extremely difficult at best.
kind of thing for many, myself included. Although everything
While flying with Keith Powell and his immature tiercel redtail,
went smoothly and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, there
we saw only two out in the sage, but they didn’t flush close
was, however, one unfortunate incident. Our North Pacific
enough for a decent slip with his bird. My 7-year-old female
Director, Walter English, brought a nice expensive camera in
redtail ended up pouncing on and immediately devouring a
hopes of obtaining a few photos for the Hawk Chalk. Wally
meadow vole after flying in the general direction of a couple of
ended up leaving without his camera. Well, there’s one in
pheasants. Andy Bolland flew a second year intermewed
Continued next page...
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T h o u g h t s o n t h e H i s t o r y o f t h e
W a s h i n g t o n F a l c o n e r s A s s o c i a t i o n
( c o n t
f r o m
p r e v i o u s
p a g e )
every crowd, but I had best not find out who, for his sake. On
a lighter note, Brian Kellogg reported that his weighing scale
was also missing, apparently stolen. He found it, however,
back at home in its usual place.
penned and published. It still remains; the PEOPLE of
falconry are what makes it wonderful.
For this meet we all owe a great deal to Russ and Charlene
Taylor, for their hospitality was indeed above and beyond the
call. Dennis Bartz, Pete Asborno and many other also deserve
thanks. But most of all I think that everybody who took the
time to attend deserves a hearty thank-you. If I learned
anything that weekend, it is this. People make an event what
it is. This falconry meet was in my opinion a fantastic thing,
and all you falconers who attended are one hell of a nice
bunch of people So until next year, the very best hawking
experiences.
Addendum:
During this meet, we somehow received a phone call from a
Mr. Thomas Gleason; he had taken a bus from the
Vancouver, WA area to the Yakima area, and in transit had all
his belongings stolen. We arranged for Clancy (Brian Sullivan)
to go get him at the bus station. We provided him with a
sleeping bag and other essentials……thus began a long and
loving friendship with that man who came to be known
(thanks to Lee Mann) as “Jackie” Gleason, who helped me in
countless ways throughout the years. Remember; the
memories provided by such events transcend the hawking
that takes place there!
More than 35 years ago, the preceding paragraphs were
W FA
I hope to be able to share many more historical perspectives
with you in the times to come.
B o a r d M e e t i n g M i n u t e s
J a n u a ry 7, 2 015
President Brad Felger called the Board of Directors meeting
to order at 7:31pm via teleconference. Those in attendance
were:
Present: Lee Tostevin, Brad Felger, Ron Moorhead, Allen
Gardner, Ron Updegrave, Steve Seibert, Jayme Perlman
Absent: Aaron Allred, Wendy Louie, Sandie Morehead
The Secretary was not present so approval of the minutes of
the prior meeting on November 19, 2014 will be carried to
the next meeting of the Board.
President’s Report
into one. Jayme spoke about the reasoning behind their
original formation and noted that Geoff Hirschi is currently
the chairman of the Legislative and Regulation Oversight
Committee. The Peregrine and Goshawk committees have
no chairs or members. There was a discussion about the
process of appointing committees and chairs of those
committees. Brad is not making any decisions at this time on
the various committees.
Ron Moorhead came back to the topic of communication
with non-members and views held on this issue by previous
members. Brad expressed the importance of working with
non-members to bring more people into the club.
Brad spoke about his plans for communication with licensed
Washington falconers, including non-members. Keeping
them updated and hopefully encourage them to rejoin the
club. He’ll send out emails once a month with a general
report from the President. He will include anything other
board members need to communicate, as well.
Vice President’s Report
Brad thanked Jayme for her service as President Pro Tem.
John Szabo is scheduled to be the speaker of the evening.
Brad also spoke about the Committees. He has past
experience with legislative issues in falconry and has been
working with Paul DeBruyn on current legislative issues. He
discussed the Peregrine Take, Queen Charlotte Goshawk, and
Legislative committees, and suggested that they be rolled
Jayme suggested having vendors be at the meet. Ron will
contact Brad Wood and it was suggested that Pineo Falconry
might be interested as well.
Ron Moorhead gave an update on where we are with the
Winter Meet and arrangements for the hotel and dinner on
Saturday night. Jayme noted that there is a casual get
together on Friday night as well.
(continued next page….)
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Brad asked about non-members attending the meet. Ron
said that people who come to the meet need to be a member
in order to get the WFA discounted rates, participate in
dinners, etc. Brad raised the question of how to handle an
out-of-state falconer or non-member who wants to come to
the meet. There doesn’t seem to be a clear, or easy way, on
how to handle non-members.
MOTION: Lee presented a resolution to pre-approve the
expenses for the upcoming Winter Meet. Ron Moorhead
made a motion to approve the following for the winter meet
expenses. Allen seconded and it passed without dissent.
Ron Moorhead suggested doing a poll of members about
what we do right and what can be improved. He also
suggested polling non-members about their reasons for not
joining, what their experiences are, etc. Ron Updegrave had
concerns about restricting the meet from non-members and
out of state falconers. Ron Moorhead said it has never been
a big issue and would likely be fine.
Eastern – Al spoke about the Wall of Remembrance for Dave
Foley. There has not been any money collected to date. The
total amount needed for a plaque is typically $1000. Jayme
stated that the club has a policy that for members the club
would match funds up to $500 to contribute to the plaque.
She noted that for non-members this is not the case and
there are concerns with setting precedent for contributing to
a non-member. Brad said that he would contribute $250 if
the club would match that.
Treasurer’s Report
Lee presented the bank statement and the income
statement.
Ron Moorhead asked about debit cards for himself and
Wendy. Lee explained that under the bylaws only the
Treasurer and President are permitted to withdraw funds
from the bank account. She also reported that she is trying
to get accounts set up with at least one of the large office
supply stores so that Wendy can charge her mailing expenses
directly to a WFA account. For expenses in Ron’s area, she
will work closely with Ron on expenses in his area, either
following up with vendors for payment or insuring a timely
turnaround on reimbursement.
Director Reports
Central - Nothing to report.
MOTION: Allen made a motion that the club will match the
$250 Brad is contributing and additionally the club will match
up to an additional $250 with a verified contribution, as long
as the total contributions equal $1000. Motion seconded by
Lee and passed without dissent.
Allen asked about how donations were solicited for the clubs
events, whether they were solicited for each event or just
once during the year. Ron stated that he contacted them
early in the year and then again before the picnic. Allen
asked if we could get more items for the meets, vendors
selling at the meets, etc. Ron stated that most of the
vendors will only give out things once a year, giving Mike’s
Lee raised the issue of the draft budget which is currently in Falconry as an example. There was some discussion about
the negative. There was a discussion on expenses for the
the meets and the picnic and ways that they were done with
picnic, ideas for raising more money, etc. Ron gave some
respect to attendance, raffles and auctions, and merchandise
insight on procurement of donations and the difficulty in
available. Also a discussion about addressing those members
getting donations.
that are still “paper” members and how to address them
efficiently. Brad noted that raffles can be a significant
ACTION ITEM: The Board will get feedback to Lee on the
fundraiser for a club and gave some ideas for how the meets
draft budget.
could be structured, but we can discuss this at a later date.
Brad noted that planning events was a big task and that there Allen will be getting some items from the Archives for the
club that can be used at one of our events.
should be more people on a committee to assist with those
events.
Director-at-Large – nothing to report.
Ron mentioned about Western Sporting wanting to have
their ad with a link to their website on the WFA website.
Also, other vendors that donated for the picnic should have
their ads on our website.
Previous Business
MOTION: A motion was made by Steve to approve the
following resolution approving and ratifying the actions taken
by Jayme Perlman as President Pro Tem and the Board during
Jayme’s term. Seconded by Allen without dissent.
ACTION ITEM: Jayme will get Western Sporting’s ad and a
link posted on our website and the other donor ads posted as
well.
MOTION: A motion was made by Allen to approve the
following resolution to approve Lee as Treasurer. Seconded
No previous expenses were presented for reimbursement at by Ron Updegrave and passed without.
this time.
(continued next page….)
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W FA B o a r d M e e t i n g M i n u t e s
J a n u a ry 7, 2 015
( c o n t )
MOTION: A motion was made by Ron Updegrave to approve
and ratify Lee as Treasurer Pro tem. Seconded by Ron
Moorhead and passed without dissent.
sends, she will send an email with login info for the WFA site.
Brad raised some ideas about additional things that we can
add to new member information. He also raised the option of
the ability to join online. Jayme raised some concerns and the
reasoning why people currently cannot join online.
Website Update. Jayme didn’t have any updates on getting
the members area reactivated on the website. Jayme did
note that our website domain is going to expire in February so MOTION: A motion was made by Ron Moorhead to approve
that bill will be coming due.
the following resolution for bank access. Seconded by Steve
and passed without dissent.
ACTION ITEM: Jayme will update the membership application
to the 2015 version, put the meet info on the web page, and Discussion about the Mewsletter and frequency and method
add a membership renewal announcement.
of distribution. Jayme referred to the calendar for the
number of times they’ll go out. Brad asked how often a
Annual Calendar. Jayme had not gotten any additional
director’s report should be included and the response was all
updates to the calendar.
of them. The question was raised about whether the
Journal. Brad spoke about the journal and the idea of making Mewsletter is going out in paper copy where necessary.
Jayme wasn’t sure whether the Mewsletter was going out to
the journal a combined 2013-14 journal. He’d like to get a
few more articles, if possible. We need to find out someone paper members. Lee asked they were also going out to the
Archives. Ron noted that he had maybe five boxes of
who can take on the task of completing the newsletter and
Mewsletters that were to be scanned in electronically. It was
getting it out to the membership. It was discussed that a
suggested whether this was something that Wendy might be
committee should take on the task. Brad asked that Board
able to take this on.
members try to come up with some possibilities for people
who might be willing to take this on, as well as someone who
can take it on for 2015.
It was raised about Sandie taking on some Facebook help,
possibly converting it from a page to a group. Current people
with access are Jayme, Wendy, Aaron, and Brad. We will
Conference call system. There was a discussion on whether
this system was okay or if we should look into something else. leave it as an open issue at this time.
Everyone seemed okay with continuing to use this unless
Jayme was contacted by a falconer in the community about
someone is incurring significant charges. If people do incur
putting together a fund to help Dan Pike replace his birds. It
charges, we can review this and reimburse that person.
was discussed whether WFA should do anything to help Dan.
New Business
NW director position. Aaron has noted that his schedule is
making it difficult to serve on the Board and that we should
find a new director. Simone was raised as a suggestion. Brad
will reach out to her.
There was a discussion about board meetings and how often
to meet in person and by phone. Brad suggested phone call
meetings every 2nd Wednesday. He also asked if February
might be a good option for a face-to-face meeting. Ron
stated that getting to Eastern Washington during winter can
be a difficult time to get over the pass. Brad also asked about
meeting at meets.
Virtual Board Space. Lee discussed the new virtual board
book/workspace. This is not an approved tool yet, just
presented as an option and to seek feedback.
New Member Packet. Brad asked about what new members
receive and Jayme said that in addition to the letter Lee
Brad will reach out to Dan about non-financial things that the
club can do for him. Allen suggested that if a financial option
were pursued, it might be in the form of a donation towards
research. Jayme will let the person know that individuals are
welcome to do any fundraising or donations, but the club has
no plans at this time to provide financial support.
There was another discussion about the upcoming meet,
hunting properties, etc.
Meeting adjourned at 10:50pm. (Editor’s note: Actual
wording of the resolutions has been edited for brevity.)
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PURPOSE: We further declare that our purpose is to provide
communication among and to all members; to promote scientific study of
the raptorial species, their care, welfare and training; to promote
conservation of birds of prey and an appreciation for their value in
nature and in wildlife conservation programs; to urge recognition of
falconry as a legal field sport; and, to establish traditions which will aid,
perpetuate and further the welfare of falconry and the raptors it employs.
(WASHINGTON FALCONERS ASSOCIATION CONSTITUTION, Article 1,
Section 2)
Tiercel Kestrel
Photo Credit: Daniel Wall
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P a g e
YOUR WFA BOARD
P R E S I D E N T
S E C R E T A R Y
C E N T R A L
Brad Felger, Mount Vernon
Wendy Louie, Seattle
Ron Updegrave, Moses Lake
(360) 982-1401
(206) 445-2919
(509) 765-6954
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
V I C E
N O R T H W E S T
E A S T E R N
P R E S I D E N T
D I R E C T O R
D I R E C T O R
D I R E C T O R
Ron Morehead, Stanwood
Aaron Smith, Woodinville
(360) 631-1963
(425) 614-5089
[email protected]
[email protected]
T R E A S U R E R
S O U T H W E S T
Lee Tostevin, Fall City
Sandie Morehead, Bonney Lake
(425) 444-1236
(253) 365-5892
[email protected]
[email protected]
Allen Gardner, Spokane
(509) 981-5563
[email protected]
D I R E C T O R
A T
L A R G E
D I R E C T O R
Steve Seibert, Yakima
(509) 966-5270
[email protected]
Any member wishing to submit items for publication in the
Mewsletter or to comment on it may do so by contacting the
Editor at [email protected]. The WFA Board and
Editor reserve the right to edit for length, grammar, and
clarity.
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