SF Chron has article today: SF Raptor Center to Resume Volunteer Programs

[JJ Harris]

but it's behind a paywall!

S.F. raptor center to resume volunteer programs after halting them (sfchronicle.com)

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Thanks!

[Jan Ambrosini]

JJ - here you go. For what it's worth.

Jan

The Golden Gate Raptor Observatory will resume some of its volunteer operations, a change from the bird migration research institution’s September decision to shutter its programming.
Since ceasing volunteer activities on September 6, the Fort Mason-based observatory has “adjusted schedules, revised protocols, and brought in additional Parks Conservancy staff and partners” to enable the return to programming, a spokesperson for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, which oversees the observatory, wrote in a statement.

The observatory, which is celebrating 40 years of studying and tracking Bay Area hawks, eagles, falcons and vultures, will reactivate programs including Hawkwatch, an annual program where volunteers tally the area’s bird of prey population. The center did not immediately detail which other programs would resume.
Volunteers are essential to the observatory’s research, as the observatory only has three full-time staff members, according to its website. More than 250 volunteers help each year, and last year, volunteers spent more than 390 hours counting more than 19,000 raptors to assist with future research and tracking, according to the center’s migration season summary.
The observatory did not cite specific reasons for the programming pause when it announced the decision in September. In a statement at the time, a spokesperson said the decision was motivated by “several factors, with the primary goal being to maintain a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace.”
In a statement Monday, a spokesperson said staffing shortages motivated the closure. “Last month, with two key staff members unexpectedly on leave early in the field season, we made the decision to temporarily pause field operations,” the spokesperson wrote.

 
The observatory’s five-week hiatus coincided with a critical time for bird migration — hawks migrate across the Marin Headlands en masse in mid-September, according to an observatory blog post. The hiatus meant some data was not collected, but Parks Conservatory leadership said that incomplete data are common in long-term monitoring programs.
“Through collaborating with statisticians and data scientists, we’re able to minimize the impacts to the integrity of the data set and ensure the data continue to be useful for the many long-term studies for which GGRO data are crucial,” Alison Forrestel, Chief of Natural Resources and Science with the National Park Service, said in a statement.
Reach Maliya Ellis: maliya...@hearst.com

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Jan Ambrosini

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[Lindsay Addison]

Full text from a friend with a subscription:

S.F. raptor center to resume volunteer programs after abruptly halting them last month

By Maliya Ellis, Hearst FellowOct 15, 2024

The Golden Gate Raptor Observatory will resume some of its volunteer operations, a change from the bird migration research institution’s September decision to shutter its programming.

Since ceasing volunteer activities on September 6, the Fort Mason-based observatory has “adjusted schedules, revised protocols, and brought in additional Parks Conservancy staff and partners” to enable the return to programming, a spokesperson for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, which oversees the observatory, wrote in a statement.

The observatory, which is celebrating 40 years of studying and tracking Bay Area hawks, eagles, falcons and vultures, will reactivate programs including Hawkwatch, an annual program where volunteers tally the area’s bird of prey population. The center did not immediately detail which other programs would resume.

Volunteers are essential to the observatory’s research, as the observatory only has three full-time staff members, according to its website. More than 250 volunteers help each year, and last year, volunteers spent more than 390 hours counting more than 19,000 raptors to assist with future research and tracking, according to the center’s migration season summary.

The observatory did not cite specific reasons for the programming pause when it announced the decision in September. In a statement at the time, a spokesperson said the decision was motivated by “several factors, with the primary goal being to maintain a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace.” 

In a statement Monday, a spokesperson said staffing shortages motivated the closure. “Last month, with two key staff members unexpectedly on leave early in the field season, we made the decision to temporarily pause field operations,” the spokesperson wrote. 

The observatory’s five-week hiatus coincided with a critical time for bird migration — hawks migrate across the Marin Headlands en masse in mid-September, according to an observatory blog post. The hiatus meant some data was not collected, but Parks Conservatory leadership said that incomplete data are common in long-term monitoring programs. 

“Through collaborating with statisticians and data scientists, we’re able to minimize the impacts to the integrity of the data set and ensure the data continue to be useful for the many long-term studies for which GGRO data are crucial,” Alison Forrestel, Chief of Natural Resources and Science with the National Park Service, said in a statement.

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From: hawkwat...@googlegroups.com <hawkwat...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of JJ Harris <jjpa...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2024 7:44 PM
To: hawkwat...@googlegroups.com <hawkwat...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [Hawkwatch: 5280] SF Chron has article today: SF Raptor Center to Resume Volunteer Programs

 

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From: hawkwat...@googlegroups.com <hawkwat...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of JJ Harris <jjpa...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2024 7:44 PM
To: hawkwat...@googlegroups.com <hawkwat...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [Hawkwatch: 5280] SF Chron has article today: SF Raptor Center to Resume Volunteer Programs