Who is IRFC?
IRFC’s Story…
IRFC was founded in June 2017, by Michele Losee, Ph.D. as a decade old aspiration of having a Center that represents a true clearinghouse of knowledge of ‘all things raptor’.
A place of gaining knowledge through science and education for anyone with an interest regarding raptors.
A ‘one-stop-shop’ location with the expertise and access to learn and experience.
I get asked about our logo a lot. The inspiration came from an eagle pendant made by the Hopi Tribe. It is generally the only necklace I wear.
And my favorite color is teal so, IRFC’s color is teal.
I wanted IRFC to come into fruition much sooner but, the Universe delivers things in the time frame that is right and that was the summer of 2017. Suffering from serious imposter syndrome and letting stressful life events get in the way, I had dithered and procrastinated long enough.
But 2017 was it!
Ready or not, I jumped off both feet and went all in.
I obsessively pumped out admin documents, filled out legal requirements, got permits, designed this and designed that, agreed on a logo design, built the website, and organized for two new Flying Team members to arrive in early July; all while quickly self-educating to navigate a steep learning curve. (Scientist/Falconer not a business person) 😉
At the end of June 2017, we received our letter from the IRS granting us 501(c)3 status.
And IRFC was a REALTY! It was such an exciting and scary time!
Where we Work!
We serve the Northern Arizona region*, with dividing our time in the Flagstaff and Sedona area.
This is our commute in between Flagstaff and Sedona, we enjoy the beautiful Oak Creek Canyon drive.
*Although we mostly stay in our region, IRFC’s goal is to expand outside our region and state with the ultimate vision being globally.
First Educational Outreach -
Earth Day 2017 in Flagstaff!
Within a six-week period and our logo hot off the digital press...
We managed:
to have T-shirts made,
table and a tablecloth with logo,
some visual educational props,
and convinced Coral she was now an education bird instead of just a falconry bird
then right after this event, we participated in the March for Science!
We threw this event together at the last minute and managed to pull it off!
Flying Team?? Kieran was only a month old, still with his parents and Finley wasn’t even born yet,
...so Coral was IRFC’s first (and only) Flying Team member. She loves doing outreach; hates everything else…yeah, I don’t get it either.
It was hot, windy, crowded downtown Flagstaff, I was nervous how this would turnout but it was FUN.
Other than Falconry Experiences, this type of outreach is my favorite.
Over the next 5 years since that day, we have gone on to inspire thousands of people to care about their natural world through the connections made with the Flying Team.
We have also had some big successes and setbacks; but are as determined to move forward as we were that first outreach event.
Sadly, the first two birds that we were anxiously waiting to arrive are no longer with us. We will honor their contributions to raptor conservation and celebrate their legacies. Click on the buttons below to learn about these two birds and their legacies.
We will celebrate new additions to the Flying Team and they will continue the mission Kieran and Finley started.
IRFC has accomplished a lot in a short time, with nearly half that time during a global pandemic, but there’s a lot more to be done.
I will not burden you with the numbers and stats, you can check out Our Impact page for those details:
What I want this page to be about is “Who is IRFC?” as an organization by sharing our core values, leadership, goals and vision for IRFC’s future.
Our mission is to make the world a better place for raptors through education and science.
We cannot make the world a better place without both SCIENCE AND EDUCATION; conservation does not happen in a vacuum.
Science of research to gain knowledge, science of avian medicine to treat raptors, and the education to allow us to apply what we learn and safeguard for the future.
Our Culture-
We are an organization of absolute inclusiveness and do not ever tolerate discrimination on any level or any kind.
These standards were specifically written in great detail into our By-Laws. If you wish to see a copy of our By-Laws just email us and we will provide them.
Additionally, bullying will not ever be tolerated within the organization or in leadership’s presence online or in person regardless of the connection to IRFC. IRFC will be a safe place of learning and support self-development as well as promote it within our community.
The leadership/mentorship style of IRFC is to lead by example. By walking the walk, and living out what we say is important; we believe this demonstrates leadership.
No micromanaging here, instead, exposing the new falconers/educators/raptorphiles with endless opportunities to discover, explore and use new skills. There’s one main condition, anyone learning under our guidance, must do it with absolute dedication, integrity and discipline with a commitment to excellence. …not perfection but always striving to be better than you were before even if it is only 1% at a time. It’s the effort that matters most.
Organizational Values and Leadership
This section was written for those wondering what makes IRFC different or ‘Are the birds treated well?’ So, there might be some information that is a bit prolonged but this aligns with the core value of transparency. And this is by no means the extent of our standards for the birds.
If you have any questions about any of this, please reach out and we will be happy to answer.
IRFC’s culture is one of intentional authenticity and transparency.
In the world of nonprofits, where revenue depends on the goodwill of the public through donations and participation of our programs, we value the public’s trust in our organization’s leadership.
Every year, Michele takes the time to update our Guide Star transparency rating to the highest level of Platinum. Check out our profile here!
Not all organizations offering experiences are nonprofits (even though some falsely claim to be) and serve the community they share. We are a nonprofit with 501(c)3 status and we do serve our community and beyond!
The funding we receive from Experiences and other paid programs, allows us to do the important educational and conservation outreach as well as lowers the financial burden on IRFC so we don’t need to pass it onto our community.
In the world of YouTube videos and social media, you can find jaw dropping videos of falconry birds doing what seems to be unreal.
It is important for those watching from the outside (new falconers especially) to understand the reality of the hard work involved. The time, patience, dedication and discipline required is intense and not everyone is willing to pay their dues. There are no shortcuts.
What you are watching in those videos is the best moment, of the best day of that bird’s and falconer’s season or even life. It just isn’t like that in the real world of falconry every day . …or training birds in general. And a lot of the time, what you are watching is the sum results of years of experience. Trying to obtain the same, could be setting a new falconer up for disappointment and putting the bird’s health and well-being on the line.
We will continue to upload true ‘behind the scenes’ videos and social media that includes the hard work, the sad, the struggles, the embarrassing, the silly and the mistakes as well as all the wins and successes.
We are forever training and adjusting our birds’ performance and growing our own skills to achieve the best results. By watching our videos, you can learn as it unfolds and leave you better prepared for your own birds if the situation comes up for you.
We will talk about the hard stuff. IRFC is not in the business of retail, politics or selling vacations, we are in the business of change and advocacy through education and gathered data; sometimes it will be uncomfortable for us to share and even for you to watch/hear. Change is hard and change doesn’t happen if nothing ever changes.
Bearing false witness or participating in complacency and giving it a platform has no place in the life of a raptor depending on us to care for their home (the planet we share) or depending on us to make good choices for them while in our care. They deserve better.
Because they have intrinsic value. They are not ‘property’ without regard to their feelings, emotions or comfort. These birds possess the same feelings and emotions that we do, they do get scared, happy, depressed, feel safe, get bored, tired and have preferences in people, food, where to spend their day and night. They feel pain, hunger, thirst, and at some level even love. Read about Finley’s story about love. Their frame of reference is different than ours but the consequences are the same if violated.
IRFC will forever hold the belief that a raptor’s life is not less important or valuable than any other life on Earth; including humans. Just because they are not human, does not mean they can be treated less than we treat another human, pet dogs, cats, or whatever. They deserve happiness, health, and safety as much as any other soul we share our planet with.
Raptors in captivity have tremendous value to the overarching mission of raptor conservation, and without these ambassadors, and their falconers understanding behavior, delivering educational content with an impact, that mission would be nearly pointless and certainly an uphill battle at the expense of raptors trying to make a living in the wild. Those wild raptors need educational ambassadors on duty for their continued survival and well-being.
But! Falconers and raptor educators bear a great responsibility. When we decide without their permission to bring them out of the wild through legal trapping, or decide they will become an ambassador for their wild counterparts through their own disability or being born in captivity through breeding for falconry/education; we took away all their capacity to decide what is best for themselves and now make decisions for them instead. The least we can do is make the absolute best decisions for their well-being to the best of our ability and with the goal of their quality of life exceeds that of what they would get in the wild.
Complacency KILLS
If there is anything I can take away from my time as a Paramedic is that complacency kills. A majority of accidents, injuries, illnesses, poor living conditions and deaths can be prevented. With a little extra effort, continuous learning and attention to detail, most of these types of tragedies and suffering can be avoided.
Complacency will have no place at IRFC and in the managing of the Flying Team. That includes me; so does it take time out of my day or bank account or mental health or downtime or…? Yes, but what would really eat up my time, my downtime, bank balance, and mentally devastate me to the core, would be seeing one of the birds suffering through an illness or injury and certainly a death. Therefore, I will gladly give up my time to watch TV (which I don’t watch TV, the birds are the only ones with a TV) or scrolling through social media, not get that expensive ‘takeout’ or designer cloths (which don’t care anyways), if it means my birds will be happy, safe and healthy. IRFC will always take the extra care to fit them with proper equipment, fly them under the safest conditions and provide them with the best healthcare that only true Avian medicine can provide.
Every decision made, is made with their well-being in mind. If interferes with their well-being or puts them at risk? We don’t do it. No discussions. There is not a rabbit, squirrel, dollar amount, time period on the planet worth their life.
Mentorship/Sponsoring for Falconry
Anyone I mentor or sponsor for falconry will live by the same standards or do not waste my time. It is mentally hard for me to watch/participate in poor care/treatment/death of any bird so, you can call it self preservation if you like.
I take sponsoring apprentices very seriously. I spend a tremendous amount of effort and time with anyone I mentor or sponsor and my time is limited, This takes away time spent with my own birds and growing IRFC as well as puts my own permits that I worked hard for on the line so, it is reasonable that I expect the same dedication.
I take my life’s work seriously by working hard to get here; so if someone doesn’t care enough to honor the opportunity; why would I give my time and hard earned knowledge? This is leadership by example and living by the standards set for myself and anyone that works with IRFC’s Flying Team.
The good thing is; with the same diligence, you will walk away with a set of skills that cannot be challenged and very happy, healthy birds.
There is more to measuring the success of a falconer than carrying around a game bag of 100+ rabbit tails or bragging about 200+ kills to prove to people what a good falconer you are - that’s not success - and if so, at what cost?
This is Coral, our female Harris Hawk, going after a cottontail in a dramatic wing-over and slamming into the brush. She did miss it but still cool to watch.
Organizational Standards and Practices
Educational program and content standards-
We develop our programs using a thoughtful process that maximizes the learning experience for our participants.
Our intentions are to positively impact participants and leave them with the inspiration to make their corner of the world better for raptors.
Our programs are professional and delivered with science based facts along with lived experience knowledge gained in the field watching them do what they do in the wild.
Both knowledge bases evolve over time and revisiting the ‘ways of knowing’ and staying up to date on the academic literature is a responsibility IRFC takes seriously. We don’t use misinformed opinions in our programs; although important, opinions are not facts.
We will never say, we are done learning or that we know it all.
The intellectual structure of our programs based on decades of intentional, formal education and skill development, not as an afterthought from a hobby. This is our life’s work built over decades with intention from the start.
Our Practices-
Our programs are delivered with professionalism in presence and principled in practices. Our formal education programs for schools a built and delivered using student centered lesson plans and adult presentations are developed using facts gleaned from the academic literature.
We employ only ethical training methods and responsible interactions with the public.
You will not see us allowing people to handle species with known aggressive behavior such as the Ferruginous Hawk or small children holding birds such as a large owl.
We do not do irresponsible stunts such as flying a bird through people’s arms or towards their faces. We do not allow birds to sit on people’s heads or shoulders and discourage it when it happens.
We don’t fly our birds through the moult, this causes the birds to partially moult and withholding nutrients at this time is not ideal for the bird’s overall health.
We do not perch our birds on perches during programs or events at all. This isn’t inherently wrong, but we prefer to hold our birds on the glove for the entire time in order to manage their stress levels.
This enables us to move the birds away from a stressful situation such as a kid running towards us so we can momentarily body block if something bothers them.
During free-flying programs and experiences we only fly the birds in safe environments. This means no flying in spaces with uncovered windows, near enclosures with potentially dangerous animals or obstacles to fly into or a busy roadway.
We do not fly the birds in an urban environment, no dangerous power lines close by, toxins, mirrored buildings, moving hazards such as windmills/fans or nearby traffic.
We use only proper falconry equipment that is in good condition; no dog leashes or improper clips. We do not fly the birds with mews jesses or a lot of unnecessary and large equipment on their legs as well as no big loops made with zip-ties that can get caught and break a leg. They are all flown using telemetry and the transmitter is secured using the safest option for whatever that particular bird will tolerate. Although backpacks are preferred.
If you want to see these practices, ‘in-use’ or discussed; many are covered in videos on our YouTube Channel.
Every single decision made is made with the birds’ well-being the foremost priority and if the outcome of any decision has risk; we don’t do it. Period. No rabbit, squirrel, opportunity or money or … is worth the lives of our birds.
IRFC’s Vision and Goals
Our ultimate vision for the Center is to be a specialty wildlife center dedicated to only raptors.
A place for the public to visit and enjoy a collection of international species of birds of prey.
A place of centralized learning, inspiration and support for the humans that love raptors and so raptors can have a better world.
This future will include providing specialized avian medical care, advanced rehabilitation to injured or sick raptors, which at present is completely absent in northern Arizona, as well as continuing cutting edge research.
Current goals are:
[PRIORITY] to obtain land (40+ acres) in order to build an ‘open to the public’ center. This would enable us to expand our offerings such as avian medicine, rehab and onsite education as well as expand the Flying Team and collection of species for the public to enjoy and learn from. This would provide community opportunities such as job experience and internships for those wanting to go to vet school or wildlife fields or even a lifelong career; my legacy has to be left to someone. The absence of land is stunting IRFC’s growth. Flagstaff real estate is expensive.
very near future we are developing educational programs for falconers, rehabbers and/or raptor educators/keepers* that will focus on the unique and difficult to access skills of proper raptor training, care and management. These programs will be centered on raptors only; so you don’t have to weed out the bird species you don’t work with or use for falconry. *If you are interested in any of these programs, go here.
to increase digital offerings in educational programs for schools and organizations.
to expand the Flying Team, the current birds are working hard, the Team could use the help. We are looking to add eagles, owls, vulture, and another Harris Hawk.
next breeding season we will look for a male, American Kestrel to fill Finley’s HUGE vacancy that his death left.
to create various internships to help new careers and help IRFC with growth and fill skillset deficiencies. Grants will be written in hopes to pay interns a fair, living wage.
to expand our volunteer base. During COVID there wasn’t as much need but that has changed now that we are getting ‘back to normal’.
If you are interested in volunteering or interning please contact us. 👇🏻