Greene County News Report
YELLOW SPRINGS — The Glen Helen Raptor Center (GHRC) hosted their free educational Earth Week Raptor Program April 19 to highlight adaptations of area birds of prey, with raptors both in display cages and on the glove. Currently, the GHRC houses fifteen species of Ohio hawks, falcons, owls, and vultures. Visitors had an opportunity to learn about local birds of prey, as well as experience personal encounters with the birds.
The GHRC, which began in 1970 as part of Antioch College’s Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center, is a part of the Glen Helen Nature Preserve, aiming to care for, rehabilitate and eventually release injured birds of prey, including owls, hawks, eagles and falcons. Facilities include a classroom area for bird study lessons, an intensive care room, outdoor cages for display of permanently handicapped birds, and flight cages for recuperating raptors.
The GHRC is supported by a permanent staff person, residential naturalists, and volunteer veterinary support. Admitting more than 150 birds of prey each year, the center successfully releases more than half of the birds back into the wild. Visitors to the Raptor Center, located at 1075 State Route 343, are able to walk a close path against the raptor enclosures, granting them an opportunity to easily view resident birds 365 days a year.
