Project SOAR
The mission of Project SOAR (Snowy Owl Airport Rescue) is to rescue and relocate overwintering Snowy Owls and other raptors from airports where they pose as hazards. The project began in 2017 in response to a report on the legal shooting of a snowy owl at a Wisconsin airport from a corporate pilot who called Winnebago Audubon. Co-coordinators of Project SOAR are Janet Wissink from Winnebago Audubon and Erin Giese from Northeastern Wisconsin Audubon. Lead falconer is Frank Ujazdowski. Project partners include Winnebago Audubon, Northeastern Wisconsin Audubon Society, Wisconsin Falconers Association, Austin Straubel International Airport, Wittman Regional Airport, Waukesha County Airport, Project SNOWstorm, Givens Farm, and Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, among others. Please note that special permits and permissions are required to work with these birds and to gain access behind secured and restricted airport areas. The Project is looking to expand to other airports in the state and is available to give presentations. For more information on Project SOAR, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SnowyOwlAirportRescue/.
Project SOAR receives financial support from Winnebago Audubon because we believe in the importance of their efforts. If you would like to donate to Project SOAR, you may do so online here. Please put Project SOAR in the comments.
WSO Presents Special Recognition Award to Project SOAR
One of Wisconsin Society for Ornithology’s crown jewels is their annual recognition of outstanding individuals and organizations that have done amazing work on behalf of birds. Whether furthering the advancement of bird conservation, promoting the field of ornithology or contributing time or talent to the society itself, every January the Board of Directors selects from a list of worthy nominations their slate of Passenger Pigeon Award recipients.
In any ordinary year, in addition to sharing the list of award recipients, they would be sharing exciting details about the Award Ceremony and Reception, an important part of what would have been their 81st Annual Convention. Unfortunately, this is no ordinary year and the spring convention was cancelled.
The good news is that WSO Board will be looking at options to further honor a record 13 outstanding recipients. Here is a list of the 2020 WSO Award Recipients:
Golden Passenger Pigeon Award: George Archibald and Sumner Matteson.
Silver Passenger Pigeon Award: Levi Wood.
Bronze Passenger Pigeon Award: Michelle Voss and Ryan Brady.
Noel J. Cutright Conservation Award: John and Gene Jacobs, Ken Lange and Mike Mossman.
Samuel D. Robbins Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert Domagalski.
Special Recognition Award: Wisconsin Society for Ornithology’s Special Recognition Award was created to recognize the collective efforts of a far-reaching project or partnership that increases the public’s awareness and appreciation for birds, their habitats or the need for conservation.
This year the award goes to Project SOAR and team members Erin Giese, Janet Wissink and Frank Ujazdowski.
Project SOAR (Snowy Owl Airport Rescue) was the brainchild of falconer Ujazdowski and two leaders of local Audubon chapters, Wissink of Winnebago Audubon and Giese of Northeastern Wisconsin Audubon.
In 2018, after Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh shot a Snowy Owl it considered a hazard for planes, Ujazdowski wondered if he could put his expertise to work saving owls.
He contacted Wissink and asked if she could set up a meeting with airport managers. At that meeting, he offered to trap and relocate Snowy Owls and other raptors so there would be no need to shoot them. SOAR was born.
His work caught the attention of Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, which approached Giese and asked her to work with Ujazdowski to do the same at their facility.
Since then, SOAR has relocated many Snowy Owls, Great Horned Owls, Red-tailed Hawks, a Cooper’s Hawk and an American Kestrel.
UPDATE: 11-10-20
Project SOAR earned the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology's (WSO) 2020 Special Recognition Award! In a non-pandemic year, we would have received the award at the WSO's annual convention. Instead, Awards Chair Wendy Schultz kindly met up with us and gave us our awards at an outdoor pavilion while we socially distanced. The WSO has given Project SOAR $1,000 in grants, which we are very thankful for, and are very proud to earn this incredible award! Thanks to Carl Schwartz for nominating us and to Wendy and Tom Schultz for making it so special. Scroll to the very bottom of this link to watch our acceptance speeches: https://wsobirds.org/awards-2020.
Photo below courtesy of Wendy Schultz. Left to right: Erin Giese, Janet Wissink, and Frank Ujazdowski.
