Cascades Raptor Center

Rehabilitation and release of orphaned, sick, and injured wildlife, primarily birds of prey (raptors), using the highest standards of medical treatment and care, and the best facilities possible. To this end, we will be seeking funding for an expanded clinic in the next year.

Public Education designed to enhance the awareness, respect, appreciation, and care of the earth and all its inhabitants so critical for a balanced and healthy planet. The Raptor Center uses live resident birds to create a positive, first-hand experience with wildlife through on-site visits to the Nature Center and off-site presentations and exhibits at schools and public events. Our plans to construct a flight arena for programs is on track for completion in 2016. Selection, training, housing, enrichment and a Wellness Program help us ensure the physical and psychological health of the birds under our care, with the goal of having comfortable and confident birds who live a long and healthy life under human care.

Attracting and keeping dedicated, experienced, well-trained staff who embrace our 'birds first' policy.
Continuing education for staff to keep them current on medical or training advances.
Attracting, training, and motivating our corps of Team Awesome volunteers.
Continuing to be a resource for the community and its media.
Continued engagement of staff on a national and international level.
Providing a rich visitor experience for both groups coming for programs and tours, and general public visitors.
Continuing to attract an active, committed board of directors.

Our core staff of 5 has increased over the last few years to 11, including an administrative assistant/visitor services manager, development officer, and two avian trainers. All but one of them, plus the original staff of 5, started as volunteers. All have hit the ground running, increasing our ability to provide excellent bird care and visitor experiences. Senior staff remains involved on a state, national and international level through board participation in professional organizations, giving conference presentations, workshops, authoring articles, hosting visitors from other facilities.
In late 2016, through a grant, a staff veterinarian joined our group of 5 volunteer veterinarians to help us assure high quality medical care. An enrichment program for the resident birds was developed and implemented in 2015. A new flight training/program arena was completed in 2017, and training is underway for free flight programming.

A recent purchase of neighboring property will allow us to expand parking, accessibility, offices, and enhance the visitor experience. A plan is underway to fund the design and construction of an expanded clinic building and a new visitor center.

The board is in an active search to expand its members with people able to assist with a capital campaign.

Flight training arena was completed in 2017.

Hospital intakes increased by 35% in 2017; our part-time staff veterinarian increased hours; we built a complex of five new rehabilitation enclosures for pre-release flight conditioning. Expansion of our hospital into a newly renovated building will start in Oct 2019.

We have built several new display aviaries and acquired two new education birds in 2018. A new bird trainer was hired in 2017. More education birds are worked with on a daily basis, Keeper Talks provide visitors with a taste of natural history as well as respectful training of these birds that cannot return to the wild.

Successful purchase of neighboring property doubles our overall size and planning is underway for expanded parking, better accessibility, more aviaries, a natural play area, backyard habitat display gardens, an expanded more accessible visitor center. A Special Use Permit has been obtained from the County to enable this development. The Master Plan is complete, as is a feasibility study for the capital campaign.

Damage from a late winter storm in February 2019 has required extensive repairs of rehabilitation flight enclosures, which may delay the start of our capital campaign.