building Raptor nests and monitoring

---

Raptors are declining worldwide. As head of the raptor monitoring team at MSP, Cindi Shanika wanted to find a way to attract more raptors to Mueller State Park. Friends member, Ken Shanika, offered to build Raptor nesting boxes for Mueller's Owls and Kestrels. Cindi tried to buy wood at Lowe's and Home Depot, but they were always out of stock. If we were to purchase raptor boxes, they would be $250 each. 

Cindi got permission from the Park Manager Brian Kerrigan and the Program Coordinator Linda Groat to use scrap boards leftover from the Geer Ranch. She approached Barry Pleshek, and they, with Ken, went through the pile of scraps and found eight boards. It is exciting to know that we recycled boards from a historic ranch at Mueller. The CPW resource stewardships of the Denver Raptor Monitoring program came to Mueller this Fall to mount the nesting boxes in the appropriate areas of the park. Hopefully, by next Spring, all of the 8 nesting boxes will be occupied. 

Lauren Gramberg said that there is potential in  the future to install nest cameras in the boxes that have access to  electricity and wifi. These cameras will be provided by the CPW Resource  Stewardship team and the feed can be displayed on park websites to  engage and educate the public on CPW's wildlife conservation efforts.

If you would like to become a Raptor monitor, email Cindi at  pikespeakhiker14@gmail.com .