By Jolene Brink
Jolene is part of the Wolf Ridge marketing team. Her favorite season is the North Shore of Minnesota right about now.
Since 1987, peregrine falcons have found a home on top of the tall buildings of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Today, Wolf Ridge executive director Peter Smerud will appear on a live stream from the roof of the Mayo Building with Jackie Fallon as she lifts this year’s falcon chicks from their nest box in preparation for banding.
Fallon is Mayo’s peregrine falcon expert and the Vice-Chair of Field Operations for the Midwest Peregrine Society. The 10-minute rooftop live stream will take place at noon on Wednesday, May 25.
Following World War II, the widespread use of pesticides, especially DDT, put many species of wildlife at risk. When DDT was banned in 1973, recovery efforts began for many threatened species, including the peregrine falcon. At the invitation of the not-for-profit Midwest Peregrine Society, Mayo Clinic began hosting the falcons in 1987. Mayo’s Peregrine Falcon Program is a popular annual activity, involving the support and collaboration of many colleagues. Some patients tell Mayo they schedule their medical appointments in order to be on campus when the falcons are in residence.
Mayo Clinic recently interviewed Smerud about his role in the reintroduction of the peregrine falcon to Minnesota, as well as his experience with a cancer diagnosis that led to his treatment at the Mayo Clinic.