This is an article that was in The Salt Lake Tribune on June
	  21, 2001.  It  deals with  a married  couple who  are master
	  falconers who took  2 eyas peregrines  from an  eyrie  after
	  the USFWS gave the ok; but the State  of Utah said  "uh, uh,
	  you can't take those". The power is in the People this time!
	  Way to go Mr. and Mrs. Miller!!!

Three Peregrines Taken From
Nest After Ruling Clears Way
by Judy Fahys
The Salt Lake Tribune


Photo by Rick Egan, The Salt Lake Tribune
Scanned by Eddie B. Horvath

	  	Falconers  have plucked three wild  peregrine chicks from
	  their  nest, after  state  wildlife  officials were  forced  to
	  allow the prized raptors to be captured.

	  	Utahns  snapped  up  a  dozen peregrine  permits the Utah
	  Division of Wildlife Resources made available this year for the
	  first  time  in  decades.  The  permits  are  the  result  of a
	  successful lawsuit  by falconers  Lohra and Lorenzo Miller, who
	  said the state had no right to close  the peregrine season this
	  year and deny them permits.

	  	Over the  weekend, the West Jordan  couple nabbed brother
	  and sister chicks from  a cliffside nest in  southwestern Utah.
	  A  third, unidentified  falconer also has  reported catching  a
	  chick.

	  	"Now  that we have got the  birds, I'm dumbfounded," said
	  Lorenzo Miller.  "They are absolutely amazing."

	  	The  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  decided  last  month
	  that  wild peregrines  are plentiful  enough that  some can  be
	  captured witout harming the species survival.

	  	Only  two  years  ago,  peregrines  were  on  the Federal
	  Endangered Species  list, having  nearly become extinct because
	  of DDT poisoning and other causes.

	  	The agency said each state could allow the  capture of up
	  to 5 percent  of peregrine chicks  that might be expected  each
	  year,  based on the number of  known nesting pairs.  Utah, with
	  164  known pairs,  has  more  peregrines than  any other  state
	  except California.

	  	Falconers   have  been   looking  forward   to  such   an
	  opportunity.  It  has been three decades since  wild peregrines
	  have  been legally  available for  use in  hunting, an  ancient
	  pastime considered "the sport of kings."

	  	State wildlife officials failed to convince 3rd District
	  Court  Judge Scott Iwasaki  they did not  have enough time  to
	  impliment sensible peregrine catching regulations.  The ruling
	  left them with few controls to protect peregrine chicks.

	  	They  worry  falconers  might overharvest  from the  few
	  nests in northern Utah, where peregrines still are scant.

	  	Another  worry is  that falconers  might not  catch  the
	  chicks between 10 and 28 days after they hatched.

	  	Any longer and the  chicks have a deadly habit of trying
	  to  flee their  nests,  which  are typically  perched high  on
	  canyon ledges.

	  	State  falconer Frank Howe  said this year's  12 permits
	  have voluntary  restrictions that address  those concerns, but
	  it is up to individual falconers to comply.  The curbs are not
	  legally enforceable, he said.

	  	"Whether they  adhere to  [the voluntary guidelines]  or
	  not remains  to be seen,"  said Howe.  Howe said  he has heard
	  that some falconers regard it as "open season" for peregrines.

	  	Meanwhile, the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson
	  AZ., saw  the  Utah  court ruling  as an  impetus to  sue  the
	  federal wildlife agency, basically for negligence.

	  	The  Fish and  Wildlife Service  is legally  required to
	  monitor plants and animals for five years after they are taken
	  from the  list of threatened and  endangered species, said the
	  center's Kieran Suckling.

	  	He said the agency should not have authorized peregrines
	  to be caught until a monitoring plan was in place.

	  	"The monitoring has never happend," Suckling said.

	  	Lorha  Miller  said  her  captured  chicks  were  a  bit
	  dehydrated and  malnourished in their  nest, where they left a
	  third infant peregrine.

	  	The  male might  not have  survived if  it had  not been
	  captured, she added.

	  	"They're beautiful," she said.

	  	"It's like  having a brand new baby.  We're  up checking
	  them all the time."

	Post-Lude:	I do not have all the details at this time but I
			can  mention that Lorenzo  has lost his  tiercel
			peregrine  in Wyoming.  He  went up there to  do
			some hunting with a friend of his and his bundle
			of  joy  flew  off.   They were trying to locate
                        the falcon with its telemtry but were unable  to
			get the bird back.

	  If you would like to corrispond with the writer of this article,
	  who  is Judy Fahys,  she  may be  reached by clicking here.  She
	  done  a pretty  good job covering  this  story and  I  encourage
	  everyone  to email her  and ask for  follow-up  information  and
	  another  article with more pics to see  the development of these
	  beautiful raptors!


	  	Eddie B. Horvath, Falconer

	  		Copyright 1996 Eddie B. Horvath, Director, CCWC/CCH 
	  		Last Update: 19 October 2001