Please sign our online petition to prevent the unnecessary drowning of young Peregrine Falcons!

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recently revoked permission for the rescue and relocation of peregrine chicks from bridge nest sites ion Northern California.

Peregrine Falcons were threatened with extinction in the 1960s and ’70s due to DDT, and remain on the state of California list of Protected species.

Because we have destroyed so much of peregrines’ habitat, they sometimes turn to man-made bridges for nesting. But the chicks then face a risk of drowning as they learn to fly.

The U.C. Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group has been working to support this once-endangered species for decades. They are willing to continue rescuing and relocating falcon chicks from Northern California bridges for free — at no cost to taxpayers.

The Fish & Wildlife Service says the rescues are no longer necessary, that peregrines prey upon other at-risk species such as California Least Terns, and we should “let nature take its course” with falcon fledglings on bridges.

We’re not talking about large numbers here — maybe three or four peregrine chicks each year on bridges in Northern California. The impact of three or four additional falcons on species such as Least Terns is dwarfed by other, larger threats such as human disturbance and habitat loss.

Peregrines bring a bit of wild beauty into our urban lives. They are only recently off the endangered species list, and continue to face man-made hazards such as shooting. We have depleted their traditional nesting sites and built the bridges that seem like attractive replacements — shouldn’t we allow skilled wildlife experts like the PRBG to help them survive?

Click here to sign our petition. Add your comments. And take a minute to read the eloquent comments on the petition site by other people who have signed!