Winners of the RRF 2020 Awards and Grants

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 Raptor Research Foundation award and grant program. Please join us in congratulating these talented members of our raptor community. The next application period for these grants and awards will begin in early 2021.

Research Grants

Leslie Brown Memorial Grant: The Brown Grant provides financial assistance to promote the research and/or the dissemination of information on African birds of prey. Evan R. Buechley from HawkWatch International won for the project titled “First assessment of the Bearded Vulture in Ethiopia: quantifying population size and spatial ecology to inform conservation”.

Stephen R. Tully Memorial Grant: The Tully Grant supports research and conservation of raptors specifically to students and amateurs with limited access to alternative funding. Brittanie L. Loftin from Angelo State University won for the project “Population Genetics of Mississippi Kites in the Great Plains”.

Dean Amadon Grant: The Amadon Grant assists researchers working in the area of distribution and systematics of raptors. Lily Martin from the University of Georgia for the project titled “Using acoustic spatial capture-recapture to estimate Eastern Screech-Owl density and the effects of anthropogenic noise in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia.”

Oscar Beingolea Raptor Research Grant: The Oscar Beingolea Raptor Research Award provides financial support for field research on raptors in Latin America (including the Guianas) and the Caribbean. Beatriz M. Miranzo from the Center for the Study and Conservation of Raptors in Argentina won for her research project: “Identifying and characterizing potential mortality sites for birds of prey associated with the presence of water reservoirs in ecosystems in the semi-arid zone of central Argentina. Can mortality be mitigated by placing rescue ramps in water reservoirs?”

Achievement Awards

Tom Cade Award: The Cade Award recognizes an individual who has made significant advances in the areas of captive propagation and reintroduction of raptors. Àlex Llopis Dell, Vulture Conservation Foundation, Head of the Bearded Vulture Captive Breeding Unit in Spain. His key career highlights include 1) First to breed Lesser Grey Shrike in captivity and created a new rearing protocol so that young chicks were able to capture live prey and 2) developed new protocols and methods made it possible to successfully raise, release and pair bearded vultures.

Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom Award: The Hamerstrom Award recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to the understanding of raptor ecology and natural history. The award committee recognized two recipients in 2020.

Clayton B. White, Brigham Young University, USA

James R. Belthoff, Boise State University, USA

Service Awards

President’s Award: This award is given by the President in recognition and appreciation of exceptional service to the Raptor Research Foundation.

Rob Bierregaard, Drexel University, USA

Clint Boal, USGS and Texas Tech University, USA

Miguel Saggese, Western University of Health Sciences, USA

RRF is thankful for these committee leadership of the award and grant committee chairs and many committee members:

Sofi Hindmarch, RRF Award Committee Chair
Jennifer Coulson, Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom Award Chair and Tom Cade Award Chair
Jim Harper, James Koplin Award Chair
Isabel Caballero, Dean Amadon Grant Chair
Jean Francois Therrien, Stephen R. Tully Memorial Grant Chair
Guy Rondeau, Leslie Brown Memorial Grant Chair
Nico Arcilla, Oscar Beingolea Raptor Research Grant Chair