Join us for the Farmland Raptor Project's Grant Award Kick Off and Workshop!

Do you ever wonder what has happened to the birds that once nested in barns and hunted over Tennessee farms?

East Tennessee's farms support more than just crops and livestock. They provide critical habitat for wildlife that is rapidly disappearing from our landscape. Raptors, also known as birds-of-prey, play an important part of our region's landscape.

Raptors include bird species like hawks, eagles, falcons, vultures, and owls. Join us as we explore two of these majestic birds whose populations are in decline - the American kestrel and the American barn owl. A newly awarded $10,000 grant from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is helping launch a regional effort to protect these two of East Tennessee's most iconic birds of prey.

This free presentation is a chance to meet a live raptor, learn from knowledgeable speakers, and discover how you can support their populations here in East Tennessee!

Presenter Lisa Thomison, co-founder of the Owl Ridge Raptor Program, will highlight her vast knowledge of raptor species and introduce a 'special friend' from the center. Joining Lisa is Katheryn Albrecht, Certified Wildlife Biologist®/Ornithologist with MTM Environmental,LLC. Katheryn will highlight the Farmland Raptor Project, landowner stewardship program and so much more!

The next workshop is scheduled for Sunday, October 25, 2026 (2PM - 4PM) at the Ron Ramsey Ag Center in Blountville, TN. Click here to register!

About the Farmland Raptor Project...

The Farmland Raptor Project (FRP) began in 2024 to address declining populations and habitat of the American kestrel and other raptor species. Launched by MTM Environmental and Foothills Land Conservancy, along with guidance from Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the Farmland Raptor Project focuses on building partnerships among landowners, agencies, conservation organizations, and volunteers to support habitat stewardship and raptor conservation on private lands.

Raptors such as the American Kestrel, American Barn Owl, Northern Harrier, and Short-eared Owl rely on working landscapes—including farms, pasturelands, grasslands, and riparian corridors—that are increasingly threatened by development, changing agricultural practices, habitat loss, and reduced prey availability associated with pesticide use. Because these species serve as important indicators of ecosystem health while also providing natural rodent and insect control, conserving suitable habitat benefits both wildlife and agricultural communities.

Fall workshops are currently being scheduled for interested landowners/farmers across the eastern TN Valley including the counties of: Blount, Sullivan, Greene, Grainger, McMinn/Bradley, Meigs, and Morgan. Landowners in neighboring counties are also encouraged to attend. These events focus on educating landowners/the public about raptors that inhabit farm/ag/rural lands and their ecological importance, the Farmland Raptor Project, and the importance of habitat stewardship/conservation.

Links to learn more and support the cause!