Reflections on Raptor Fest 2025
By Annabel Christiansen
BOPP’s largest event of the year, Raptor Fest, came and went on Saturday, June 7th, and it was a huge success! Between a plethora of local vendors, food trucks, music, live birds, and family fun, there wasn’t a dull moment.
What is Raptor Fest?
Raptor Fest, now in its seventh year, is an annual celebration of birds of prey and their conservation and protection within the NCA. From humble beginnings in 2017, the event has blossomed into a wide-scale community celebration that welcomed over 1,000 attendees this year, as well as 4 food trucks, multiple vendors and booths, performances by local bands, live birds, and talks given by wildlife conservation and land management professionals. As well as being a fun, family-oriented event, Raptor Fest aims to build community, provide educational opportunities, and create better understanding and respect for our beloved birds of prey that reside within the NCA.
Raptor Fest originated in 2017, as an event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA). It was a resurrection of a previous, much smaller, “Raptor Fest” event that had happened periodically in previous years, taking place in a high school auditorium. The event was given a huge boost by our partnership with Indian Creek Winery, leading to it becoming a beloved annual event for the entire community to enjoy.
What to expect at Raptor Fest
One of the most exciting and crowd-drawing features of Raptor Fest is the inclusion of live birds - booths from the Peregrine Fund, the Bureau of Land Management, the Animals in Distress Organization, and the Idaho Falconry Association all brought a variety of ambassador birds to display to the public. These included an American kestrel, a great horned owl, a golden eagle, a peregrine falcon, a ferruginous hawk, and a very special golden eagle named Slim, who has been featured in many events hosted by BOPP.
Slim is a 36 year old golden eagle who has been used for education and outreach purposes for most of her life. She is joined by her handler Monte Tish, a dedicated and passionate advocate for the NCA and longtime volunteer with BLM. Tish has spent decades rehabilitating raptors and providing education about raptors and their roles within the NCA.
Fascinating talks program
Another key feature of Raptor Fest is the talks program. This year, we had two featured speakers - Taldi Harrison, Chief Program Officer for the newly formed Foundation for America’s Public Lands, and Emily Wakild, the Endowed Chair for the Cecil D. Andrus Center for the Environment and Public Lands at Boise State University. Both of these speakers have many years of public land management experience, and shared their valuable perspective and insight on public land management strategies right here in Idaho and within the NCA.
Another successful year!
Overall, Raptor Fest 2025 was a raging success - we had so many community members come out and show their unwavering support for birds of prey conservation and the NCA. Events like this highlight the importance of community building and education outreach when it comes to conservation work. We hope to see you at next year’s Raptor Fest!
