Raptor Fest 2020

panel discussion: Morley nelson’s legacy

Morley Nelson was America’s most famous falconer and advocate for protecting birds of prey. He brought falconry into the mainstream of American culture by training raptors to appear in Hollywood films. Morley also convinced some of the biggest names in natural history filmmaking to produce documentaries about raptors in the Snake River Canyon, bringing a huge amount of attention to this corner of Southwestern Idaho. But more was needed to establish protection for this unique stretch of canyon - Morley worked closely with researchers, politicians, celebrities and journalists to get his message of raptor conservation out to the world, and this ultimately led to the establishment of the Snake River Canyon as a National Conservation Area.

Morley passed away 15 years ago. What would he have thought about the conservation issues that the Snake River Canyon currently faces? What was so unique about his approach, and what can we learn from him as we continue to fight for raptor conservation in a rapidly changing world?

Saturday, June 6th at 4pm - Panel Discussion: Morley Nelson’s Legacy - Panelists Norm Nelson, Steve Stuebner, Kent Carnie and Amanda Hoffman weigh in on the legacy of the NCA’s namesake.

Panelist: Norm Nelson

Norm Nelson is the oldest son of Morley Nelson, who is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the establishment of a National Conservation Area in the snake river canyon. Norm became interested in both raptors and filmmaking at an early age – he was training eagles and shooting film footage for big time film productions by the time he was in high school. While Morley was pulling strings behind the scenes to secure funding for documentaries about birds of prey in the Snake River canyon, it was often Norm and his younger brother Tyler who were responsible for the creative process behind these influential films.

panelist: Steve stuebner

Steve Stuebner is the author of “Cool North Wind”, a biography of Morley Nelson. Steve spent years researching Morley’s life for this book, conducting numerous interviews and uncovering fascinating details about the creation of the Snake River Birds of Prey NCA.

panelist: Kent carnie

Kent Carnie is a lifelong falconer, longtime board member of the Peregrine Fund, and the founder of the Archives of Falconry. His close friendship with Morley Nelson lasted for many decades, and Carnie played a central role in the decision to relocate the Peregrine Fund’s headquarters to its current home in Boise, ID.

panelist: Amanda Hoffman

Amanda Hoffman is the current manager of the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey NCA.  She took over this role in March of 2016, having previously served as the acting associate monument manager at Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.