Under her wing

From Jane Cantwell’s outstretched arm, a barred owl named Cassiopeia reveals a sleepy stare. Eyes darker than two pools of molasses blink toward the marshy waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene’s Wolf Lodge Bay. “Cassie” catches a glimpse of the life she might have had if not for a motorist colliding with her wing.

On a slice of land that juts straight up from Interstate 90, Cantwell sees hope for Cassie’s future and for other raptors in the region. If the community chips in donations and support, Cantwell and her organization, the Raptor Chapter, plan to build a home for a wildlife education center and a hospital to mend disabled birds of prey.

The 96-acre parcel, purchased last year by Cantwell and her husband, Paul, overlooks the waters where 200 eagles visit for their winter feast of landlocked salmon. A portion of shoreline and wetlands is included along with the site of the former Fish Inn. The land is recognized by the Audubon society as an “IBA,” an important bird area.

“The eagles are flying overhead and they seemed to indicate it’s a perfect place,” Cantwell said.

Raptor Chapter member Kris Buchler was already familiar with the property from bird counts she does for the Audubon Society.

“Whatever Jane builds will be low-impact,” Buchler said. “Anything they do will be environmentally smart. We know it won’t be developed and that’s a good thing.”

The Raptor Chapter is a nonprofit organization, which Cantwell founded in 1993 and directed in Indiana. It has three primary missions: the rehabilitation of injured birds of prey, education of the public about the inherent value of raptors and building a raptor center.

Cantwell relocated to North Idaho two years ago and brought along her vision for the raptors. She has mobilized approximately 100 local volunteers, veterinarians and board members and signed up more interested community members at the group’s first major fund-raiser in October. A silent auction and presentation at Red Lion Templin’s Hotel in Post Falls introduced the organization and its goals to the public.

Cantwell envisions that the Wolf Lodge Bay land will act as a preserve for birds of prey such as ospreys, hawks and eagles. The raptor center will sit on a hilltop, offering a birds-eye view of the bay. The building plans show two wings, one for treatment and surgery of injured raptors and another for displaying birds in natural enclosures. Birds that cannot be returned to the wild will live in an environment simulating nature, complete with streams, plants and croaking frogs. A lecture auditorium will welcome busloads of schoolchildren and tourists. They’ll hear stories of the disabled birds, like Baron, an American kestrel, who fell from his nest as a youngster. Well-intentioned humans rescued him, but their interventions left him crippled.

Cantwell must use special care in handling Baron and keeps a leash attached to his feet. He sees birds flying overhead and longs to join them but on his own, he would die, Cantwell said. Raptors seize their meals of rodents and fish with their sharp talons. This is something Baron is ill-equipped to do since he was taken from parents who would have taught him the technique.

Now his prime purpose is accompanying Cantwell as she teaches others how to handle distressed birds.

“If birds fall from the nest, don’t feed the bird,” she said. “Once it imprints with humans, it can’t go back to the wild.”

Cantwell and other biologists consider birds to be important bio-indicators. They depend on healthy ecological features to survive. Raptors can signal distress in the environment as seen with the peregrine falcons. Pesticides led to widespread reproductive failure and the birds became endangered.

“When we’re not good stewards, it shows up in the birds,” Cantwell said. “I’ve been able to see a species moving to extinction and human hands helping it back.”

Cantwell received a bachelor’s degree in nursing and began volunteering with a project to reintroduce peregrine falcons in the Midwest. The species was removed from the endangered list in 1999.

“When I worked with these birds, it changed my philosophy,” she said. “The birds took me under their wing.”

She received her master’s degree in biology at Purdue University and trained at a respected raptor center in Minnesota. As a “raptor biologist,” she now spends her time collaborating with veterinarians and wildlife officials to treat injured birds of prey. Cantwell has permits that allow her to work with the half dozen or more birds at her St. Maries home. About 50 percent of the birds she receives are rehabilitated and returned to the skies. Others, like Cassie and Baron, serve as educational ambassadors.

Cantwell speaks at schools and other forums through the Wildlife Education Council, the working project department of The Raptor Chapter. Cassie usually steals the show. She was Cantwell’s first educational bird and they have been together for 15 years. Cantwell allows her audience to inspect Cassie’s round nocturnal eyes and chest of barred feathers. Children see her absent wing. Cantwell is determined to pass her passion about raptors and all they represent to the next generation

“Following appreciation can come conservation,” she said.