Our Mission
Through wildlife rehabilitation and public education, Cascades Raptor Center fosters a connection between people and birds of prey. Our goal is to help the human part of the natural community learn to value, understand, and honor the role of wildlife in preserving the natural and cultural heritage of the Pacific Northwest.
We work to fulfill our mission through two primary areas of focus:
- WILDLIFE REHABILITATION: Our wildlife hospital treats 400-700 patients every year, and is currently the only raptor-specific wildlife clinic in Oregon.
- PUBLIC EDUCATION: Our nature center welcomes tens of thousands of visitors each year and features over 30 resident education birds – one of the largest native North American raptor collections in the Pacific Northwest.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Cascades Raptor Center
We strive to create a space where everyone feels welcome, safe, and heard. Just as biodiversity creates stronger ecosystems, a diversity of human perspectives makes our work more effective and informed. Cascades Raptor Center is committed to the safety and wellbeing of our marginalized visitors, staff, volunteers, and board members. We do not tolerate behavior that threatens, demeans, or excludes them.
Our policy is that raptors are for everyone, and that everyone should have equal access to the benefits of connecting with nature. We acknowledge that communities of color in particular have been and continue to be systematically excluded from many outdoor spaces and pursuits in the U.S. We aim to help these and other underinvested groups connect with wildlife through community outreach, partnerships with other organizations, affinity events, and the cultivation of an accessible, welcoming environment at our facility.
Land Acknowledgement
Our facility is located on the traditional homelands of the indigenous Kalapuya people, an ethnic, linguistic, and cultural group historically consisting of many different tribes. This land was shaped by their highly skilled management and without them, the Willamette Valley would not have the rich diversity of species we see today.
In the 1850s, the Kalapuya were forcibly removed from their land by the U.S. government and made to relocate to reservations in western Oregon. Today their descendants are citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.
For more information about Kalapuyan lifeways and history, see Kalapuyan Tribal History y A Stable Kalapuyan Anthropogenic Model (Quartux Journal, Dr. David G. Lewis, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde).