Our Mission

The Raptor Center's mission is to ensure the health of raptors and the world we share.

An adult bald eagle being released back to the wild

Our specialized hospital admits around 1,000 birds of prey each year - our goal is to rehabilitate and release them back to the wild.

We also train future generations of veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitators, conduct ground-breaking research on raptors and the environment, and educate and inspire thousands of people each year through our unique educational programming.

 

There are many ways you can join in our mission to help raptors and our shared environment.

Visit The Raptor Center

Book a program

Make a donation

Volunteer with us

 

Learn more about The Raptor Center:

Read about our history
Meet our team

The Raptor Center's land acknowledgement

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Learn about the Dakota land on which The Raptor Center resides

The Raptor Center, and all of the University of Minnesota in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, resides on Dakota land. We recommend reading the Treaties of 1837 and 1851 that ceded this land to learn more about our history. Mni Sota Makoce (Minnesota) is the homeland of the Dakota people who have lived here for thousands of years and continue to reside in this state. Indigenous people from other Tribal nations, including the Anishinaabe, also live in Minnesota.

We make this acknowledgement to show respect for the land and its original and contemporary inhabitants, and to take the first step in correcting the erasure of Indigenous culture. We recognize that colonization is an ongoing process and that we benefit from occupying land stolen through broken treaties, colonization, and genocide.

A statement alone is not enough and can only be a beginning. We must strive to honor the true history of our land while also lifting up the voices of the many Indigenous peoples living here now, in what is their land.

Additional reading:
Learn more about treaties and land theft in Minnesota: Why Treaties Matter
Learn more about land acknowledgements: A Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgement

Dakota territory map by Marlena Myles
Dakota land map of what is now called Minneapolis and St. Paul by local artist Marlena Myles