The Alliant Energy Foundation provided funding to the Iowa Wildlife Federation for the Peregrine Falcon Recovery Program. This Program was initiated in 1995 and has established a network of private sector volunteer conservationists, state and federal resource agencies, industry, and city government. The Program s mission is to reestablish a viable, self-sustaining population of peregrines to their historic cliff ledge nest sites along the Mississippi River. In 1999, the team released 21 peregrines near Dubuque. The 2000 release consisted of 18 falcons at the same site.
Wild peregrines begin nesting at two to three years of age.
As released birds mature, they will return to the Upper Mississippi to claim territories on suitable cliff faces. Environmental education is the secondary focus of the Peregrine Falcon Recovery Team. Using the falcon as a living symbol for increased environmental awareness, committee members reached nearly 170,000 people through media events, public programs, and classroom presentations in 1999. University of Dubuque students are intimately linked to this project, as they are responsible for preparing the release site, monitoring survival, habitat use and dispersal of each bird using radio telemetry, and education of the public. This offers the college undergraduates an opportunity to experience the intense level of hands on participation, leadership, and potential for personal development provided by this project.