Hawk Mountain Sanctuary will host a 10th anniversary open house at its Acopian Center for Conservation Learning on September 8 from 2 to 4 p.m.

The Acopian Center is a biological field station and training site and is headquarters for the conservation science program at Hawk Mountain.  The Center is located at 410 Summer Valley Road along Route 895 in Orwigsburg, just two miles from the Sanctuary’s mountaintop Visitor Center.

The Acopian Center opened September 7, 2002, thanks to the generosity and vision of benefactor Mr. Sarkis Acopian for whom the building is named. The three-building facility is normally closed to the public, so this is a unique chance to tour the grounds and see the buildings.

Visitors are invited to stop in and meet Sanctuary scientists and international interns, and to see the Scientist Residence, Intern Residence and Research Center, as well as the impressive library, reading room, teaching lab, GIS mapping lab and conference space.

The 43-acre site is surrounded by open meadows and so also offers great bird watching and a scenic view looking up at the Hawk Mountain ridge.

Following the open house, a 5 p.m. lecture will be held at the Hawk Mountain Visitor Center, 1700 Hawk Mountain Road, Kempton (2 miles from Acopian Center). This free slideshow will be presented by Dr. Keith Bildstein, the Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science, and will share more details about Hawk Mountain and its far-reaching programs to train young raptor biologists, and to conduct global research projects that help protect birds of prey worldwide.

Dr. Bildstein will explain how the Acopian Center has transformed the science program at Hawk Mountain, and helped it to double its internship program and expand research and opportunities for collaboration.

Click Here to visit the Hawk Mountain YouTube Channel.

9/3/2012