Looking to volunteer in anything Falconry related

[ciaphas]

I took up an interest in falconry a few years ago but it took me a few years to start pursuing getting involved with it. I decided to finally take the first step and got the book "Falconry for Beginners" by Lee William Harris. It took me a few years because I was a heroin addict in active addiction. I'm currently coming up on three months sober and I'm living in a halfway house/residential treatment program and I'll be allowed to leave the grounds this week to take part in the real world finally.

I'm still not encouraged to get a paying job but I'd love to find a place to volunteer and hopefully begin doing what I can to get my feet wet in falconry. I was hoping you may have some contacts or resources around the West Palm Beach area in Florida. If not in the area, anything in the state at all. Even if it's a recommendation of a place to call to start trying to find this information, I'd be insanely grateful.

I know for myself that getting anywhere remotely close to doing what you guys do is many years down the road for me, but long-term goals and passions such as falconry will do well to keep me focused on my lifelong goal of sobriety and motivate me further to do the necessary work to hold on to my newfound lease on life.

Besides that, service work is huge in recovery. I'm already active in the fellowships of AA, NA, and CA, but I'd like to do some service work outside of the recovery community. I don't care if I'd be cleaning up bird turds for a few years, I just really want to get involved!

Any information or recommendations would be appreciated.

[Falcon Boy]

Welcome! Fun fact, that was actually my first falconry book as well!

In regards to falconry - the state club may know of someone in your area who wouldn't mind taking you hawking. Otherwise if you're looking for a regular volunteering-type thing, I would imagine that educational facilities or wildlife rehabilitation centers would like to have some additional help. It's not falconry, but it gets you involved with the birds. You can probably find them online or through the state fish and wildlife agency.

[ciaphas]

Thanks for the feedback, I'm going to start looking into wildlife rehabilitation centers and FWC this week. Possibly even looking into volunteering at one of the two nearby zoos. Just working with the birds will suffice for now, it doesn't have to be falconry.

Could you point me in the direction of the state club?

[Falcon Boy]

Last I heard they were called the Florida Hawking Fraternity. It looks like there now be 2 state clubs, I'm not sure. Politics in falconry is different in each state, so two clubs is a possibility (it's happened in others)

floridafalconry.com/

www.f-h-f.org/

[trishinfl]

The Florida Hawking Fraternity (FHF) is currently the most active club here in Florida. The Florida Falconers in free to join and their primary focus is on being vocal for FWC workshops and falconry regulations here in the state in hopes of keeping falconry from becoming over regulated. The focus is on good stewardship and effect self policing of our own community.
Eric Edwards, the president, does hold an occasional apprentice workshop, but there have not been any formal meets for sometime.

[stephend]

I heard of a facility needing volunteers in that area from one of the retired falconers I know who has a winter home down that way. The name of the facility escapes me. I'll try and reach out to him to see if I can get the information again. Otherwise, best of luck with your search.