Employees at the Hanford Site teamed up to rescue a missing domesticated falcon that had made the site a temporary home.
Office of Environmental Management
July 10, 2018
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RICHLAND, Wash. – Employees at the Hanford Site teamed up to rescue a missing domesticated falcon that had made the site a temporary home.
JR Jamerson, a site security representative with EM Richland Operations Office (RL) contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA), was contacted by Chase H. Delles, a falcon hander whose raptor, Jack, hadn’t returned after working to clear pigeons out of a local cherry orchard.
Jamerson coordinated a team of experts from across Hanford to find Jack. Using Jack's GPS device, the team located him near the center of the 580-square-mile government site. Hanford Patrol then escorted the handler to retrieve the falcon.
“This was a great example of organizations across the site coming together to accomplish a common goal,” said Corey Low, director of RL's security, emergency services, and information management division. “I want to thank everyone who helped get Jack back to his handler.”
As a part of the site’s environmental monitoring program, a Hanford radiological technician conducted a radiological survey of the falcon and detected no contamination.
“Our employees are always encountering and managing various situations; however, it’s not every day that we are tracking a working falcon onsite,” said Craig Walton, MSA’s vice president for emergency services. “I’m glad we were able to help reunite the falcon with its handler.”