For Release: 05/08/2009

Winners Chosen for "Name the Chick" Contest

Green Bay, WI – Four winners have been chosen in the K-8th grade Peregrine Falcon-Naming Contest, sponsored by Wisconsin Public Service and the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. More than 400 contest entries were received from individuals and classrooms throughout northeast Wisconsin, making the task of selecting the winners even more difficult. Four chicks hatched this year from the nest atop the Pulliam Power Plant near the mouth of the Fox River in Green Bay.

The winning falcon names are:

Cazadora – submitted by Olivia Johnson, 7th grader at St. Thomas Moore School. Olivia chose the name because it means “the Hunter” in Spanish.

Lisa – submitted by Jordyn Bucholtz, 5th grader at Parkview Elementary School. Jordyn chose the name in honor of her aunt who had recently passed away. She stated that watching the bird fly away would be like watching her aunt fly to heaven.

Madison – submitted by Brooklyn Walecka, 4th grader at Kewaunee Elementary School. Brooklyn chose the name because she felt the bird should be named after the state capital of Wisconsin.

Thunder – submitted by Annika Olson, 5th grader at Langlade Elementary School. Annika chose the name Thunder because falcons are grey and she thinks of thunder as grey because of the clouds during a storm. Also, falcons are powerful like storms.

The nesting spot has produced 47 Peregrine chicks since the nest box was built on the roof of the Wisconsin Public Service J.P. Pulliam Plant in 1995. Greg Septon, President of the Wisconsin Peregrine Trust has been monitoring the activity at Pulliam and other nesting sites in the state. Septon said, “Four eggs were laid around March 31 at Pulliam, and all four hatched this year. It’s not uncommon for nesting locations to have a variable number of chicks produced; this reemphasizes the importance of the Peregrine recovery program and its efforts to keep the Wisconsin endangered bird in existence.”

The baby chicks and their mother can be seen by viewing the Web camera that was installed in the nesting box. A media invite will be sent later in the month for the banding event which will be held at the WPS Pulliam Plant.

For More Information, Contact: