For Release: 05/31/2011

Winners Chosen for "Name the Chick" Contest

Rothschild, WI – Two winners were chosen in the K-8th grade Peregrine Falcon-Naming Contest, sponsored by Wisconsin Public Service (WPS). More than 170 contest entries were received from individuals and classrooms throughout central Wisconsin. Two chicks hatched this year from the nest on the roof of the WPS Weston Power Plant near the Wisconsin River in Rothschild.

The winning falcon names are:

• Hedwig - submitted by Aliya Surti, 1st grader at Riverside Elementary in Ringle. Hedwig was named after Harry Potter's owl, who is "very brave and helps Harry a lot."
• Busa (boo-shu) - submitted by Tanner Champine, 8th grader at DC Everest Junior High in Wausau. "Busa" is a shortened version of the Japanese word Hayabusa (hi-ya-boo-suh) which actually translates to falcon. Tanner's father has a Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle, which is a fast motorcycle. Tanner said his Dad's shop is across from the power plant and he sees the falcons all the time. Tanner added that Busa is a great name as it represents power and majesty.

The Weston rooftop nesting spot has produced 14 Peregrine chicks since the nest box was built by plant employees and anchored on the roof in 2000. Greg Septon, President of the Wisconsin Peregrine Trust has been monitoring the activity at Weston and 14 other nesting sites in the state. Septon said, "three eggs were laid between March 25 and April 6 at Weston and two hatched this year. It's not uncommon for nesting locations to have a variable number of chicks produced. This re-emphasizes the importance of the Peregrine recovery program and its efforts to keep the Wisconsin endangered bird in existence."

A media invite will be sent later in the month for the banding event which will be held at the WPS Weston Power Plant.

For More Information, Contact:

• Kelly T. Zagrzebski
  Community Relations Leader
  715-848-7342
   
• Media Hotline
  800-977-2250