The northern aplomado falcon falco femoralis septentrionalis hereafter n. Aplomado falcon is the only endangered falcon on the U.S. Endangered species list

This $155,000 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coastal Program (CFDA 15.630) supports The Peregrine Fund, Inc.'s efforts to preserve and restore grassland habitats in South Texas for the endangered northern aplomado falcon.

The funding enables The Peregrine Fund to work closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at refuges in the Lower Rio Grande Valley to manage thousands of acres of prairie using prescribed fire, mechanical, and chemical treatments. This habitat restoration work has allowed falcon territories that were at risk of being lost due to brush encroachment and invasive species to be reoccupied, with the falcons successfully nesting and fledging young. The project aims to continue expanding and improving grassland habitats in the region to benefit the endangered northern aplomado falcon and other grassland bird species. Key activities include population monitoring, habitat management, and conservation education.

The reintroduced population in south texas is recognized as key in the U.S. Fish and wildlife services USFWS recovery plan. Keddyhector 1990. The peregrine fund TPF along with our partners recognize the importance of preserving and protecting grassland habitat and applying prairie restoration efforts where existing aplomado falcon territories are at risk from brush encroachment and the expansion of invasive species into those habitats. We have also identified areas where prairie restoration could create improve grassland habitat for additional falcon pairs and benefit a host of other grassland birds as well. TPF has been working closely with USFWS and particularly within the FWS refuges of laguna atascosa national wildlife refuge lanwr lower RIO grande valley national wildlife refuge lrgvnwr and aransas national wildlife refuge anwr. Since 2012 many thousands of acres have been managed for prairie using prescribed fire and both mechanical chemical treatments. We have observed encouraging results. At one lanwr site where we felt we had lost a falcon territory to brush encroachment and an increasing great horned OWL GHO population the prairie restoration accomplished by lanwr at that site improved that habitat and the falcons quickly reoccupied the site and have nested successfully there ever since. At another lanwr aplomado nest site a pair was experiencing similar difficulties and on more than one occasion the pair lost their young to ghos following the encroachment of brush deeper into the prairie ecosystem putting them in much closer proximity to the nesting falcons. Again habitat management concentrated within that territory allowed the falcons the ability to return and successfully nest during most years after treatment this year producing and fledging three young. The GHO represents the falcons number one predator. These are just a couple examples of this important restoration effort aiding the endangered aplomado falcon. We hope to continue these efforts improving and expanding important grasslands within south texas for the falcon and many species of grassland birds.