| Development sponsored by: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA Award: NCC5433) |
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the largest and oldest member-based raptor conservation organization
in the world, opened its new research and training facility, the Acopian Center for Conservation
Learning, in the autumn of 2002. Located at the foot of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in the
central Appalachian Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, the Acopian Center serves as Hawk
Mountain’s global information hub for raptor migration science and conservation. The center
works to achieve the sanctuary’s mission, which is to:
"Conserve birds of prey worldwide by providing leadership in raptor conservation science and education, and by maintaining Hawk Mountain Sanctuary as a model observation, research and education facility."
A generous contribution from Mr. Sarkis Acopian made the Acopian Center for Conservation Learning possible.
The Acopian Center includes residences for interns, graduate students, and visiting scientists, together with a well-equipped research center. The latter, which is home to the Sanctuary’s programs in Conservation Science, includes a library and archives, large conference room, map (GIS) lab and teaching lab, and office space for 6 Sanctuary scientists and personnel and 16 visiting students, interns, and scientists.
The Acopian Center began operations in autumn 2002 with interns from Azerbaijan, Canada, Colombia, Kenya, New Zealand, and the United States. Since then more than 70 interns and 50 scientists from around the world have worked and studied at the center. http://www.hawkmountain.org/index.php?pr=Acopian_Center