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Rosalie Edge And The First Hawk Sanctuary
How an environmental advocate moved mountains for birds.
© Jen Goellnitz
Rosalie Barrow Edge (1877-1962) was one of the 20th century’s most outspoken advocates for birds and a prominent figure in the modern American conservation movement. She famously preached that, "The time to protect a species is while it is still common." And while her conviction fell short of moving mountains in a literal sense, she once bought a mountain to protect birds of prey — like this Cooper's Hawk — from bounty hunters. That land is now known as the world-renowned Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.
This episode is dedicated to the memory of Nancy Nordhoff, whose legacy of tenacious support for environmental conservation and opportunities for women will last for generations to come.
BirdNote®
Rosalie Edge And The First Hawk Sanctuary
Written by Ariana Remmel
This is BirdNote,
Rosalie Barrow Edge famously said “The time to protect a species is while it is still common”. She was one of the 20th century’s most outspoken advocates for birds and the creator of the world’s first refuge for raptors.
[American Goshawk]
In the US, birds of prey were once fair game for farmers and sport hunters who believed that raptors were a threat to livestock. In 1929, Pennsylvania was one of several states that offered a cash reward for every goshawk killed. That drew bounty hunters to the Appalachian Mountains where migrating eagles, falcons, and hawks died by the thousands.
When Rosalie learned of the slaughter, she spearheaded a campaign to lease — and later buy — a ridgeline hunting ground that locals called “hawk mountain”. In 1934, newly hired game wardens made certain that raptors were no longer hunted for sport but counted for science. Today, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary attracts hundreds of researchers and volunteers who work to ensure that birds of prey remain a common sight.
[Red-shouldered Hawk]
For BirdNote. I’m Ariana Remmel.
This episode is dedicated to the memory of Nancy Nordhoff, whose legacy of tenacious support for environmental conservation and opportunities for women will last for generations to come.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. American Goshawk ML223256931 recorded by Andrew Spencer. Red-shouldered Hawk ML229090 recorded by Bob McGuire.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2026 BirdNote April 2026
Narrator: Ariana Remmel
ID# hawkmountain-01-2026-04-09 hawkmountain-01
Reference:
https://www.nps.gov/people/rosalie-edge.htm
https://www.hawkmountain.org/about/who-we-are
https://www.hawkmountain.org/stewardship/kittatinny-ridge
https://www.hawkmountain.org/download/?id=4872&dl=1
Ariana Remmel
Writer NarratorSights & Sounds
