Falconers have played an…

Falconers have played an important role in raptor conservation and by allowing more falconers to have access to wild birds, the MNRF is encouraging more active conservation and citizen science.
The MNRF is adopting an approach that has been used successfully in other provinces and U.S. states. There is no reason to think they won’t succeed here as well.
The proposal enhances an important part of falconry heritage, which is recognized by UNESCO as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”
I am very glad to see goshawks included in a wild take for falconry, they are a very important species that is difficult to obtain elsewhere
The OHC has worked hard in the field to acquire data on active goshawk nest sites in southern Ontario. This will encourage further efforts to monitor and study this species.
Eliminating the draw a huge improvement. It enables all apprentice falconers to be able to trap their first bird of prey. Not only does the apprentice gain experience trapping, but they can release their bird back to the wild at the end of the hunting season, knowing that they'll be able to trap a new bird for the next season. This is the way that falconry has been practiced for thousands of years. Releasing birds back to the wild to breed in the spring and trapping a young bird the next fall season is an important falconry tradition. In this way, the effect of falconry on the wild raptor population is inconsequential.