Few people know more about Carolina Raptor Center’s history than Mathias Engelmann, Senior Rehabilitation Coordinator, long-time volunteer and friend of the organization.

During his first semester as a biology student at UNCC, Mathias came across an exhibit organized by Carolina Raptor Center on campus. Before that day, he said, “I was not a bird person – I had no experience with birds. I was a cat and dog person, just like eve...

When their daughter dissected an owl pellet in elementary school, Brian Hughes and his wife were intrigued. She brought a pamphlet home from school that afternoon that said the owl pellet came from a local nonprofit organization, Carolina Raptor Center. Relatively new to the area, Brian and his family knew they had to check it out.

Right in their backyard in Huntersville, NC, the Raptor Center became a weekend destination for B...

As Bob Spillane approaches his 70th birthday in June, he is contemplative. He has had a long and rewarding career in the textile industry, but always had a love of nature; specifically, he has had a lifelong love for birds. “I had a great career – but if I had to do it over again, I might have done it at Carolina Raptor Center” he said with a laugh.

Two years ago, Bob started volunteering weekly at Carolina Raptor Center’s Medi...

For Crandall Bowles, supporting Carolina Raptor Center’s Our Quest Campaign was a natural extension of her family’s lasting commitment to conservation in the Piedmont region.

Crandall Bowles’s mother Anne Springs Close was always “more nature-oriented than city-oriented.” That is why, in 1995, Crandall and her seven brothers and sisters donated over 2,100

acres of family land to create the Anne Springs Close Greenway, a nature p...

In the first grade, Cooper Couden climbed a tree outside of his elementary school and found himself face-to-face with an angry American Robin, protective of her nest full of eggs. He fell out of that tree but picked himself up with a newfound interest – birds. At his teacher’s suggestion, Cooper’s mother, Traci, brought him to Carolina Raptor Center (CRC) to learn more about birds, and Cooper has been “just crazy about them” e...

Perhaps it should not be surprising, but Sadie Casper’s favorite bird is a vulture at Carolina Raptor Center.  After all, they share the same first name.
 
A 5th grader at Cotswold Elementary School, Sadie is a regular participant in CRC’s programs.  In December, she recently completed her second year of winter camp, and she has every intention of returning for her sixth summer camp later this year.
 
Her father Christian Casp...

It was just a chance encounter more than 25 years ago that introduced Bruce and Nancy Roberts to Carolina Raptor Center.  But as the couple has focused on doing, they listened to their intuition and built a relationship that has been so meaningful to the organization.

It all began when Bruce and Nancy were invited to a neighborhood event in their River Hills community in the Lake Wylie, SC area. The event was facilitated by fel...