Nebraska Game & Parks Commission to Band Woodmen Tower Falcons June 3
Omaha, Neb. – Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society announced that the banding of its five newest Tower-top residents will take place Monday, June 3 on the 28th floor of the Woodmen Tower. This is the 25th year in which peregrine falcons have chosen to nest atop the Tower and the second year in which falcon pair Mintaka and Hera have produced offspring. Raptor Recovery Nebraska and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will begin the banding at 10:00 a.m., and at this time will also take blood and determine genders. Woodmen of the World will present a $500 donation to Raptor Recovery Nebraska and a $250 donation to the NE Game and Parks Commission to thank them for their work with the peregrine falcons.
Once genders are determined, as part of the 25th anniversary of the Woodmen Tower Falcon program celebration, Woodmen of the World will be holding the annual “Name the Falcon” contest again this year through Facebook (Facebook.com/WOWInsurance).
Fans will enter their group of five names on the Woodmen of the World Facebook contest tab through noon on Monday, June 10. After an internal WOW committee reviews the names, the top five groups will be re-posted on the WOW Facebook contest tab, where fans can then vote for their favorite. The top five selections will be posted and voting will begin on Thursday, June 13 and last through noon, on Thursday, June 20. The winner will be announced on Friday, June 21 via Facebook, followed by Twitter and the FalconWatch blog.
Special educational activities have also been planned to commemorate the anniversary. Woodmen of the World has partnered with Fontenelle Forest and Raptor Recovery Nebraska to create educational materials for third through fifth graders, the materials are available online for anyone to use. The public can find out more about the 25th anniversary celebration and the new falcon chicks at the web site at falcons.woodmen.org. They can also follow the Woodmen Falcons through their Twitter account @WoodmenFalcons.
25th-Anniversary Activities Include:
- Annual banding of the new falcons on the 28th floor of the Woodmen Tower. Usually in mid-May. Participants will include the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Raptor Recovery Center, as well as guests from area nature organizations. (Media welcome.)
- Annual “Name the Falcon” contest. Open to the public. Visit falcons.woodmen.org following the banding, for details, pictures of the chicks, and a list of winning names from past contests.
- Fund raiser through online sale of anniversary t-shirts, with a portion of proceeds to benefit Raptor Recovery. Visit the Woodmen Store at woodmen.org.
- For more information, visit falcons.woodmen.org.
Woodmen of the World was founded in 1890 as a not-for-profit. We give back to our member-customers and the communities we live in. Today, Woodmen of the World offers insurance, annuities, mutual funds,* and 529 College Savings Plans.* More than 700,000 Woodmen of the World member-customers across the country share a commitment to family, community and country. To learn more about Woodmen of the World, visit woodmen.org.