In early fall of 2017, after welcoming thousands of visitors and weathering many rainy winters, the California Raptor Center’s small on-site museum received a much-needed new roof and interior renovation. The need for roof repairs became apparent after the wetter-than-average winter of 2016 led to leaks that threatened the museum’s numerous specimens and exhibits. Recognizing the urgency of maintenance, UC Davis Facilities Management began re-roofing and re-painting the aging building in mid-September.

All specimens and exhibits had to be removed during renovation, and the CRC’s education team seized this opportunity to begin an extensive overhaul and update of the museum’s displays. A generous grant from the Sacramento Valley Veterinary Medical Association funded a computer and two touchscreen monitors that can play videos and other media and also allow visitors to navigate their way through interactive stories of CRC patients. Specimens and exhibits have been reorganized into three main thematic areas: “Growing Up Raptor” (breeding, nests, eggs, and babies); “Predators and Prey” (hunting, diet, digestion, and food chains); and “Veterinary Medicine and Biology” (raptor rehabilitation, anatomy, physiology).

The museum is a work in progress, with new interpretive displays and signage to be added throughout fall and winter quarters. Be sure to check back regularly to watch the museum grow and “take flight”!

CONTACT

Rehabilitation Office: 530.752.6091

Education Office: 530.752.9994 or crceducation@ucdavis.edu

For more information, visit californiaraptor.org