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Time is that precious commodity we all seem to have so little of. Writing this article for OTW for the members of the THA is a privilege and one that I always look forward to. Time seems to go by so quickly- thankfully John and Greg are so kind to remind me when articles for this great publication are due.

NAFA has so many irons in the fire year round and I am so grateful we have a lot of folks working for you and me and for falconry in North America. As I write this I am making preparations for travel and development of the NAFA business agenda during the annual meet in Vernal Utah this year. As soon as I return from Vernal I will have enough time to get a few clothes washed, re-packed and then catch another plane to yet another destination. Travel is an essential part of the job of your NAFA President, and I am always delighted when I reach a destination because I will be with falconers. People that I care very deeply for.

In the United States, I think we are going to have a good year for passage peregrine trapping. This article was due before the final results were in, and there are still a few days left on the trapping calendar, but from initial reports it appears more birds were trapped this year than last. The smiles in the photos say it all, and makse it worthwhile to continue to travel to Flyway Council meetings around the country. We still have a problem with the number of birds that can be taken, and NAFA will continue to do everything possible to convince those that allocate the permits that more are needed and the take continues to have no biological impact on the species. Texas has always been a great area to trap peregrines and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the THA and TPWD for their hard work to ensure trapping is open to residents and non-residents alike.

The NAFA Strategic Planning Committee is hard at work on projects to move our Association forward. We have been working on many new ideas that we hope will be attractive not only to current members, but new members as well. SP is also now working with Future Meets to examine the possibility of (1) regional meets and (2) holding our meet at a slightly different time of year. It is no easy task to coordinate this and work continues.

NAFA TAC reports a fair number of states will join Texas (and others) in their transition to the new federal falconry regulations. I don’t need to tell you but Texas helped pave the way for others and was instrumental in getting “the bugs” worked out for everyone else. NAFA is following the progress of each state very closely, and we will continue to offer assistance to states that seem to be struggling to get their updated regulations in for review by the USFWS.

I hope all of you will have a great season this year. On a personal note I am desperately trying to find the time to get my goshawk going again this year. I had to really parse the number of birds I was trying to fly. To do this big finnish gos justice, I have had to stick with one bird, one dog and a very patient spouse. When I am on the road for NAFA, which is frequent, this woman who has tolerated me for over 32 years is home taking care of the household and the “critters”. While I encourage her to take the goshawk out for some flying time, she reminds me she has her own bird [tiercel peregrine] to fly. The poor dog doesn’t know whether to look up, down or out, but he is such a goofball it is just fun having him in the field. As that precious commodity gets eaten away in service to NAFA and for falconry, I enjoy the time in the field with the dog, the bird and a blue sky day, whether it is in the fields of the Carolinas or deep in the heart of Texas.

Have a great hawking season and I hope I get to see you in the field someday.

Larry Dickerson, President
North American Falconer’s Association
nafapresident@n-a-f-a.com