2024 After The Fledge!

Eagles aren't the only great thing in Decorah! The weather was perfect for ice cream from the Sugar Bowl or the Whippy Dip! If you stay for four days, you'll have time to visit both!
Kay from SOAR with Mr. Decorah. In 2014, the Decorah eagles were chased from the nest by blackflies. D20 was injured and now lives at SOAR as an eagle ambassador.
Abbey from River Raptors with a beautiful gyrfalcon. Attendees met a gyrfalcon, a merlin, a great horned owl, and Abbey's personal falconry bird, a red-tailed hawk.
John and some of our volunteers!
Screech owls are really small birds! Two ATF attendees were lucky enough to participate in the release.
ATF Tent 2018
Glogdog, our intrepid bike ride leader! About 13 people joined us on the ride this year.
Sunday's boat ride on the La Crosse Queen. Riders got to see Great Spirit Bluff from the river. The bluff and our Flyway cam are just upstream from the Lock and Dam.
Riders at the pavilion. Snacks are included at almost all of our activities, and water is a must!
The bike riders! If you don't bring a bike, you can rent an electric bike from Decorah Bicycles. The electric bikes were very popular and the weather could not have been nicer! Photo courtesy Iriscats

Come join us in Decorah-dise for our 2024 After The Fledge party from Thursday, July 18 to Sunday, July 21! We’ll celebrate our eagles, falcons, and other birds, meet other eagle fans, and generally have a great time in one of the greatest small towns around! To order tickets, follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/after-the-fledge-2024-registration-939529567227. For a downloadable schedule, click this link.

Thursday, July 18
  • 10:15 AM: Effigy Mounds Hike: Join Amy at the Effigy Mounds National Visitor Center at 10:15 for a hike up to Fire Point, where peregrine falcons nest. A ranger from the park will give a public tour, so we’ll get to learn more about the park’s history and mounds. The hike is roughly 2 miles long and rises 301 feet. The trail is steep at times but very well kept. We’ll bring a cooler, but I still recommend a water bottle and mosquito spray, especially this year! Address: 151 IA-76, Harpers Ferry, IA 52146.
  • 4-7 PM: Hatchery Meet & Greet: Join us at the RRP hatchery tent at the back of the hatchery to meet, mingle, eat Mabe’s Pizza, buy eagle stuff, have fun, and start the weekend! We’ll also take your registration and dinner payment if you haven’t done it online. Look for the big tent at the back of the hatchery and stop by whenever you can for however long you’d like! Address: 2321 Siewers Spring Rd, Decorah, IA 52101.
Friday, July 19
  • 9:00 AM: Early Bird Hatchery Tour: Join RRP Director John Howe for a walking tour of the hatchery! We’ll meet at the pavilion at 9 AM and go from there. Will HM or HD show up? We’ll find out! Bring quarters to feed the fish when the tour is done. Address: 2321 Siewers Spring Rd, Decorah, IA 52101.
  • 10:30 AM: Kayak or Canoe with Us! If we can float, we’ll meet at Upper Iowa Resort River Rentals at 10:30 AM on Friday. Once we get the rentals squared away, we’ll take a shuttle to Iverson Bridge! The float will take about two hours. Address: 578 Lonnings Dr, Dorchester, IA 52140.
    3:00 PM: River Valley Raptors: River Valley Raptors is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of raptors and other wildlife through education. Join us at the RRP hatchery tent to meet the birds of River Valley Raptors – and their humans, too! Address: 2321 Siewers Spring Rd, Decorah, IA 52101.
Saturday, July 20
  • 9:00 AM: Bike Trout Run Trail: Meet us at Decorah Bicycles at 9:00 AM to hit the paved trail to the trout hatchery at 9:30 AM. Bring your own bike or rent an electric pedal-assisted bike from Decorah Bicycles. The trail is a little over four miles out and back and we will be riding the easy eastern half of the trail from Decorah Bicycles to the hatchery, although you are welcome to take the harder western loop on the way back! Rental bikes cost $49 for 1-4 hours and helmets are included. Address: 101 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101.
  • Noon: RRP’s Raptor Research! Join RRP Director John Howe, master bander Dave Kester, and Amy Ries underneath the hatchery tent for a talk and QA session on our research work, including our peregrine falcon work and our fall raptor banding station. Address: 2321 Siewers Spring Rd, Decorah, IA 52101.
  • 2 PM: Meet Mr. Decorah! This will be awesome! Join RRP and S.O.A.R outside Valder’s Hall of Science on the Luther College Campus to meet Mr. Decorah (a 2014 Decorah Eagles fledgling) and learn more about S.O.A.R.’s raptor rehabilitation work. Address: 700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101.
  • 3 PM: Talk by RRP Director John Howe: Join RRP Director John Howe at Valder’s Hall of Science on the Luther College Campus to recap the year, learn about our plans for 2024, and ask John questions! Address: 700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101.
  • 6PM to 7PM: Hatchery dinner! We’ll be eating under the big tent at the hatchery on Saturday, June 20th. This year, Luther College will be catering the dinner, which sounds amazing! Address: 2321 Siewers Spring Rd, Decorah, IA 52101.
Sunday, July 21
  • Mississippi Boat Ride on the La Crosse Queen: Join us on the La Crosse Queen on Sunday, July 21 at 10:00 AM for brunch and a cruise! We’ll go upstream through Lock and Dam #7, learn about the river, enjoy brunch, and get a great look at GSB! Address: 405 E Veterans Memorial Dr, La Crosse, WI 54601