Mark Bonta, assistant professor of earth science, Penn State Altoona, said that the discovery of the Red-throated Caracara is one step in his 20-year journey to help solve "one of the enduring mysteries" of the bird's rapid population decline in the region.
Elvin Manguia, one of the team members who helped locate the nest of Caracaras, leans against an oak tree during the search. The Peregrine Fund sponsored the search.
Mark Bonta and his team needed local connections to find the Red-throated Caracara nest because the search area in Honduras is large -- about the size of the nation of El Salvador, or the size of several counties in Pennsylvania -- and thickly forested.
"Finding a Caracara nest had been on my bucket list of things to do for almost 20 years," says Mark Bonta, a Penn State Altoona researcher, who is working with locals in Olancho, Honduras, to understand more about a recently discovered Caracara nest.
Move- In Day 2013 went off without a hitch August 22, as Penn State Altoona welcomed 750 first year students to its residence halls, and approximately 1400 total first-year students to campus.
It was a lovely day to graduate! The sun was shining for the class of 2013 as they enjoyed their commencement ceremony, held Saturday, May 4 at the Jaffa Mosque in Altoona. About 230 of the 275 graduates attended the ceremony, at which Roger L. Williams, executive director of the Penn State Alumni Association and associate vice president, alumni relations, was the speaker.
In an ongoing effort to bring greater awareness to sexual violence and child abuse, several Penn State events are being held during the month of April, which has been designated Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month.
