Kestrel Post
Providing sustainable postage funds to facilitate donations to non-eagle feather repositories
Our Mission
Kestrel Post seeks to establish a sustainable source of postage funds for wildlife facilities, enabling them to mail feathers/parts to the non-eagle feather repository when otherwise not financially able. Feathers/parts contributed to the non-eagle feather repository are then distributed to Native Americans for religious and cultural purposes.
Photo Credit: Mitch Adolph
our first Fundraiser!!
We’ve got big news everyone – our Start Some Good fundraiser was a success!! We are so grateful for all the support we’ve received – it has been truly amazing. Stay tuned as we begin continue our journey as an official 501(c)(3) – we’re only getting started.
Kestrel Post
How it works
Ensuring that feathers/parts are distributed to Native Americans is a three step process, shown below. Kestrel Post fills the disconnect that lies in shipping costs, ensuring a greater streamline of donations and wider availability of culturally significant parts/feathers for Native Americans.
Donation collection
Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, feather/part collection can only legally be conducted by permitted organizations, such as nature centers and wildlife rehabilitation facilities. Feathers are molted naturally each year, allowing for feather shipment from non-releasable or rehabilitating birds. Regarding “parts”, despite exemplary medical care and attention, inevitably some birds taken into facilities don’t survive their trauma. Whole birds may be collected as a result.
Shipment
Here’s where Kestrel Post comes in. Wildlife facilities need to focus their budgets on veterinary care. As a result, many organizations are unable to participate in feather/part donations due to shipping costs. Kestrel Post partners with facilities and provides a paid shipping label upon request, facilitating donations to the feather repository. Your monetary donations go directly to paying for shipping labels to encourage these donations.
repository distribution
Recognizing the significance of non-eagle bird feathers and/or parts to Native Americans, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Liberty Wildlife established the Non-Eagle Feather Repository Program in 2010 (LWNEFR). Their mission is to provide Native Americans from federally recognized tribes with a source of non-eagle feathers from federally regulated migratory birds for religious and ceremonial purposes.
When donations arrive to the non-eagle feather repository, they are inventoried, documented, and stored for distribution. The repository distributes feathers/parts to Native Americans on their waiting list at no charge. Feathers/parts are used by Native Americans for cultural, ceremonial and religious purposes.
Kestrel Post
Building Connections by Bridging a Monetary Gap
Wildlife Rehabilitation Facilities +💸🦉📦→ Feather Repositories → Native Americans
Our Vision
Building Connections
By providing a sustainable source of postage funds, Kestrel Post connects wildlife rehabilitation facilities to non-eagle feather repositories by enabling donations that would not otherwise be fiscally possible. The non-eagle feather repository then distributes feather/part donations to Native Americans at no charge. Kestrel Post strives to empower these connections by covering postage costs.
Fundraising
Kestrel Post provides freedom to choose to where you would like your monetary donations to go. Fund a shipment of feathers/parts to the repository. Help us with seed money for future fundraisers. Cover costs of our miscellaneous non-profit operations. The choice is yours.
Awareness
In raising money to cover postage costs, Kestrel Post anticipates that, by proxy, we will spread awareness about non-eagle feather repositories, the work of wildlife rehabilitation facilities, and the beliefs and cultures of Native Americans communities.
Our Partners
