18 ATTACHMENT 03 - Laserfiche WebLink

ATTACHMENT 3 NARRATIVE Jennifer Hosterman I am requesting a conditional use permit to allow me to keep my red tail hawk in my backyard in order to continue strengthening our bond and to train her to hunt. As described within the attachments provided, the art of falconry is a sport which involves the use of the use of raptors to hunt for game for humans. The training methods are complex and there is a great deal of work to be done in training a raptor to have trust with the handler, which takes considerable time and effort by the handler. The keeping of a raptor is regulated by both State and Federal laws-- permits are required from the California Department of Fish and Game, a State of California hunting license as well as proof of serving as an apprentice under a Master Falconer. Please refer to the attachment which provides information about falconry that might be of interest. I'd like to share my experience and interest in falconry with you and describe Ariel, my first year passage bird. Ariel Ariel is a 15` year passage bird with brown coloring. A passage is a bird which is less than a year old, captured in the wild, and has juvenile plumage. She has had her first year molt of her native feathers and will then molt every other year. There are ten feathers that represent the maturing of the bird that come in over the first year that are referred to as deck feathers. These are numbered 1-10 based on the location. Ariel has deck feathers #5 and #6 in, #1 and #3 are coming in with the remainder coming in later. I obtained a permit and trapped her in December, 2005. Young hawks often do not survive their first year and estimates indicate run from 30-70% death within the first year. Oftentimes, fledglings may be struck by disease or have various infections. Health In the case of Ariel, I was fortunate to have captured her; she had a serious infection, West Nile Virus, and I had her treated with antibiotics. Additionally, I provide her with vitamins which enhance her feet and talon health. Information that is in the attached exhibits indicates that there is no significant impact on the general hawk population. Hawks that have been trained for use by falconers are also released back into the wild and do not have problems surviving particularly if they are taken from the wild and not bred as described in the attached exhibit. Birds must be monitored daily and weighed to ensure the proper diet and feeding schedule is maintained. A log must be kept that charts daily weights. She [Ariel] weighs approximately 43 oz and has a diet of 1 quail per day. It is sometimes reduced to '/2 quail. The diet is especially important in the training process and is a difficult balance because if a bird is underfed, they may kill and eat the prey, however, if they are fed too much, then they may not have an interest in hunting. " rev P ~ `~ REC~I~(~® OCT o 2 2006 CITY OF PIEASANTON 1 of 2 PLANNtNt3 DEPT.