Talon Ridge Raptor Institute

08/25/2026

Talon Ridge Raptor Institute joins our East Tennessee neighbors and the world in mourning the loss of our beloved Smoky Mountain Queen, Dolly Parton. ❤️

Dolly spent decades inspiring and empowering people from all walks of life to pursue their dreams. She created Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and worked to improve child literacy. She supported medical research and environmental causes. She adamantly supported minority communities, and was a beacon of hope for individuals and families during the 2016 wildfires in the Smoky Mountains. Dolly was truly one of a kind, and no one will be able to fill her high heels. 👠

Dolly’s impact is felt far and wide, but no other place felt her love like East Tennessee and Appalachia. Her story of perseverance and determination has inspired millions of Appalachians. She made people of this region feel seen, heard, and accepted while encouraging us to ignore the hate and shoot for the stars. We feel her energy and presence manifesting on every mountaintop, every holler, and in every soul of those who she inspired. Dolly’s story empowered our mission and commitment to mutual aid and community support, and we hope that, through our actions, we can make Dolly proud. RIP Dolly, we will always love you! ⛰️❤️

08/10/2026

Talon Ridge Raptor Institute is excited to announce a new partnership with the Farmland Raptor Project!

This partnership aims to help expand the Project’s reach into Northeast Tennessee to better understand farmland raptors! The Farmland Raptor Project, in partnership with Foothills Land Conservancy, received a Cornell Land Conservation Grant for "From Fields to Flight: Growing the Farmland Raptor Project Across the Tennessee Valley!" This will expand conservation efforts for declining farmland raptors such as the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) and the American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata), among other species. The project emphasizes habitat stewardship, community engagement, and monitoring while strengthening partnerships that support both working lands and ecosystems.

Talon Ridge Raptor Institute has pledged support to assist in identification of potential research locations, assist in education efforts surrounding farmland raptors, workshop development, and more! You will see us partnering with other wildlife organizations such Owl Ridge Raptor Center, HappiNest Raptor Rescue, TWRA, Foothills Land Conservancy, and more to raise awareness across the Tennessee Valley, and to help YOU, the landowners, learn how you can get involved to protect these absolutely iconic species!

Workshop dates are in the works, but in the meantime, if you’re a landowner who has open pasture, prairie, etc. in Northeast Tennessee and would like to learn more about how you can get involved, email [email protected]!

Visit https://mtmenvironmentalllc.com/services/outreach-and-education/farmland-raptor-project/ to learn more about the Farmland Raptor Project!

08/01/2026

This rainy Saturday has us reminiscing of last summer when Wicca was first learning how to fly! ✈️ Just look at her go!

FUN FACT: Did you know that owls have evolved to hunt effortlessly under the cover of dark? That’s right! Wicca has special adaptations that give her an advantage once the sun goes down. Whether it’s her eyesight, her hearing, or even the ability of silent flight, she is specially equipped to dominate the night sky making her (and others like her) one of the fiercest predators to take flight.🦉

07/30/2026

She’s healing well! ❤️‍🩹 She’ll be off to our friends at Owl Ridge Raptor Center for long-term rehabilitation soon! 🪶

07/29/2026

Talon Ridge Raptor Institute is excited to announce the addition of Taylor Sturtevant to our Board of Directors! Additionally, Taylor will serve as our new Volunteer Development Coordinator where she will manage volunteer training, communication, and more.

Taylor was our very first volunteer. She has consistently showed up, and dedicated her time to helping care for Wicca, our ambassador owl. We are so grateful to have Taylor on our team, and we are excited to see Taylor flourish in these expanded roles! Learn more about Taylor below!

Taylor attended Lee's McRae College, where she got her B.S. with a concentration in wildlife sciences and focused in wildlife rehabilitation. At the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center she was able to hone her skills and discover her passion for animal behavior and training. Throughout her college career she worked hands-on with wildlife of all shapes and sizes but found her deep passion and respect for birds. Since graduating she has been in the animal medical field and is continuing to help injured and unwell animals. Taylor has 5+ years of experience training and working with raptors and other educational ambassadors — she loves teaching and will take any opportunity to educate guests on wildlife conservation. Taylor is currently working towards getting her Certified Professional Bird Trainer Certification (CPBT-KA) through the International Avian Trainers Certification Board (IATCB), and is a Professional Member of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE). Her long term goals include continued professional development to stay updated on proper raptor husbandry and care, and to connect everyone to the amazing world of raptors through educational programs, conservation efforts, and rehabilitation.

07/25/2026

Thank you to Rebecca Pepin WCYB for sharing about our operation! 🦅🦉🪶

Isn’t Wicca STUNNING?!
She’s an ambassador for Talon Ridge Raptor Institute in Kingsport. 🦅

Talon Ridge is a young nonprofit, only about 2 years old. They specialize in the care of raptors and birds of prey.

The president and executive director, John Simcox, had worked in the zoological industry for more than a decade.

He decided to create Talon Ridge to bring something new and exciting to the Tri-Cities. They currently do education programming with Wicca, their Eurasian Eagle-Owl, and are very community focused.

Additionally, they are in the process of establishing the Tri-Cities (and Northeast TN’s) only raptor triage and short-term critical care center with goals of opening a full rehabilitation facility in the future.

They are committed to their mission to protect raptors while empowering our community, and they are governed by our 4 core values: research, conservation, education, and mutual aid.

Can you help? I placed a link to donate to this registered 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit in comments!

07/24/2026

Happy National Zookeeper Week!

This week was created to celebrate the incredible work that zookeepers across the world have achieved in animal care/husbandry, training, enrichment, research, and conservation! Zookeeping is a HIGHLY skilled profession that many people dedicate their lives to. Zookeepers are the backbone of any zoological or wildlife institution!

Did you know zookeepers have assisted their respective facilities in saving DOZENS of species from extinction? That’s right! From mammals such as the Black-Footed Ferret and Mexican Wolves, to amphibians like the Panamanian Golden Frog, to our avian friends such as the ICONIC California Condor — zookeepers have been working behind the scenes to protect these species from extinction for decades. Through strategic conservation breeding programs and reintroduction initiatives, zookeepers and their teams are on the forefront conservation action!

This week, we celebrate the zookeepers that serve Talon Ridge Raptor Institute: John Simcox, Rachael Payton, Kristin Forquer, Taylor Sturtevant, and Dylan Autry! Their experience and expertise leads Talon Ridge into the future of raptor education, conservation, and research, and we are incredibly lucky to have these individuals on our team! 🦅

07/18/2026

Talon Ridge Raptor Institute is thrilled to announce the addition of Rachael Payton to our Board of Directors! Rachael joins us with an abundance of experience and an enthusiasm for our mission. Read more about Rachael below! 🦅

Rachael is currently a Bird Keeper II and Conservation Specialist for the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. She started her career at Auburn University, where she volunteered at the Auburn University Raptor Center and worked her way up to Rehabilitation Raptor Specialist while getting her bachelor’s degree. She worked in both the Education and Rehabilitation departments before moving to Nashville 5 years ago. In that time span, Rachael has become the primary caregiver of the Zoo Avian Department’s only Class l wildlife (Cassowary) and oversees the breed and release program of Loggerhead Shrikes at the zoo. Rachael has been granted federal and state permits to establish several banding programs at Nashville Zoo, including a bird box cavity nesting microclimate study, a Purple Martin Gourd System, and the only banding station within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Additionally, through her work at the Zoo, she has gained respect from her colleagues and the community, earning advisory positions representing the zoo on the Purple Martin Task Force, Nashville Urban Bird Treaty, and the Bird Prevention Collision Alliance. These initiatives led to the creation of the Conservation Specialist position, just recently established and a first for Nashville Zoo.

Please take a moment and welcome Rachael to our team in the comments! 🦉

Learn more about Talon Ridge Raptor Institute by visiting our website at talonridgeraptors.org!