On February 10, the long-awaited Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) on the take of peregrine falcons for falconry was posted for public comment. The DEA evaluates several alternatives for managing the take of peregrines based on the 2023 peregrine falcon status assessment. NAFA fully supports the preferred alternative laid out in the draft EA, which is to “normalize” peregrine take for falconry across the United States.

“Normalization” means that special conditions and restrictions are no longer necessary, and peregrines take can be sustainably managed under the same rules that apply to other species, such as red-tailed hawks. This is something that NAFA has been advocating for a very long time. If put into practice, it represents an almost unprecedented victory for conservation and conservation science! This is something all falconers and especially those that worked directly on the recovery of the peregrine should be very proud of.

The government’s proposal is a significant milestone in our goal to normalize peregrine take.  There will undoubtedly be pushback. The Conservation Committee is already working on formal written comments. In addition, NAFA is planning to reach out to key stakeholders, including flyway council reps at the North American Wildlife Conference in March, to identify and address concerns. 

The DEA has been posted to the USFWS website for a 90-day public comment period ending May 11, 2026. The next steps will then be for the  USFWS to review and consider the comments, make a determination, and lastly, post the “final” environmental assessment and an implementation date for the regulation changes. After the regulation changes are implemented, individual states will be able to update their regulations to take advantage of the (hopefully) relaxed federal rules. Unfortunately, we have no control over how long this process will take.

As a member, there are a couple of important things you can do to help:

Stay tuned for updates!