Napa-Based Falconer Forms Association of Professional Falconers to Share Resources and Set Industry Standards | Local News

And while these benefits are extremely important in protecting the area’s high-value vines, there is no Better Business Bureau for people arguing with birds of prey, leaving the code of ethics to individuals. .

But as a titular falconer in the Bay Area, Authentic Abatement’s Rebecca Rosen is fed up with the ‘used car salesman’ mentality that surrounds falconry and decided to do something about it by forming the Professional Falconers Association ( PFA).

A non-profit professional association of falconry companies and professional falconers, the PFA will offer a range of benefits to members of the industry, including access to job sites, training resources, a marketplace for raptors, learning resources and inclusion in network members. phone book.

“I have high hopes for the PFA because I feel like it’s so necessary,” Rosen said. “After all, professional falconry has been around almost as long as falconry itself.”

“As soon as people started using bird messengers for hunting, someone was hired to go and trap the bird,” she said. “We look at medieval times and the King’s Falconer. It was a job. The ancient monks cleaned the bell towers of pigeons with their hawks… Even in medieval Europe, there was this social class with falconry.

So far, Rosen has done the heavy lifting of setting up the PFA and preparing for membership, and is now making progress in building a repository of trusted people that clients think they can trust. In addition, Rosen and the PFA will also establish a series of resources and learning opportunities for industry players.

“This is the hardest part, though,” she said, “getting people to share techniques. “

“Everyone wants to be the absolute best, and they don’t want to improve their competition, not realizing that if their competition fails, the whole industry just has a bad image… If something bad happens, that client won’t go and say, “Oh, well, that falconer sucks”, they’re going to say, “The hawks don’t work; let’s clean up. ‘”

So, by defining a code of ethics – which can now be viewed on the PFA website – while screening members and providing them with the resources they need to be successful, Rosen hopes to uplift the entire falconry community instead. than just herself and her business. And while willpower is important to make this happen, it must also convince other professionals that this is an idea worth supporting.

“This old school mentality is tough, and when it comes to training resources we have all these people who think they’ve been in the industry long enough that they have nothing more to learn. Rosen said. “But I think those are probably the people who have the most to learn.”

In addition to the discount, Rosen has a general love for birds and falconry, and hosts demonstrations at different venues and wineries whenever she can. Since 2016, she has had a concert with Bouchaine Vineyards, where guests come for the “Falconry in the Garden” event to sip wine and watch Rosen show off her various hawks, hawks and owls.

“Education has always been very important to me,” she said. “Because if I encourage a little kid to become a falconer someday, falconry doesn’t die. “

So, by highlighting these positive experiences in falconry outside of its reduction work and striving to maintain a certain standard for professionals through PFA, Rosen is determined to create a good reputation for her industry.

To learn more about the PFA, visit profalconers.com.