Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory

06/06/2026

HANGING ROCK TOWER PROJECT: UPDATE – JUNE 2026


BACKGROUND
The Hanging Rock Tower was closed in 2025 by the U.S. Forest Service due to concerns about the stability of its foundation. Fortunately, while the actual tower may be closed, the spectacular mountaintop area on which the tower is located is open to the public and remains a popular hiking destination for visitors from across the country. In addition, Hanging Rock continues to function as an official raptor migration observatory, a role it has fulfilled continuously since 1952.
CURRENT STATUS – EARLY SUMMER 2026
Following the tower’s closure, the Monroe County Commission appointed a volunteer working group in fall 2025 to collaborate with the George Washington/Jefferson National Forest on planning for the tower’s repair and eventual reopening. Over the past ten months, the volunteer working group has met regularly with Forest Service staff both on-site and at district offices in Blacksburg, Roanoke, and Harrisonburg. They have also coordinated site visits with engineering and architectural professionals who are now conducting a formal structural assessment of the tower.
The evaluation is examining two primary paths:
• Major repairs that could allow the tower to reopen as early as this fall, and
• A full replacement of the 30yearold structure with a modern design and updated materials.
While this assessment is underway, the Forest Service—working closely with the volunteer group—recently authorized construction of an emergency access lane connecting the tower area to an old Forest Service road on the south slope of Peters Mountain. That gated access lane will not only facilitate the repair activities for the tower but will be left in place to provide emergency access to the tower site and to that section of the popular Allegheny Trail.
The working group is deeply appreciative of the Eastern Divide District Office of the George Washington/Jefferson National Forest for its swift action in establishing this emergency access route. It reflects the Forest Service’s recognition of the tower’s legacy and its commitment to reopening the site as soon as it can be done safely.
NEXT STEPS
The next major milestone will be using the engineering assessment to develop a contract for professional repair work. If the Forest Service ultimately determines that a full replacement of the tower is necessary, the required review and approval process could extend well into 2027 or beyond. Given that timeline, the hope is that essential repairs to the existing structure can be completed in time to safely reopen the tower ahead of this fall’s hawk migration season.
It is anticipated that just those shortterm repair costs could still exceed $100,000. In order to raise that amount of money, the grassroots fundraising of the past year will need to be expanded and organized under a more formal structure.
In response to that need—and to provide longterm coordination and oversight for the tower beyond the repair phase—the working group has decided to establish a new nonprofit organization that will be dedicated exclusively to Hanging Rock. Once decisions are finalized regarding the scope of repairs and the balance between short and longterm work on the tower, the new nonprofit will release a detailed fundraising plan and timeline. A public campaign launch is anticipated later this summer.
LOOKING AHEAD
A tremendous amount of work has already gone into this effort, but in many ways we are just getting started. Those directly involved know how many supporters are watching, waiting, and ready to help—whether through financial contributions, volunteer labor, or other forms of assistance. When the moment comes, we will not hesitate to ask for that support.
Stay tuned.

06/05/2026

We will have displays at two places tomorrow, June 6. One at Three Rivers Avian Center for public tour day and one at Farmers Day in Union, WV.

06/02/2026

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0XFRAPPJZdtVrXeZXDUyJC

The Holler: A Visit Mountaineer Country Podcast · Episode

05/08/2026

04/21/2026

We will have a display here.

We are SO excited for our Annual Earth Day Celebration coming up on Saturday, April 25th from 1–6 PM! 🌎💚
We’ve got an amazing day planned and can’t wait to spend it with all of you!

✨ A quick update to our food truck lineup:
We are so excited to welcome The Hanna Farmstead for the very first time at the winery! They will be mixing up their custom drinks as well as serving ice cream! Along with them, Mister Crabs Catering & Boil Truck and Sixpence Pizza will be here serving up their delicious food we all love! 🍕🦀
Here’s just a little of what you can expect:
🌿 15+ handmade & artisan vendors (think homemade syrups, handmade brooms, woodworking, local honey, quilted items, personalized spoon rings, jewelry & more!)
👕 A FREE clothing swap! Bring gently used, clean items to trade (check out our earlier post for more information!)
📚 Used book sale by donation
🌎 Local environmental info & resources
🍷 All your favorite OWL libations

This is a family-friendly event and a great way to spend the day supporting local, reducing waste, and celebrating our beautiful community 💫

We can’t wait to see you there! Make sure to bring your friends and family out to help us celebrate! 🌎🌞🌷🌳🐾

04/13/2026

03/24/2026

Back for another season - Skatutakee!

Skatutakee is one of our longest tracked broadwings in our study. She was trapped and banded in June 2022 and has continued to amaze us with her migratory movements.

Each year Skatutakee leaves her breeding territory (in July-early August) and heads north to Québec, Canada. She spends a few weeks in the region before departing for autumn migration.

The map shows the last four autumn migrations including Skatutakee's movements from her nest site in New Hampshire, USA to her post-breeding grounds in Québec, Canada and down into her wintering area in Bolivia and Peru.

➡️ In 2022, she initiated autumn migration on 14 September and arrived in Tujuhahuíra, Bolivia on 12 November.

➡️ In 2023, she left on 13 September and settled farther north in Inca, Peru by 19 November.

➡️ In 2024, she flew south on 11 September and arrived in Cascajo, Bolivia (a little later than usual) on 8 December.

➡️ In 2025, she started her migration from Québec on 12 September and by 12 November she settled in a new wintering site in Suapi, Bolivia.

02/20/2026

Hi Folks,

This mid-winter update on the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory project comes to you from the small group of volunteers who have been working diligently over many months to coordinate the rehabilitation and re-opening of this most unique and beloved facility on Peters Mountain. We’ll begin this report with a word of thanks to those of you who have expressed your support for our efforts via financial contributions, offers of assistance, and strong words of encouragement.

In spite of delays due to the holidays and winter weather, our team has met several times since last fall in Monroe County and elsewhere. Some on-site evaluation work has also been performed on the mountain to assess the structural integrity of the tower as well as potential emergency access routes that will be used for the construction work. Participants in those site visits have included professional engineers and architects, trail construction designers, building contractors, project administrators, and wildlife experts.

All of this effort is focused on developing a formal Scope of Work, Timetable, and Budget for the project. We have also been in direct contact with a variety of private funding sources who have expressed interest in providing significant challenge grants that will allow us to leverage the nearly $20,000 that has been contributed over the past year via a simple grass-roots effort.

It’s important to note that we are coordinating all of this due diligence with the staff of the Eastern Divide Ranger Office for the Jefferson/George Washington National Forest in Blacksburg. We are especially grateful for the high level of cooperation we have received from the Forest Service staff in that office.

To recap, while there may not have been much in the way of announced results in recent months, a lot of work has been taking place. We intend to provide a more detailed update in early spring once we get locked in on some of the funding and construction-related deadlines.

12/25/2025

Our volunteers want to wish everyone a happy holiday season. It’s been a trying year in a lot of respects, but we are still doing all we can do to make next year better.

12/05/2025

Slow day for Charlie count wise, but a beautiful day as well.