Photo provided by Beth Maatta This owl will likely be the first raptor to use the new flight rehabilitation facility being built at U.P. Wildlife Rehabilitation — Keweenaw. The new 12-by-50-by-12 enclosure was funded by a grant from Eagle River resident Edward “Bud” Cole.

HANCOCK — A new flight rehabilitation facility in Hancock will help orphaned or injured raptors prepare for their return to the wild.

The addition came as the result of a $40,000 donation U.P. Wildlife Rehabilitation – Keweenaw Group received from Eagle River resident Edward “Bud” Cole.

“I’m still pinching myself to make sure it’s real,” said Beth Maatta, the federally permitted wildlife rehabilitator with UPWR.

Cole first became aware of the center after seeing a Facebook post asking for donations to help treat a hawk suffering from a gunshot wound. Cole paid for the treatment of the hawk, which survived and was later released.

After talking more with Maatta, he learned U.P. Wildlife Rehabilitation needed funds for a bigger enclosure that would enable it to rehabilitate raptors, such as hawks or owls. The group had been raising funds, but had not been able to reach the $25,000 goal.

Cole said he was motivated by a lifelong love of animals, nature and the Upper Peninsula.

He was also impressed with the scope of the organization, and their plans to grow.

“The work they do, not just for birds, but for all animals, is noble work,” he said. “…I’m really proud to be part of what they’re doing, and I’m proud to have partnered with Beth and that group to take this from a thought in someone’s mind to reality.”

The 12-by-50-by-12 enclosure meets U.S. Fish & Wildlife standards for unlimited flight. This will allow raptors, aside from eagles, to be rehabilitated locally. The bigger enclosure gives raptors room to exercise and build the strength needed for hunting and migration.

“This way, instead of running them down to Marquette, and their flight enclosure, we can treat them here,” Maatta said.

That rehabilitator, Jerry Maynard of the Chocolay Raptor Center in Harvey, will be retiring soon, leaving Maatta as the only raptor rehabber left in the Upper Peninsula.

Cole’s donation provides for more than just the facility. It will also buy a machine to test the levels of lead in raptors’ blood. Lead poisoning has become more common in raptors as it accumulates up the food chain, such as from fish or hunted deer, Maatta said. And it accumulates in the bird over time.

“All it takes is a piece of lead the size of a piece of rice to kill a bald eagle,” Maatta said.

Birds with high lead levels undergo chelation treatment, in which they are injected with a drug that binds to the metals, removing them from the bloodstream. Eagles will still need to be treated off-site, but others will be able to be treated there.

The facility should be ready for its first raptor in August, Maatta said.