Board
Patti Loesche, president and science advisor. Patti’s fascination with raptors began with Bud Anderson’s hawkwatching course. She leads the Puget Sound Peregrine Project and holds a master banding permit with the USGS Bird Banding Lab and a Washington State scientific collection permit. Patti has a Ph.D. in animal behavior and was formerly the U.S. managing editor and book review editor for the journal Animal Behaviour, a lecturer at the University of Washington, and a scientific writing consultant.
Edward A. Deal, vice president. Ed has studied birds of prey for over 30 years. He holds a master banding permit with the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory and a scientific collection permit in Washington State. Ed directs the Seattle Cooper’s Hawk Project. He gives talks on Cooper’s hawks to community groups and university classes throughout Washington State and beyond. Ed has authored or coauthored articles on Cooper’s hawks (Journal of Raptor Research, 2017; Washington Birds, 2021) and urban-nesting peregrine falcons (Urban Raptors, Island Press, 2018).
Jennifer Kovach, secretary. Jenn grew up in Pittsburgh next to an urban forest, Frick Park. She studied African American Studies in college and has been in the field of education since graduating, currently as an administrator in the Seattle Public Schools district. She has participated in Urban Raptor Conservancy since 2020, when she discovered her first peregrine eyrie while kayaking. In addition to her role as URC secretary, Jenn is our tireless volunteer coordinator. She is also a Forest Steward for the East Duwamish Greenbelt.
Peter Anderson, treasurer. Peter connected with the world of urban raptors in 2016, when Ed Deal spotted a pair of Cooper’s hawks near his home in Seattle. That meeting shifted his entire perception of wildlife in the city. Along with monitoring Cooper’s hawks and peregrine falcons, Peter conducts annual surveys of the city’s ever-increasing urban osprey population. Peter has been an architect in Seattle since leaving Minnesota, whose seemingly unlimited access to the natural world led to his appreciation for its preservation and conservation.