Historic release from tribal aviary represents cultural healing and species conservation

Summary:

– CPN Aviary successfully hatches golden eagles in captivity for first time.

– Two eagles, Némkis and Mnotägwzekwe , released into Montana and Yellowstone.

– Program blends species conservation with cultural and educational missions.

The eagle feather came to Jennifer Randell and her sister Bree Dunham when their mother “walked on,” the Potawatomi way of saying she had passed into the spirit world. It was a sacred gift from their tribe, a tangible connection to something larger than grief. When Randell held that feather, something shifted inside her. The connection was instant, visceral and undeniable.

“I felt like the eagle was calling me,” she said. That call would lead the sisters on a journey that would make history.

Today, Randell (whose Potawatomi name is Kno