Osprey are a rare nesting species in Illinois and is listed as endangered by the state. With funding from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and in collaboration with Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Professor Tih-Fen Ting (Environmental Studies Department, UIS) and her students are working to establish a self-sustaining breeding population of osprey to aid its recovery in Illinois. 5-week-old osprey chicks from the Chesapeake Bay area (i.e., translocation) are brought over and raised in Central Illinois until they fledge. This technique which is called “hacking”, is a commonly used for reintroduction of osprey populations because of its potential to establish site fidelity in the released birds.