Lehigh University
IN-2: Innovation 2

Lehigh University installed a camera above a red-tail hawks’ nest in 2015. Over the last several years, one male and one female red-tailed hawk have nested on the west side of STEPS building at Lehigh. The webcam provide a live feed to anyone, encouraging Lehigh faculty, staff, and students as well as the broader community to observe and discuss wildlife. It brings the attention of faculty, staff, students, and community members whose work/research is not directly connected to environmental topics, bringing valuable learning experiences and allows them to connect with nature. Lehigh’s Office of Sustainability, Library & Technology Services, and Facilities Services partnered to implement the “Hawk Cam” idea. Several years ago, two red-tailed hawks built a nest on Lehigh STEPS building, along Vine Street, which drew the attention of students, staff and faculty. After installing the camera, Lehigh has continued to encourage community interest by promoting outreach through University Communications as well as local media (i.e. WFMZTV). In 2016, University Communications partnered with the Office of Sustainability to host a “Name the Hawks” campaign, in which Lehigh invited community members to view live stream of hawks' nest and name its occupants. This campaign sparked the local media to come and do a video news segment on the hawk cam and campaign. By installing the Hawk Nest Cam, Lehigh continuously promotes knowledge on relevant environmental topics, extending learning experiences to the entire community. This initiative also emphasizes Lehigh's support for healthy ecosystems, leveraging faculty, staff, and students interest.