I thought I'd make a trip over to the forum to see if I could gather any info about the cam. There were a few cam/website inquires from faithful followers. Here is the tail end of that conversation...for those that don't visit that forum:
Cecillia: This morning I sent an email to Steve, as well as to Harvey Webster. I don't expect any response before Monday. The third camera went down on September 28th, the day after my mother died. Life's events have a way of setting their own priorities.
I have said before, and will say again, if anyone else would like to take over this volunteer position of monitoring the falcon cam forums, feel free to contact me and I can put that change in motion.
bobbytimewarp: i'm very sorry about your loss, Ceil....
C & C: Thanks again for trying to help to get the cams working, Cecilia, especially as you deal with more important life issues. I know that we all appreciate all that you have done over the years for this website and our frustration that the cams are so inconsistent is not at all personally aimed at you. The cams are obviously very important if we're going to try to keep up with this pair/nest site, particularly with the downtown construction and security increases. I'm trying to "pick my spots" these days because it isn't very convenient to go there at this time, so getting a sense of what's happening via the cams is very helpful. To be honest, without the cams running I'm just not that compelled to check much.
We have seen flashes of the pair here and there from the nearby Hope Memorial Bridge, as I've mentioned, but now it has been awhile. There was an intruding adult female with only one silver band on her right leg at a nearby "hangout" of the HMB pair that was bold enough to approach Bolt while Cuyahoga was perched only a few feet away from him. She was quickly chased off by Cuyahoga, but I have to believe this female could "start trouble" with Newt as well. I'll repost this part to log this update where it belongs.
Carly: Thank you for the update C&C, I expect when and if the cams come up - we'll see some changes here.
Cecilia, thank you for all your efforts and I am very sorry for your loss. Stay strong.
C & C: Yes, thank you Cecilia, as we know that you are doing all you can to get the cams running again.
I decided to try not to impulsively post before about what I think needs to be said about this website, but the more I think about it the more I want to "speak up".
I really don't want to offend anyone and this is not meant to point fingers or issue blame, but I think we all need to acknowledge that this website isn't any where near what it used to be to those who have followed it over the years. I don't know how we can "fix" it, but I think we need to talk about "the elephant in the living room" if we want it to get better.
Personally, I have gone through my own transitions in terms of what I want/expect my role to be in following, appreciating, and continually learning about peregrines, particularly as we are no longer needed as monitors, they will no longer be banded in Ohio, and their population is considered to be "recovered" sufficiently to the point that they don't carry the same "clout" as a protected species. My interest in this website represents only one element of that transition.
I have appreciated that CMNH has provided a valuable resource over the years with live cam updates and many dedicated individuals who have kept the site going as well as followers who have enriched it greatly. I can't help but to see the current inconsistency/unreliability of the cams and the slow follow-through in fixing problems as a loss of interest or purpose for this website.
As I mentioned before, I'd like to be a part of the solution instead of part of the problem, yet the way that I became involved in checking this nest after Scott suddenly "retired" has left me feeling very disconnected. I try to "bridge the gap" for those who remain very interested in following this site as well as other peregrine websites/pages, but I don't know what's going on any more than anyone else.
If we can somehow come together to decide the direction of this website and each person's commitment level I think it would be helpful for all. Cecilia, I understand that you need to turn your attention to other more important matters, but I want you to know that I am willing to communicate with any of the administrators to help this site to get back to what it was and/or improve with the times.
Sorry to ramble, but my objective is to try to pull together to improve this site. Without that, I am among those losing interest in being involved with it and I'm starting to think that it may not be worth the time or energy.
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