Royal Raffle 2024

Photo by Meagan Thomas/DWR

Win an opportunity to visit the Royal Tern Colony at Fort Wool and support the 2nd Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas 

Purchase by June 15th! 

Enter to win a visit to Virginia’s largest seabird breeding colony at Fort Wool this summer! Our raffle winner receives a unique and exciting opportunity to enter the Fort Wool habitat complex, which is closed to the public to protect the breeding birds. This exclusive raffle is being offered by The Virginia Society of Ornithology, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR).

Your Entry Will Support Bird Conservation

All the funds raised from this raffle will support creation of the 2nd Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas website. The website will present the field data and analysis from the 5-year Atlas project, documenting the current status and distribution of Virginia’s breeding birds. The Atlas website will essentially inform bird conservation in Virginia and beyond.

Grand Prize

One winner and their guest will spend an exciting day with the DWR, monitoring Royal and Sandwich Tern chicks on Fort Wool in Hampton, Virginia. Located directly adjacent to the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT), Fort Wool is a state and national historic site that was transformed in 2020 into a temporary nesting site for breeding seabirds displaced by the HRBT expansion project as part of a ground-breaking conservation success story by the DWR and Virginia Department of Transportation.

Important Note: The date of the trip to Fort Wool is to be determined. The anticipated timeframe is sometime between July 8 and July 21. The date will not be on the annual “big banding day” but a small-scale banding activity is possible during the visit. The date will be determined in mid-late June.

Learn about last year’s winner Joan Mashburn’s visit to Fort Wool in the VSO Newsletter, Fall 2023.

What this Day Includes:

·       Observe first-hand the spectacle of Virginia's largest Royal and Sandwich Tern colony that nests on Fort Wool, as well as the numerous Common and Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers that nest on nearby industrial barges that complete the habitat complex.

·       If banding is planned during this visit, you will observe banders in action, help record data, and even band a chick or two under the careful supervision of a bander.

·       The day will start just before sunrise at Fort Monroe, where you will board a small boat that will take you out to Fort Wool. 

Eligibility

·       Minimum age of the winner and their guest is 18.

If selected as the winner, the individual and their guest must agree to:

·       Be prepared to spend up to 6 hours on Fort Wool. Shade will be provided, but bring sunscreen, a sun hat, and your own water and snacks. Wear lightweight, comfortable clothing that you don't mind getting slightly covered in bird poop, and shoes that allow you to walk easily on sand.  

·       Feel comfortable riding in a small boat for approximately a 15-minute ride in potentially heavy swells. Moreover, both individuals must be able to board and exit the boat without difficulty and climb up and down a short dock ladder. 

·       Follow the direction and safety protocols of the DWR during the event.

·       Sign the DWR standard liability release waiver prior to their visit to Fort Wool.

·       Respond within 48 hours, if you are picked, to accept the win. After 48 hours a new winner will be drawn.

How to Enter

·       Buy your raffle tickets on the Virginia Society of Ornithology website.

·       Ticket prices: 1 for $12, 5 for $50, 15 for $75

·       Sales will close on June 15, 2023.