FORT WAYNE, Ind. – For the eighth consecutive year, falcon father Jamie and mother Moxie squawked loudly and angrily Monday as their baby chicks that hatched atop Indiana Michigan Power Center (IMPC) were briefly removed from their nest to receive identification bands.

The three male chicks were named Bolt, Unity and Artemis, and the one female was named Carla.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and physical distancing standards, I&M was unable to invite student groups to IMPC to watch the banding, hear an education presentation from Soarin’ Hawk Raptor Rescue and name the chicks as in prior years. But the I&M team didn’t let this exciting time escape us.  We used the opportunity to invite I&M employees to select the names – and they submitted more than 650 names for consideration.

There is special importance to each of these names:  Bolt is symbolic of the energy industry; Unity is a symbol of our society coming together during these uncertain times; Artemis is a follower of the goddess of wild animals; and Carla is in recognition of one of I&M’s respected leaders, who is retiring this summer after more than 30 years with the company.

Wildlife biologist John Castrale banded the four chicks, bringing to 63 the number of chicks hatched and banded atop IMPC beginning in 1996. He was assisted by Brad Bumgardner of the Indiana Audubon Society. The banding requires removing the chicks from their nest for a brief time – an unexpected absence for the parents, who express their displeasure quite loudly until the chicks are returned.

The numbered bands offer biologists the ability to track the movements of Midwestern peregrine falcons, which after maturity settle up to 200 miles from where they were raised.

Moxie, Jamie and the chicks can be seen on their nest high above Fort Wayne on the Falcon Cam at www.IndianaMichiganPower.com/FalconCam

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Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its approximately 2,100 employees serve more than 599,000 customers. More than two-thirds of its energy delivered in 2019 was emission-free.  I&M has at its availability various sources of generation including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, more than 22 MW of hydro generation in both states and approximately 15 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states. The company’s generation portfolio also includes 2,620 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.

American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s more than 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 32,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,300 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Tracy Warner
Indiana Michigan Power Communications
260-479-9484
tkwarner@aep.com