New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council

06/17/2026

NYSWRC is collecting accounts from wildlife rehabilitators regarding suspected or confirmed rodenticide exposure in wildlife. Please share any cases you have encountered and, if available, include information such as the species involved, approximate date and location, clinical signs observed, treatment provided, outcome, and any photos, necropsy findings, or toxicology results. Laboratory confirmation is welcome but not required.
Stories may be used to help the NYSWRC-Pace Alliance better understand the impacts of rodenticides on wildlife in New York and to communicate rehabilitators' experiences through educational materials, public outreach, and policy discussions. If you would prefer that your name, organization, or case details not be attributed publicly, please indicate that in your email. Anonymous submissions are welcome.

Please send stories and supporting materials to [email protected].

06/16/2026

📣 2026 NYSWRC Grant Applications Are Now Open!

The New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council is accepting applications for grants to support licensed wildlife rehabilitators and licensed assistants throughout New York State.

Funding is available for:
🦉 Facility construction and improvements
🦅 Wildlife caging
🦇 Rehabilitation equipment

Applications are open June 15–October 15, 2026. Eligible applicants must be NYSWRC members in good standing for at least one year.

Awardees will be notified by January 1, 2027.

Visit the NYSWRC website for eligibility requirements and application details.

NewYorkWildlife

06/16/2026

📣 2026 NYSWRC Grant Applications Are Now Open!

The New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council is accepting applications for grants to support licensed wildlife rehabilitators and licensed assistants throughout New York State.

Funding is available for:
🦉 Facility construction and improvements
🦅 Wildlife caging
🦇 Rehabilitation equipment

Applications are open June 15–October 15, 2026. Eligible applicants must be NYSWRC members in good standing for at least one year.

Awardees will be notified by January 1, 2027.

Visit the NYSWRC website for eligibility requirements and application details.

https://www.nyswrc.org/scholarships-grants

06/09/2026

NYSWRC members, friends, and past and present board members attended Birds of Prey Day 2026 at Green Chimneys yesterday! This wonderful event started in 1992 and has grown into an animal and advocacy filled day celebrating the positive impact animals and people can have on each other. It was a great day celebrating our avian friends and the humans that support them including many familiar faces from our conferences.
Pictured here are current board members Kelly Martin, Laura Jaworski, and Kate Martin, past board members Maggie Ciarcia and Ellen Kallish (Ravensbeard), members Charley Koop (Region 4 Director of the NYS Falconry Association) and Dave Spillo (Green Chimneys’ Wildlife Program Manager).

05/27/2026

NYSWRC is excited to share an opportunity for New York rehabbers and rehab facilities to assist with HPAI surveillance across the country! The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen North), The University of Florida, and the USDA have joined together to explore disease transmission dynamics at the human-animal interface, with a new focus on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. The goal of this project is to enhance HPAI H5N1 surveillance in avian and mammalian species through a national network of wildlife rehabilitation facilities and state
wildlife agencies. This effort will complement existing wildlife surveillance activities and address knowledge gaps regarding the persistence of HPAI strains in wildlife populations.

NYSWRC and the New York Department of Environment and Conservation supports this surveillance effort. If you are interested in participating, please complete the interest form! Link to interest form in QR code and here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4rlRbvwxfA-8xs2W6zBHuPNO--gIXIe8DYSa_A0GoHGKtTw/viewform

If you have questions please email [email protected] to talk to our contact Hayley D. Yaglom-Hemmelgarn, MS, MPH, One Health Genomic Epidemiologist III.

05/24/2026

Yesterday was World Turtle Day which NYSWRC spent celebrating our shelled friends! This day falls at the time of year we often refer to as “turtle season” when rehabbers see an increase in turtles needing care due to displacement and injury. We love our h**p friends and urge everyone to protect our turtles! Turtles that come into care have often suffered horrific injuries, especially from cars, but they can survive many injuries with the proper care and time to recover. We are lucky to have places like the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Clinic at Cornell who have been working to perfect turtle shell repair techniques. Please respect these wonderful creatures!

05/22/2026

Did you know that DEC has many digital newsletters you can sign up for? You can subscribe to as many topics as you wish and learn more about the topics you are interested in! NYSWRC recommends the newsletters: Birding - Words of a Feather, Wildlife, Fish, and Marine Life, Forests, Plants, and Land Conservation, Invasive Species, and Environmental Justice.

DEC Delivers offers subscribers great flexibility. We invite you to give it a try! Sign up to receive email notices concerning those subjects you are most interested in.

04/28/2026

Today NYSWRC Board Members, Lauren Schulz (President), Kelly Martin (Vice-President), and Kate Martin attended the 2026 NYS Animal Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. We brought along an American Kestrel as an animal advocate. This kestrel was taken into care by Kelly with a permanent wing injury.

Attending this event is part of NYSWRC’s continued efforts to advocate for NYS wildlife rehabilitators at the state level to increase awareness and support for those in the rehab field and the animals we all work so hard to help.

We had the opportunity to meet Senators, Representatives, staffers, fellow animal advocates, and members of the public. We joined many other wonderful organizations representing animals, including fellow wildlife rehabbers from Whispering Willow Wild Care, Wild For Life inc., and Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center.

04/18/2026

Happy International Bat Appreciation Day! Bats play an integral role in insect control, fruit and plant pollination, and seed dispersal. The presence of bats also indicates a healthy ecosystem as they can be sensitive to ecosystem changes. Bat p**p, known as guano, is a nutrient-dense fertilizer.

In New York we have nine species of bats: Big Brown Bats, Little Brown Bats, Hoary Bats, Eastern Small-footed Myotis, Tricolored Bats, Silver-haired Bats, Indiana Bats, Eastern Red Bats, and Northern Long-eared Bats. Three of our species migrate and the other six hibernate in caves.

Ways you can help Bats:
-Protect Natural Roosts (dead trees and caves)
-Install multi-chamber bat houses
-Reduce light pollution
-Keep cats indoors
-Plant native gardens
-Reduce pesticides and herbicides

If you find a bat in need of help contact a local wildlife rehabilitator!

04/13/2026

Keep an eye out for our turtle friends!

It is that time of year again! With warmer temperatures and sunny days, turtles are on the move searching for nesting spots. Turtles will often cross roads or lay eggs on the side of the road where the gravel is warm and easy to dig. Turtles need our help to safely cross the road - ensure that you will be safe while providing assistance, make sure to keep turtles going in the direction they were headed, and be extra careful moving snapping turtles. Never move a turtle by its tail because the tail is part of its spinal cord and can easily be damaged. There are excellent guides and videos online on how to move turtles in a way that protects both you and the animal.
Turtles can often survive very traumatic car injuries if they are provided adequate care and shell repair. If you find an injured turtle, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator (you can find your local rehabilitator on the DEC directory list, New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council website, or the Animal Help Now app).