NEW YORK STATE  WILDLIFE REHABILITATION COUNCIL  2001 ANNUAL SEMINAR

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Conference Schedule
 

The New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council will be hosting our 21st Annual Seminar, October 26 - 28, 2001.  The event will be held at the White Eagle Conference Center near Hamilton, NY.  This will be our third time hosting a seminar at this facility.  White Eagle is a beautiful location and it will be a beautiful time of the year to enjoy a quality learning experience among our peers, mentors and friends.

The Council has established a reputation for offering in-depth, professional and well rounded programs that offer something for everyone. Our 21st Annual Seminar will be no different.  Look for specialty workshops, hands-on labs, and general lecture sessions on a variety of topics for birds, reptiles, mammals, and their medical care.

Our seminar theme, "WILDLIFE IN DISTRESS; a sign of the times", was chosen for a reason. We hope that trained wildlife rehabilitators will help educate the public about the problems facing wildlife, as well as continue to enhance their knowledge and skills in wildlife care.  Unfortunately, one thing is clear; wildlife continues to be threatened by a myriad of dangers: cars, cats, dogs, poisons and toxins, nest destruction, garbage and litter entanglements, window collisions and building entrapments, and becoming orphans. Habitat reduction and destruction, ignorance about native wildlife or intolerance for animals living in our own back yards are larger issues that are more difficult to resolve or alter.  Added to these perils is an uncertain political landscape that may threaten the future of our wondrous natural resources.  It is as important to care about the ‘bigger picture’ involving wildlife as it is for us to provide quality care for individual animals.

At this years seminar, as we gather together to learn more about how to be better wildlife rehabilitators, let us also share strategies and join forces to work equally hard to protect our collective wildlife and the life-supporting systems that sustain us all.
 

Questions? Call: Amy Freiman at 518.582.3655, e-mail: nisseq@aol.com
or Julie Harjung at 518.891.7379, e-mail: rangerncats1@juno.com
 
 

John Piscotta, DVM, North Fork Animal Hospital     Marine Mammal Rehabilitation

Dr. John Maerz, Cornell   Introduced Species

Loretta Jones, Hawk Creek    Care and Housing of Raptors; Species-specific Considerations
                                                      Care and Maintenance of Bobcats
                                                      ‘Virtual Slide Tour’ of Hawk Creek

Jen Norton, The Raptor Trust    Medical Math Workshop

      Rehabilitation of Wrens
      Killdeer Rehabilitation
      New Ways in Waterfowl Rehabilitation

 Rehabilitation of Coyotes
 Hydrocephalus in Foxes

Barb Cole, NYSWRC    Avian Black Box Workshop

Matt Zymanek, Hawk Creek   Use of Wildlife in Education Programs

Ken and Marcia Barber, NYSWRC  Cottontail Rabbit Rehabilitation

Rebecca Dmytryk, Calif. Wildlife Ctr. Wildlife Paramedics

Patrick Martin, NYS DEC      Overview of RVS Licensing
                                                    Federal License Roundtable

Jeffery Huse, DVM, NYS Dept. Agriculture and Markets      Facility Inspection Process

Robert Rudd, NYSDOH    Rabies

Bill Brothers, ACES    Capture, Handling and Restraint of RVS
                                      Tools of the Trade

Barb Hollands, NYSWRC   Rehabilitation of Raccoons and Skunks

Kelly Martin, Kim Christensen, Barb Cole, Bev Jones, NYSWRC   Animal Basic Care Workshop

Rich Olsen     Whitetail Deer In Depth

Patrice Klein, DVM, HSUS   Necropsy Workshop, Emergency Care for Wildlife,
                                                 Wound Management in Wildlife, Emerging Zoonotic Diseases

Kathy Michell, NYSWRC   Turtle Shell Repair Workshop
                                               Basic Care of Sick & Injured Turtles
                                               Basic and Advanced Care of Traumatic Injuries in Turtles

Peter Kennedy, Southern Tier Wildlife Ctr. Falconry & Jess-making Workshop

Rich Gutherie, ornithologist  Early Morning Birdwalk  *  Late Afternoon Birdwalk
                                                Everything Interesting You Always Wanted to Know About Birds

Noha Abou-Mahdi, DVM, Cornell  Avian Orthopedics

Almira Hoogesteijn, DVM, Cornell Lead Poisoning In Waterfowl and Raptors
                                                              Endocrine Disrupters in Wildlife

Alison Hazel, DVM, Liverpool Animal Health Center      Common Medical Problems in Songbirds
                                                                                              Raptor Medicine

Kendra Seebohm, DVM, Upstate Medical Triage in Reptile Rehabilitation and Long Term Care

Amy Glaser, DVM Cornell   West Nile Virus; Implications for Wildlife Rehabilitation

Nina Schoch, DVM, ACLP   Overview of Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program

Raine Carson, Highlands Wildlife Rehabilitation Ctr.     Tips of the Trade
                                                                                              Simple Indoor Cage Building
                                                                                              Skunk Rehabilitation

Many open sessions will feature mammals, reptiles, avian, and medical topics.
Also Taking Place: Roundtable Discussion of Proposed Changes in Federal License Regulations, Veterinarian of the Year Award Presentation, NYSWRC Business Meeting, and Raffles / Auction

Program and Speakers are subject to change: A complete program will be in your registration packet.

Wet-labs and Workshops:      limited class size, these courses require preregistration:
( many additional course offerings are available which do not require preregistration)

Friday, October 26, 9:30-5:00
Rabies Vector Species Training Session
This course is provided by NYS Departments of Environmental Conservation, Health and Agriculture &
Markets, plus other specialists. This course will meet the mandatory lecture requirement to allow New York wildlife rehabilitators to gain authority to care for rabies vector species (bat, skunk, raccoon). The entire class must be completed to meet New York requirements. Attendance will be taken.  The training session will include the following topics: Overview of Licensing Requirements; Rabies Immunization; Epidemiology and Pathogenesis; RVS Facilities Inspections; RVS - A Rehabilitator’s Perspective; Rehabilitation of Bats, Skunks and Raccoons; Safe Capture; Transport and Handling of RVS. This workshop is provided free of charge to full conference participants. There is a $40. (one day) fee for those attending only the RVS component of the NYSWRC conference.

Friday, October 26, 10:00-5:00
Animal Basic Care Workshop
This basic skills course is presented by leading rehabilitators in NYSWRC. The focus of the workshop will be on the basic hands-on skills needed as a beginning wildlife rehabilitator. There will be a short introductory lecture, followed by a demonstration of important skills and the opportunity to practice those skills.  These skills will include performing a physical exam, tube feeding, fluid administration, fracture stabilization with bandaging and wing wrapping,  as well as handling and restraint techniques. Fee: $15.

Saturday, October 27, 9:30-11:30
Necropsy
Learn basic necropsy techniques from a veterinarian. This hands-on workshop will identify what is normal in wild animals in order to help rehabilitators learn from their "losses" and improve diagnostic skills. Fee: $15.

Saturday,: 1:30-4:30 or Sunday: 8:30-11:30
Turtle Shell Repair
Kathy Michell will teach you the correct methods to repair injured turtles. This hands-on workshop, with limited registration, will include actual repairs on dead turtles. Your fee includes a small tool set which you will keep for home use. Offered either Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. You must also take the Saturday 11:00-12:00 prerequisite class "Basic and Advanced Care of Traumatic Injuries in Turtles. Fee: $20.

Saturday, October 27, 4:00-5:00
Falconry with Jess Making
Learn how to equip your raptors for both exercise and education work. Falconer, Pete Kennedy, will teach this hands-on workshop. You will make both large and small sets of anklets and jesses to take home. Fee: $15.

Saturday, October 27, 1:30-2:30 or 2:30-3:30
Avian Black Box
This limited size workshop will test your skills identifying fractures and other injuries.  Using your fingers only, you will examine each animal and make a diagnosis to then compare with its radiographs. Fee: $5.

Sunday, October 28, 9:00-11:00
Medical Math
Jen Norton will teach this workshop which is limited in class size. Learn how to properly equate your animal’s weight to its caloric and pharmaceutical needs.  Free, but requires preregistration.
 

About the Conference Center:

Location:
White Eagle Conference Center is located on ninety acres adjacent to Lake Moraine in southern Madison County in central New York. It is easily accessible from Syracuse (60 minutes), Utica (45 minutes), Binghamton (90 minutes), Albany (2 hours), Buffalo (3 1/2 hours), and New York City (4 hours).

"The Grove" and White Eagle Conference Center is located 3.5 miles south of the flashing traffic light in
Madison on County Route 83.

Accommodations:
NYSWRC conference attendees will be housed in rustic cottages located within The Grove. Each guest room has a private bath, color cable television, and air conditioning.  There are 60 guest rooms in The Grove, 10 of which have either a Queen or one double bed. The remaining 50 are configured with two double beds.
Additional beds may be added to selected guest rooms to offer triple occupance. Quadruple occupancy is achieved when four people share the two beds in a double occupancy room. You must notify White Eagle of your room and roommate choice when registering.

Guest room check-in is 4:00 pm daily.  Checkout is 11:00 am.

Dining:
Meals are included if you are registered to stay at White Eagle as an overnight guest.  For nonregistered guests, individual meals may be purchased at the NYSWRC registration desk at the following rates: Breakfast $11., Lunch $15., Dinner $22.  Dinners will include the annual Veterinarian of the Year Award, NYSWRC Annual Business Meeting, and entertainment.

Recreational facilities (no extra charge):
After a long hard day of filling your brain, join your friends in White Eagle’s  "Teepee" to relax and unwind with  bowling, ping pong, air hockey, darts, shuffle board, card room, and a TV room. A cash bar is available. Outdoor activities include boating, fishing on 235 acre Lake Moraine (with appropriate license), volleyball, basketball, biking, horseshoes, and hiking.

Spouses may be interested to know that Colgate University’s Seven Oaks Golf Course welcomes guests and is less than two miles from the conference center.  You may also wish to visit the nearby (30 minutes) NY State Rogers Conservation Education Center in Sherburne.

You can enjoy a short leisurely walk between The Grove and the conference meeting rooms, or you may use
your vehicle.
 

NYSWRC: Who We Are and What We’ve Done For Wildlife
The New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council is a not-for-profit statewide organization that has been
in existence for over 20 years. The primary goal of our membership-based organization is to promote
professionalism in the field of wildlife rehabilitation and to provide wildlife rehabilitators with educational and technical support. NYSWRC encourages a strong network within New York and across the country.  Our board consists of volunteer wildlife rehabilitators from across the state who meet bi-monthly to keep abreast
of current issues and to continue work on educational projects. The Council has grown significantly in both strength and numbers over the years.  New York has the oldest statewide organization in the United States and has gained national recognition for its many accomplishments.  Become a member today!

Conference Schedule
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