NYSWRC 2022 Board of Director’s Nominee:

Sarah H Bookbinder
From Earlville, NY

Licenses and Certifications: New York State Class II Wildlife Rehabilitator with RVS Certification

Member of NYSWRC: for 4 years.

Biography: Sarah Holmes Bookbinder is a Class II RVS rehabilitator specializing in injured and orphaned raccoons. Sarah is the co-founder, along with her husband, veterinary surgeon Paul F. Bookbinder, of the Charles N Gordon Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Earlville NY. Gordon Wildlife is located on 53 acres of wooded wetlands which border over 600 acres of protected state forest, and comprises an office, a teaching building, two nurseries, and a medical treatment building. Sarah is particularly passionate about education and outreach. She enjoys spreading the knowledge and enthusiasm that comes with working with wildlife. At Gordon Wildlife Sarah is in the process of developing internship and volunteer programs to share resources and help to increase the numbers of rehabilitators licensed to handle RVS throughout the state. She is also the practice manager at the Upstate Veterinary Surgical Center in Canastota NY and, whenever possible, she uses that platform to illuminate the plight of the rehabilitator to referring veterinarians to encourage them to work with their local rehabbers.

When her life isn’t being completely consumed by the service of raccoons, Sarah rejuvenates with solitary hobbies such as reading, spending time with her pets, walking in the woods, doing jigsaw puzzles, and lampworking — the process of melting glass at a torch. Her glass beads are sold in galleries throughout New York, including the gift shop at the Corning Museum of Glass. Sarah graduated from Hampshire College in 1995.

Personal Goals and reasons for seeking election to the NYSWRC Board: I am passionate about wildlife rehabilitation, in particular, the rehabilitation of RVS. I am the president/founder of an RVS rehab center that I plan to build into a medical and teaching facility, to help provide a solid experiential background and networking assistance to potential RVS rehabbers. Through forthcoming internship and volunteer programs I hope to encourage more rehabbers to get their RVS licenses. Several people have started down the path towards becoming licensed following their involvement at my wildlife center and I hope to add many more to that list in the years to come. As part of the BOD of NYSWRC I would like to investigate potential ways to amend or expand the existing RVS program to more readily encourage the responsible inclusion of volunteers or interns at facilities handling RVS. I would also like to help with networking and outreach in general, spreading awareness of the work and needs of rehabbers in all genres, including trying to expand the network of veterinarians willing to assist rehabbers with cases. I would be proud to serve as a representative of NYSWRC and to act as a responsible voice for New York State wildlife rehabilitators.

Activities and Rehabilitation Experience: As practice manager of a veterinary hospital, and like most rehabbers, I have always just been one of those people who had injured animals brought to them. I decided to get officially licensed in 2016 as a Class I general rehabber, and I worked steadfastly to attain my Class II RVS in order to specialize in raccoons. Throughout the licensing process, and continuing forward, I have worked to develop a strong support network of other rehabilitators and veterinarians. I am always grateful for the chance to learn from others and I owe a tremendous debt to all of the rehabilitators who continue to make themselves available to me, sharing the benefits of their knowledge and experience. In 2018, my (veterinarian) husband and I purchased 53 acres of wooded land which backs onto 600+ acres of protected state forest for the purpose of establishing a wildlife rehabilitation center. Since then we have built the Charles N Gordon Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Inc. (www.gordonwildlife.org). We continue to expand our campus annually. It currently consists of an office/admitting building, a teaching building, a medical building (including an anesthesia machine), two nurseries, and numerous outdoor pre-release enclosures. We have a long term goal of using our networking potential through our ownership of the Upstate Veterinary Surgical Center in Canastota, which is a referral practice, to expand education and outreach to both veterinarians and potential rehabilitators. The seven-year plan in place at Gordon Wildlife includes the formation of a separate wildlife medical treatment center which would be operated based on a rotational doctor clinic model similar to that used by Spay and Neuter Syracuse, providing low or no cost diagnostic services, treatments, medications etc. to rehabbers for animals in their care.