As leaves began to fall,Squirrel Sanctuary migrated north to participate in NYSWRC's 25th New York State annual wildlife rehabilitation conference. A dynamic, weekend-long educational event designed to promote continuing education for the beginning /advanced rehabilitator, / interested veterinarian ,technicians and related fields. The conference was held in beautiful Lake George village NY. Beside a backdrop of Lake and mountain,Squirrel Sanctuary offered an 1.5 hr presentation on Neonatal tree squirrel rehabilitation. Speaking for the Sanctuary on 11/11/06 was founder Barbara B Picon.The program was enthusiastically received and well attended. Even the squirrels were looking forward to the presentation; barbara found one sitting on top of her car the morning of the talk...just munching casually on a fallen acorn,not giving way to idle chatter! By a Nyswrc poll taken,it turns out that our neonate presentation was voted one of the most informational! We love our topics and know our squirrel rehab.
If you are interested in attending future conferences, link to NYSWRC'S conference page.
http://www.nyswrc.org/conference.html
Mark your calendars now
for March 13-17, 2007 for
Symposium 2007 in Chicago, IL.Squirrel
Sanctuary will be presenting at the NWRA wildlife conference in the windy city
of Chicago Il.We will again give a presentation on neonatal squirrel
rehabilitation.
Other
in-depth programs staged by Wildlife Rehabilitation experts from throughout the
US and abroad, include:
 | Nutrition/Husbandry |
|
| Diseases |
|
| Medical Management/Medications |
|
| Rehabilitation Techniques |
|
| Basic Workshops/WetLabs |
Hosted by rehabilitators, for rehabilitators, the
5 day conference offers participants the unique opportunity to communicate their
interests, share experiences, and voice concerns.
SOME past events:
SQUIRREL SANCTUARY scurried east March 11-15 ,2003 for the NWRA Wildlife Symposium and we wee "all a -chattered" ! Tufts Wildlife Clinic is proud to host this international gathering of wildlife professionals in scenic Newport, Rhode Island. Since its inception in 1983, the Wildlife Clinic has hosted and presented many events and classes as they strive to care for wildlife in need, educate veterinary students in wildlife medicine, and promote the role of healthy wildlife populations in healthy ecosystems.
Barbara Bellens- Picon will speak on Friday March 14th on Diseases and Conditions found in Squirrel Rehabilitation and along with Ms. Nonda Surratt will co-present on Saturday March 15th-Natural History of Gray, Pine and Flying squirrels.
For more info on attending http://www.nwrawildlife.org/symposiums/sympnext.asp
NEWS FLASH!!!
Contact:
Linda Winter, Director
Cats Indoors! Campaign
(202)778-9619
George Fenwick, PhD, President
(540)253-5780
AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY APPLAUDS NEW PET TRESPASSING LAW
Washington, DC-- Cat owners in Montgomery County, MD have a new incentive to keep their cats indoors, on a leash, or confined to their property. Under a new law, owners of all types of pets, including domestic cats, may not allow their pet to enter other private property without the property owner's permission. Violations of the new law could result in the issuance of a $100 fine. Second offenses or offenses committed after a warning could increase the fine to $500. In addition, private property owners legally have the right to humanely trap or capture trespassing animals and bring them to the County's animal shelter. Dogs and unaltered cats must be leashed when off their own property.
Linda Winter, director of American Bird Conservancy's (ABC) Cats Indoors! Campaign stated, "People write or call me every day wondering what they can do about their neighbor's cats in their yard. They are sick and tired of watching other people's cats kill birds at their feeders or bird baths, defecate in their gardens, or create a health risk in their children's sandboxes. If owners of outdoor cats respected other people's property rights, this legislation would not be needed. " The city of Newport News, Virginia is considering similar legislation.
"ABC's Cats Indoors! Campaign seeks to educate cat owners and the general public that the nation's estimated 100 million free-roaming cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year in the U.S.," said ABC president Dr. George Fenwick. "Outdoor cats often suffer and die prematurely, and can transmit diseases and parasites to people, such as cat-scratch fever, toxoplasmosis, and rabies. Montgomery County has set an excellent standard to promote responsible pet ownership that will help protect cats, wildlife and people. We encourage other counties and municipalities to follow their example," said Fenwick.
Campaign materials include a four-color brochure and poster, Keeping Cats Indoors Isn't Just For The Birds, an education kit with 13 fact sheets, and a new teacher's activity guide for grades K- 6. One of the fact sheets is titled, What Can You Do About Your Neighbor's Cats In Your Yard? Campaign materials are also available on ABC's Web site at: http://www.abcbirds.org
"We encourage people to politely ask the cat's owner to control their cat. Besides just keeping the cat indoors, they can train the cat to go out on a leash, or build an outdoor enclosure or cat run. Cat-proof fencing is also available. We also have a fact sheet on how to make an outdoor cat a contented indoor pet," said Winter.
For a free brochure and an order form, call (202)778-9666 or write:
American Bird Conservancy, Cats Indoors!
1250 24th Street, NW, Suite 400,
Washington, DC 20037.NEWS FLASH!!!
Squirrel Sanctuary will present a 45 minute slide and discussion presentation at 8pm at Garden City Public Library-hosted by Garden City Bird Sanctuary
What is wildlife rehabilitation ?
An overview of the science of wildlife rehabilitation and how you can help wildlife in distress within your community
The
Garden City Bird Sanctuary -
A Vision Becomes Reality
SUMP-THING’S HAPPENING! From a neglected and trash filled stormwater basin, a
community nature preserve is flourishing. The vision statement adopted by the
grass roots community group was simply "to establish a local greenspace for the
demonstration of environmental stewardship through education and volunteer
community services." The concept developed into The Garden City Bird Sanctuary
- a protected nine acre nature refuge at a County stormwater basin (sump) next
to a local playground. Since the initial volunteer led site clean-up in 1995,
over 2,500 people have been active in this effort to improve the environment and
educate residents on the meaning of environmental stewardship in the community.
The initial work was done under a Nassau County Adopt-A-Spot program. Technical
assistance came from Hofstra University. Funds were donated by local
residents. The National Tree Trust awarded grants of seedlings under their
Community Tree Planting program. Boy and Girl Scout troops joined to work at
the Sanctuary. The enthusiasm continued to build and by 1996, "sump-thing" new
began. Nassau County officially designated the sump as the ‘Garden City Bird
Sanctuary.’
On April 27, 1996, Nassau County Executive Tom Gulotta lead a formal dedication
ceremony at the site, proclaiming it officially as “The Garden City Bird
Sanctuary”. Village officials joined the nearly 200 people welcoming the birth
of the new nature refuge. On November 19th, the County Executive returned to
the Bird Sanctuary to hold a press conference where, because of the continued
success of Garden City’s pilot project, he extended the program on a County
basis to all interested communities. At the May 1997 Anniversary Festival,
attended by over 300 guests, Nassau County installed a “Pride In Nassau’s
Environment” sign at the entrance to reflect the continued support for the
project.
In September 1997, the Bird Sanctuary received the “Outstanding Ecological
Program” award from the Long Island Leisure Services Association. In 1998, the
Bird Sanctuary celebrated an “Earthfest 98", continued development of a
“Memorial Walk” of trees donated in honor or memory of loved ones, and
formalized an exchange program with Clark Botanical Gardens to help guide
planting of native species of trees and shrubs. A Merit Award was received from
1010WINS Radio\Genovese Drugs in November 1998 for the outstanding volunteer
community effort.
Efforts to establish a flourishing, self-sustaining, nature refuge continue. The
NYS Department of Parks awarded a grant in 2000 for installation of signage and
markers. Nine Boy Scouts have completed Eagle projects at the bird sanctuary, a
Girl Scout earned a Gold Award in 2001, and school and church groups continue to
use the site for environmental education and community service. The Nassau
County Legislature authorized a full permit for use of the site in June 1999.
In 2000, a grant was received from the NYS Parks Department for educational
signs. An additional grant was received in 2002 for a new gate. Planned
improvements include a wetlands area, meadow, trails, benches, fencing, signs,
as well as appropriate trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers. The Garden City
Bird Sanctuary, Inc. is a certified 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations
are tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations.
Dual Use of Stormwater Basins
Stormwater storage and recharge basins were initially designed by Nassau County
in the 1930's as an inexpensive means of reducing flooding problems in roadways
and developed areas. They also serve an important function of channeling
precipitation back into the groundwater aquifer system. Over the years, many of
these basins have ponded over and become mini-ecosystems providing greenspace in
increasingly congested suburban areas. These areas are critically needed open
space refuges for the songbirds that migrate annually along the Atlantic Flyway
between Canada and South America.
The Garden City Bird Sanctuary is the pilot for an innovative program to foster
dual use of many of Nassau County’s 600 stormwater storage basins. As with the
NYSDOT basin at Hofstra University, many of these sumps can serve as bird
sanctuaries, nature preserves, passive parks, and recreational fields for local
communities while still functioning to prevent flooding of roads.
A portion of Stormwater Basin #232 has been used as a
soccer field by the Village of Garden City since 1971. In 1995, the effort began
to convert the remaining nine acre area into a community based, volunteer
sponsored bird sanctuary for environmental education and community services.
Since this beginning, the East Meadow has had a small basin converted into a
passive park, Kellenberg Schools created recreational fields, the Village of
Floral Park has begun a 14 acre Community Nature Preserve and several sports
organizations are sponsoring conversion of basins into ballfields.
The goal of the Garden City Bird Sanctuary is to establish a fully functioning
nature refuge for song birds through the use of native plants and trees which
provide food and cover. We are grateful for the support of the National Tree
Trust, Village of Garden City, Western Property Owners Association, NY State
Assemblywoman Maureen O’Connell, NY State Senator Kemp Hannon, Long Island
Volunteer Center, Clark Botanical Gardens, Volunteers For Wildlife, Zonta Club,
and Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary as well as donations by William H. Doremus, The
Garden City News, Harder Tree Service, BPK Landscaping, Andrew L. Hult -
Certified Public Accountant, and McMillan & Rather.
The Garden City Bird Sanctuary at Nassau County Stormwater Storage Basin #232 is
located on Tanners Pond Road in the northwestern part of Garden City with an
additional entrance from Nassau Haven Playground on Colonial Avenue. As a
protected nature preserve, it is only open during limited hours, including
Sundays from 1-5PM between March and October. For information write P.O. Box
7507, Garden City, NY 11530-7507 or call (516)
326-1720.
CHECK BACK soon for more updates on public events and happenings!
