I know that a lot of people read my blogs daily and I try to keep up with one daily but it is hard to do when you don't have a computer for a couple of days. Figured out the problem and we are back online again. I had a great 4th of July, I actually left the facility long enough to go to a friends house for a BBQ and to watch the fireworks. It was actually nice to hangout with the wife, kids and friends without the phone or an animal hanging off of me.
The beginning of the week we had a reporter from the Mountain Eagle here to do a story on Oscar and New York Wildlife Rescue Center. I've met some really nice reporters lately and it has been great sharing the story of Oscar the Bobcat and what we do for the animals here at our facility. I really think that we are a very unique place. We are licensed, inspected and regulated, many "rescue facilities" are not . Ive been thinking a lot about it lately. I really think that some State Agency (such as Ag and Markets) should give accreditation and license facilities that want to call themselves an animal rescue place. There have been a lot of well intentioned people that have saved animals, called themselves a rescue and are basically animal hoarders that can't afford to feed what they have. I have been personally involved with several "big" rescues at other facilities that have more animals than they can feed and end up becoming a rescue case themselves.
People send donations and give their support here because they can see what we do. I think all rescue facilities should be open for inspection. Should be licensed by DEC, Ag and Markets, USDA or the US Fish and Wildlife Service. All facilities should be Open to the public, even if on an appointment basis. There should be a budget, program of veterinary care, sufficient facilities for an appropriate number of animals ... I have a list . I would be more than happy to sit down with anyone from any government agency to come up with a way to do a voluntary licensing program to become an accredited "Rescue Facility". It would make it more difficult for just anyone with a good heart and a lot of animals to call themselves a rescue facility (enough of that vent).
Been very busy here. We had another great photographer and reporter from the Daily Gazette come yesterday to do an article for the Sunday Gazette. I will put links up for these articles and news reports as I get them. They were both awesome reporters, I am really looking forward to seeing these articles and really appreciate the attention that a lot of reporters have given Oscar and our Open House on July 18th. Enough of my complaining about animal hoarders calling themselves rescues. Lets talk about animals. That is what we are all about.
Since my last blog on July 6th, we have had several cottontail rabbits come in. They were all good sized so they have been relatively painless to feed and wean soon. I also had a fawn come in from another wildlife rehabilitator. Something has bitten her up pretty good. I think that she will be ok. Last night, I had another little baby bat come in. So far, so good. The bat was very dehydrated but has started to come back to life great. I have to run, have to go to Barber's to get veggies for my animals. I will try to do another blog later.
Justin, Chris and I have been working late trying to do the finishing work on the Raptor Center (phase one) for our Open House. Tell everyone you know about the Open House.... I hope the weather cooperates and we have a good turnout.
Wes
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Oscar on Local News Program
Capital News 9 | 24 Hour Local News | TOP STORIES | Oscar the bobcat recovering at Wildlife Rescue Center
Channel 9 News were at the Center recently, filming a story on Oscar the Bobcat. The above link will take you to the story page and a brief news clip.
Enjoy!
Channel 9 News were at the Center recently, filming a story on Oscar the Bobcat. The above link will take you to the story page and a brief news clip.
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
NYWRC on News 9 - Albany
Hi Everyone, I am going to write a short blog about a News 9 (Albany) visit that we had today to do a segment about Oscar our Bobcat and our facility in general. Hopefully they also mention our Open House on July 18th from 4-6 pm also. I look forward to seeing the segment and will link it to here as soon as they send it to me.
Been relatively slow here today, not that I'm complaining. Friday I had a nice visit with Patty and her folks. She is the woman that brought me the starling. She sent me some great photos and also wants to try to find some grants for us. A past student that located me through our Facebook page, also offered to look for some Grant money for us.... Thanks Fields, we are "crusin' along" as she likes to joke I used to say all of the time in my Social Studies class.
Besides for 3 baby cottontail rabbits yesterday that came in all is well. I have to run to Barber's Road-stand and get the veggies that they didn't sell today for our animals. Jim and Cindy barber have been great about letting us have all of the day old veggies, it really helps cut down some of the grain costs. Hopefully by the time I get back, the news 9 segment will be available for all of you to click on and watch.
Till then,
Wes
Been relatively slow here today, not that I'm complaining. Friday I had a nice visit with Patty and her folks. She is the woman that brought me the starling. She sent me some great photos and also wants to try to find some grants for us. A past student that located me through our Facebook page, also offered to look for some Grant money for us.... Thanks Fields, we are "crusin' along" as she likes to joke I used to say all of the time in my Social Studies class.
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Besides for 3 baby cottontail rabbits yesterday that came in all is well. I have to run to Barber's Road-stand and get the veggies that they didn't sell today for our animals. Jim and Cindy barber have been great about letting us have all of the day old veggies, it really helps cut down some of the grain costs. Hopefully by the time I get back, the news 9 segment will be available for all of you to click on and watch.
Till then,
Wes
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Open House July 18th
That is right folks, the moment that you have all been waiting for. You are all invited to our Raptor Center (phase one) Dedication on Saturday, July 18th between 4-6 pm. Bring your family and friends to see what your support and donations have helped build. Meet the animals and tour the facility. We might even have some cookies and punch. I am really proud and excited what a bunch of friends have done after work and on weekends.
Your continued generosity will keep the construction going on our Raptor Flight (phase two) addition to our 100 feet of individual species aviaries. None of this would have been possible without you. I am just a guy with a dream of building one of the largest not for profit animal rescue facilities in the Northeast. I've dedicated my life to achieving that goal, if you have been here you know what I'm doing. If you haven't seen it for yourself, now is the time. I also have another favor to ask: forward this blog to everyone in your address book. Tell your friends and family to check out our website www.redmaplefarm.net. This doesn't cost a dime and getting the word out about us is key to our mission.
What a great day at NY Wildlife Rescue . I had a Starling come in this am. They are fun to rehab. I also had another baby Kestrel falcon come in, this fledgling ate 3 mice almost instantly and went right out to join the other Kestrels in the Raptor Center. We had lots of BOD members stop by. Our great friend and Times Union blogger Teri Conroy stopped by to see the alpacas that I brought in a couple of weeks ago. Teri and her daughter Hannah took one of the alpacas home in the back seat of her truck. Teri and Hannah have been long time supporters of my animal rescue efforts, all the way back to when they got their first llamas from us ... back when we were just saving domestics and exotics. Teri is a great friend and it was great to put her first alpaca in her barn.
I am going to cut it short tonight. It is already pushing 1 am and I still need to try to figure out how to get on Facebook and send out a blanket email to everyone in my address book. I wish that I wasn't so computer illiterate.
Till tomorrow,
Wes
Your continued generosity will keep the construction going on our Raptor Flight (phase two) addition to our 100 feet of individual species aviaries. None of this would have been possible without you. I am just a guy with a dream of building one of the largest not for profit animal rescue facilities in the Northeast. I've dedicated my life to achieving that goal, if you have been here you know what I'm doing. If you haven't seen it for yourself, now is the time. I also have another favor to ask: forward this blog to everyone in your address book. Tell your friends and family to check out our website www.redmaplefarm.net. This doesn't cost a dime and getting the word out about us is key to our mission.
What a great day at NY Wildlife Rescue . I had a Starling come in this am. They are fun to rehab. I also had another baby Kestrel falcon come in, this fledgling ate 3 mice almost instantly and went right out to join the other Kestrels in the Raptor Center. We had lots of BOD members stop by. Our great friend and Times Union blogger Teri Conroy stopped by to see the alpacas that I brought in a couple of weeks ago. Teri and her daughter Hannah took one of the alpacas home in the back seat of her truck. Teri and Hannah have been long time supporters of my animal rescue efforts, all the way back to when they got their first llamas from us ... back when we were just saving domestics and exotics. Teri is a great friend and it was great to put her first alpaca in her barn.
I am going to cut it short tonight. It is already pushing 1 am and I still need to try to figure out how to get on Facebook and send out a blanket email to everyone in my address book. I wish that I wasn't so computer illiterate.
Till tomorrow,
Wes
Friday, July 3, 2009
I'm Still Alive
I'm still alive, I know that a lot of my blog readers get nervous when I vanish for a week at a time. All who know me realize that I have probably fallen to sleep in the chair with some small critter.
It is AWESOME being out of school for the summer. July and August are definitely a great perk of being a teacher. New York Wildlife Rescue Center hasn't slowed down much in the last week. Since last time I blogged a lot of new animals have found their way here.
Cornell contacted me this am. They are going to release the story about the bobcat Oscar to the media. I think that it is a great human interest story. It isn't every day that a bobcat gets hit, lays along the road and gets a second chance on life. Oscar continues the slow rehabbing process. He doesn't like me any more than he ever has but I think he has started to realize that when I check on him a couple of times a day, there is always food associated with my visits. I try not to make eye contact with him. Most "cats" don't like that, he is a lucky kitty.... I feel honored to be his caretaker and one of the dozens of people who have cooperated to rescue him.
Since last blog (sorry), we have taken in baby robins, fawns, skunks, kestrels, hawks, cottontail rabbits, raccoons, a kingfisher, pigeons, and a squirrel. Ray Baitsholts sheared the alpacas that I picked up. As soon as they get gelded, they will be ready for adoption. I am having a lot of fun with the baby robins, they are a relatively easy bird to rehab. I normally do not rehab baby birds while I am teaching at school. It is too hard to teach and feed them every 15-25 minutes. :) I do like to do a few during the summer when I am home.
I have had a couple of fawns come in this past week. One was horribly torn apart by some dogs. I notified some great DEC Officers about that situation. I've already given you the lecture about domestic cats in a prior blog. Supervise your dog(s); when left to amuse themselves unsupervised, dogs often develop a pack mentality. They are capable of some horrible things to wildlife. Wildlife gets killed, your dog can be shot and you can get some expensive tickets. No lecture, just use common sense. Do the right thing.
I had some more skunks come in. I love skunks, they have such a Napoleonic attitude. They act fearless and it is always fun watching them grow up into little stink pots. I love it on release day. They usually just wander off and rarely look back or acknowledge anything that you have done for them at all. That is the best part of rehabbing wildlife: if done well, they can't wait to get away from you and do what they do to survive day to day in the wild. If you know what you are doing, you don't usually get sprayed.... :)
I've had a few Kestrels come in. People often call them Sparrow Hawks but they are actually one of the smallest members of the Falcon family of raptors. It is VERY Important that you do not try to feed animals while in your custody unless properly trained. I had a Kestrel come in that I lost and I believe that feeding it a bunch of gypsy moth caterpillars didn't help it any. I got fluids/a lactated ringer into it but it was too far gone by the time it got to me.
The Kestrels are loving one of the 8 newly completed aviaries in our Raptor Center. Justin and Chris have been coming nights after they are done working to try to help me get it finished for our upcoming Open House and dedication of the Raptor Center. I will hopefully have all of the details of our Open House tomorrow. It will be a great chance to tour our facility. We do NOT let the public see animals that we are rehabbing that will go back into the wild but we do have some great non-releasable educational animals here that will love to see you.
Another new resident of the Raptor Center is a Red-tailed Hawk. I got a call early in the morning a few days ago. The man informed me that he had a baby juvenile Bald Eagle which got my attention quick. Upon pick up, I happily let him know that it was a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. Why it was sitting in the road I haven't been able to figure out. It will be going back into the wild as soon as it is ready.
Cottontail rabbits, hmmmmmm. Lots of them coming in. I am in a good mood: when your dog or cat brings one home for you -- don't wait until the whole litter is on your porch (or eaten) before realizing that you should keep your dog or cat inside for a while.
Coons, I cant wait until "Coon Season" is over. DON'T TOUCH THEM and I encourage everyone that is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator to go to the Conference in Lake George this November. Take the courses, get your shots, build a facility, get it all inspected and GET YOUR RVS license! There are not enough licensed people doing Rabies Vector Species and those of us that are doing raccoons, skunks and bats are usually full to capacity.
The Kingfisher bird that came in was a first for me, awesome bird but unfortunately had a wing that was so badly broken that it needed to be euthanized. I took in some pigeons. One of them is hysterical. If you are outside here, it will dive bomb you and land on your head to ride around.
My kids have never spent so much time outdoors. People that come to our facility must think that we are all nuts, as my kids are walking around the yard with a pigeon on their head.
Speaking of crazy stories ... one more then I have to catch up with 147 emails ... I got a call from the Pastor of a local church. He had heard that if an animal needed to be caught to call me (wonder how I got that reputation). He said that they had a feral cat, it was living under the church and if I could humanely deal with it, I would get a donation. Now you are talking. I packed up the kids and live traps and off we went this am. Got to the church, saw the hole in the foundation and all sorts of great visions came to my head about all the cool animals that could be living under there..... I was making up a irresistible kitty platter to put in one of the several live traps when I noticed that there was a very cute blue eyed Siamese long haired cat sitting by the shrub several feet away watching the whole production. We had a short mental conversation about what was happening. I walked several feet away, the cat walked over and walked right into the live trap. I do not need another cat but she has taken up residence in my basement until she realizes that life with us isn't so bad -- that is unless I find a great home that wants her (hint, hint)....
Till tomorrow, act young, have fun.
Wes
It is AWESOME being out of school for the summer. July and August are definitely a great perk of being a teacher. New York Wildlife Rescue Center hasn't slowed down much in the last week. Since last time I blogged a lot of new animals have found their way here.
Cornell contacted me this am. They are going to release the story about the bobcat Oscar to the media. I think that it is a great human interest story. It isn't every day that a bobcat gets hit, lays along the road and gets a second chance on life. Oscar continues the slow rehabbing process. He doesn't like me any more than he ever has but I think he has started to realize that when I check on him a couple of times a day, there is always food associated with my visits. I try not to make eye contact with him. Most "cats" don't like that, he is a lucky kitty.... I feel honored to be his caretaker and one of the dozens of people who have cooperated to rescue him.
Since last blog (sorry), we have taken in baby robins, fawns, skunks, kestrels, hawks, cottontail rabbits, raccoons, a kingfisher, pigeons, and a squirrel. Ray Baitsholts sheared the alpacas that I picked up. As soon as they get gelded, they will be ready for adoption. I am having a lot of fun with the baby robins, they are a relatively easy bird to rehab. I normally do not rehab baby birds while I am teaching at school. It is too hard to teach and feed them every 15-25 minutes. :) I do like to do a few during the summer when I am home.
I have had a couple of fawns come in this past week. One was horribly torn apart by some dogs. I notified some great DEC Officers about that situation. I've already given you the lecture about domestic cats in a prior blog. Supervise your dog(s); when left to amuse themselves unsupervised, dogs often develop a pack mentality. They are capable of some horrible things to wildlife. Wildlife gets killed, your dog can be shot and you can get some expensive tickets. No lecture, just use common sense. Do the right thing.
I had some more skunks come in. I love skunks, they have such a Napoleonic attitude. They act fearless and it is always fun watching them grow up into little stink pots. I love it on release day. They usually just wander off and rarely look back or acknowledge anything that you have done for them at all. That is the best part of rehabbing wildlife: if done well, they can't wait to get away from you and do what they do to survive day to day in the wild. If you know what you are doing, you don't usually get sprayed.... :)
I've had a few Kestrels come in. People often call them Sparrow Hawks but they are actually one of the smallest members of the Falcon family of raptors. It is VERY Important that you do not try to feed animals while in your custody unless properly trained. I had a Kestrel come in that I lost and I believe that feeding it a bunch of gypsy moth caterpillars didn't help it any. I got fluids/a lactated ringer into it but it was too far gone by the time it got to me.
The Kestrels are loving one of the 8 newly completed aviaries in our Raptor Center. Justin and Chris have been coming nights after they are done working to try to help me get it finished for our upcoming Open House and dedication of the Raptor Center. I will hopefully have all of the details of our Open House tomorrow. It will be a great chance to tour our facility. We do NOT let the public see animals that we are rehabbing that will go back into the wild but we do have some great non-releasable educational animals here that will love to see you.
Another new resident of the Raptor Center is a Red-tailed Hawk. I got a call early in the morning a few days ago. The man informed me that he had a baby juvenile Bald Eagle which got my attention quick. Upon pick up, I happily let him know that it was a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. Why it was sitting in the road I haven't been able to figure out. It will be going back into the wild as soon as it is ready.
Cottontail rabbits, hmmmmmm. Lots of them coming in. I am in a good mood: when your dog or cat brings one home for you -- don't wait until the whole litter is on your porch (or eaten) before realizing that you should keep your dog or cat inside for a while.
Coons, I cant wait until "Coon Season" is over. DON'T TOUCH THEM and I encourage everyone that is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator to go to the Conference in Lake George this November. Take the courses, get your shots, build a facility, get it all inspected and GET YOUR RVS license! There are not enough licensed people doing Rabies Vector Species and those of us that are doing raccoons, skunks and bats are usually full to capacity.
The Kingfisher bird that came in was a first for me, awesome bird but unfortunately had a wing that was so badly broken that it needed to be euthanized. I took in some pigeons. One of them is hysterical. If you are outside here, it will dive bomb you and land on your head to ride around.
My kids have never spent so much time outdoors. People that come to our facility must think that we are all nuts, as my kids are walking around the yard with a pigeon on their head.
Speaking of crazy stories ... one more then I have to catch up with 147 emails ... I got a call from the Pastor of a local church. He had heard that if an animal needed to be caught to call me (wonder how I got that reputation). He said that they had a feral cat, it was living under the church and if I could humanely deal with it, I would get a donation. Now you are talking. I packed up the kids and live traps and off we went this am. Got to the church, saw the hole in the foundation and all sorts of great visions came to my head about all the cool animals that could be living under there..... I was making up a irresistible kitty platter to put in one of the several live traps when I noticed that there was a very cute blue eyed Siamese long haired cat sitting by the shrub several feet away watching the whole production. We had a short mental conversation about what was happening. I walked several feet away, the cat walked over and walked right into the live trap. I do not need another cat but she has taken up residence in my basement until she realizes that life with us isn't so bad -- that is unless I find a great home that wants her (hint, hint)....
Till tomorrow, act young, have fun.
Wes
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Oscar Makes the Newspapers
Injured bobcat 'Oscar' treated at Cornell | theithacajournal.com | The Ithaca Journal
Oscar the Bobcat, who was so wonderfully helped by Cornell University, has been given a story in the Ithaca Journal. Please visit the article through the above link and enjoy!
Oscar thanks everyone for their good wishes and support!
Oscar the Bobcat, who was so wonderfully helped by Cornell University, has been given a story in the Ithaca Journal. Please visit the article through the above link and enjoy!
Oscar thanks everyone for their good wishes and support!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Happy Father's Day
I'm sitting here, listening to my new ipod that I got today from my kids. If I start writing the lyrics to Johnny Cash or one of the other great 438 songs on this thing, dont take it personal. I love this thing, tonight when I was giving bottles to 10 screaming Coons, I didn't hear them at all. I was singing along and it made it really pleasant, God I cant wait until these 10 are weaned. I am getting really burned out on coons, I hope that I don't get anymore.
I am not even going to try to catch you all up on the animals that have come in since Thurs when I last blogged. There are too many and each has a cool story. I am going to try to focus on Oscar and facilities. Oscar is doing great. He got the surgery that he needed. Cornell University and the folks that work there are first class and I am in debt to them. Oscar came through the surgery like a champ. It is all too complicated to get into but he got the best medical care that a Bobcat can get after being whacked by a car. He got the expensive surgery he needed and Cornell has agreed to work with me. It was not free, there is still a bill, please send checks. Write in the memo "Oscar" and I will dedicate all of that money to him and Cornell. He has a long way to go, long time to heal and most likely a life in captivity but he is alive and he wont have to worry about anything for the rest of his life. I am still taking everything with him one day at a time. He is in good hands and is still being worked on at the Cornell Wildlife Health Facility.
The other great thing about this ipod is that I cant hear the phone ring.:) Keep calling, the kids will bring me the phone if it is important. We've been busy but I notice that the orphaned and injured wildlife that is coming in is looking a lot older. The one eyed coon has almost completely healed her eye up, I am hoping to put her in with some other coons by the end of the week. I really appreciate the nice donation that the woman that brought her to me sent to cover that surgery. This is my last week of school and then things should be a little less hectic for me as I try to keep everything fed around my school schedule.
Sat. am, Tim and Kristen came up to volunteer at the farm. They had brought me a skunk a few weeks ago and came up to volunteer at our facility for the day. I thought that it was only appropriate to build a skunk pen complete with a hollow log since a baby red fox is in the pen that I made for skunks. We got it built and I ran down to the Negro Cemetery rededication at 2 pm Sat.. Middleburgh has a segregated negro burial ground used up until the early 1900's. When I bought this facility above the Middleburgh Cemetery 10 years ago, I found the Negro Cemetery off in the bushes. For the last 10 years I've been working on getting it cleaned up with my Schoharie County History Class at our High School. The Middleburgh Historical Society helped get a new stone, on it they had engraved "We cannot change the mistakes of the past but we can make right by it today" a saying that I tell my students all the time, esp. when I have them working in the cemetery.
Tim, Kristen and I came back up to the facility after the ceremony to put some skunks in that great new cage. After one sprayed me, they ate their food, one got out. We had to catch that one, triple enforce the sides....I just don't get why nothing is ever easy. I still like skunks a lot right now even after one used me for target practice, I am really tired of baby coons. I like the fawns a lot now also. They eat their bottles out of their bottle racks and wont even come out of hiding if they see me...that is good considering how easy they imprint. It was a long day Sat..... I fell to sleep on the couch in the living room watching a movie with the kids and was pissed when I woke up at 2 am and had to come out and do coon bottles.
The phone started ringing at 630 this morning. I scowled at the caller, "NY Wildlife Rescue Center, it is 630, I'm tired, what do you have".....Friend of mine in North Carolina, wanted to know if I wanted some cigarrettes, they are cheaper down there......gotta quit those things, who will feed all of these darn coons if I die of lung cancer. Every wildlife rehabber should be required get their RVS license because there is not many people doing coons, skunks and bats...
I really want to get this cage, It is seven hundred dollars but it has 3 different compartments...it would be great for sorting coons (of different ages) while they wean until they get big enough to go in the big community cage. I need it. It isn't a want, it is a necessity.
By 730, I got a call from one of our new volunteers. Melinda was wondering what I was doing (not sleeping) and she said that she had several friends that were handy at building things and wondered if they could come over (I like people that can build things), wish I had a connection with a lumber yard....They all arrived just as I was finishing am rounds with bottles. I told them that I had to pick up two loads of hay and a donated bunny cage. I told them to go look at the Raptor Center, look at exactly how we had built the finished sections and if they wanted to tackle it while I did what I had to do they were more than welcome to work on it. After I got done with a cup of coffee with the wife so I could explain that what I do everyday is exactly what I wanted to do today on my day....off I went. With all of the help I had today, My Summit, NY gang actually almost finished the remaining framing and construction on what was left on the indoor half of the Raptor Center.
We got the hay in. I got everything fed, done and actually took the wife and kids for an ice cream. I like days like today. Besides for a Kestrel that came in, it was a slow day. If you have never been here, you need to visit. I hope to have an open house soon. Ive had a dozen people tell me in the last week that they didn't realize the magnitude that we were helping animals. This is one of the largest not for profit animal rescue facilities in the northeast and we do NOT get any STATE or FEDERAL funding. I repeat, we survive entirely by your generosity. Any body good at grant writing out there? I need someone to take the initiative to start sending our name to Extreme Home Makeover, Animal Planet (would make a great series) or anyplace that can get us the exposure we need to get some donations.
The Raptor Center is half done, the best part is the outdoor flight, which needs to be built yet. Does anyone have a Lumber Co. connection, someone call Curtis Lumber, Stock Builder, Home Depot????I think that I will give a lumber list, everyone that comes to the Open House can bring a board or send a check and we will get it for you. Geeez, I will even build it if I keep getting some help like today. I like volunteers, raccoons too, esp when they are sleeping....maybe I cant hear them, I love this ipod.
...thanks kids,
Dad
I am not even going to try to catch you all up on the animals that have come in since Thurs when I last blogged. There are too many and each has a cool story. I am going to try to focus on Oscar and facilities. Oscar is doing great. He got the surgery that he needed. Cornell University and the folks that work there are first class and I am in debt to them. Oscar came through the surgery like a champ. It is all too complicated to get into but he got the best medical care that a Bobcat can get after being whacked by a car. He got the expensive surgery he needed and Cornell has agreed to work with me. It was not free, there is still a bill, please send checks. Write in the memo "Oscar" and I will dedicate all of that money to him and Cornell. He has a long way to go, long time to heal and most likely a life in captivity but he is alive and he wont have to worry about anything for the rest of his life. I am still taking everything with him one day at a time. He is in good hands and is still being worked on at the Cornell Wildlife Health Facility.
The other great thing about this ipod is that I cant hear the phone ring.:) Keep calling, the kids will bring me the phone if it is important. We've been busy but I notice that the orphaned and injured wildlife that is coming in is looking a lot older. The one eyed coon has almost completely healed her eye up, I am hoping to put her in with some other coons by the end of the week. I really appreciate the nice donation that the woman that brought her to me sent to cover that surgery. This is my last week of school and then things should be a little less hectic for me as I try to keep everything fed around my school schedule.
Sat. am, Tim and Kristen came up to volunteer at the farm. They had brought me a skunk a few weeks ago and came up to volunteer at our facility for the day. I thought that it was only appropriate to build a skunk pen complete with a hollow log since a baby red fox is in the pen that I made for skunks. We got it built and I ran down to the Negro Cemetery rededication at 2 pm Sat.. Middleburgh has a segregated negro burial ground used up until the early 1900's. When I bought this facility above the Middleburgh Cemetery 10 years ago, I found the Negro Cemetery off in the bushes. For the last 10 years I've been working on getting it cleaned up with my Schoharie County History Class at our High School. The Middleburgh Historical Society helped get a new stone, on it they had engraved "We cannot change the mistakes of the past but we can make right by it today" a saying that I tell my students all the time, esp. when I have them working in the cemetery.
Tim, Kristen and I came back up to the facility after the ceremony to put some skunks in that great new cage. After one sprayed me, they ate their food, one got out. We had to catch that one, triple enforce the sides....I just don't get why nothing is ever easy. I still like skunks a lot right now even after one used me for target practice, I am really tired of baby coons. I like the fawns a lot now also. They eat their bottles out of their bottle racks and wont even come out of hiding if they see me...that is good considering how easy they imprint. It was a long day Sat..... I fell to sleep on the couch in the living room watching a movie with the kids and was pissed when I woke up at 2 am and had to come out and do coon bottles.
The phone started ringing at 630 this morning. I scowled at the caller, "NY Wildlife Rescue Center, it is 630, I'm tired, what do you have".....Friend of mine in North Carolina, wanted to know if I wanted some cigarrettes, they are cheaper down there......gotta quit those things, who will feed all of these darn coons if I die of lung cancer. Every wildlife rehabber should be required get their RVS license because there is not many people doing coons, skunks and bats...
I really want to get this cage, It is seven hundred dollars but it has 3 different compartments...it would be great for sorting coons (of different ages) while they wean until they get big enough to go in the big community cage. I need it. It isn't a want, it is a necessity.
By 730, I got a call from one of our new volunteers. Melinda was wondering what I was doing (not sleeping) and she said that she had several friends that were handy at building things and wondered if they could come over (I like people that can build things), wish I had a connection with a lumber yard....They all arrived just as I was finishing am rounds with bottles. I told them that I had to pick up two loads of hay and a donated bunny cage. I told them to go look at the Raptor Center, look at exactly how we had built the finished sections and if they wanted to tackle it while I did what I had to do they were more than welcome to work on it. After I got done with a cup of coffee with the wife so I could explain that what I do everyday is exactly what I wanted to do today on my day....off I went. With all of the help I had today, My Summit, NY gang actually almost finished the remaining framing and construction on what was left on the indoor half of the Raptor Center.
We got the hay in. I got everything fed, done and actually took the wife and kids for an ice cream. I like days like today. Besides for a Kestrel that came in, it was a slow day. If you have never been here, you need to visit. I hope to have an open house soon. Ive had a dozen people tell me in the last week that they didn't realize the magnitude that we were helping animals. This is one of the largest not for profit animal rescue facilities in the northeast and we do NOT get any STATE or FEDERAL funding. I repeat, we survive entirely by your generosity. Any body good at grant writing out there? I need someone to take the initiative to start sending our name to Extreme Home Makeover, Animal Planet (would make a great series) or anyplace that can get us the exposure we need to get some donations.
The Raptor Center is half done, the best part is the outdoor flight, which needs to be built yet. Does anyone have a Lumber Co. connection, someone call Curtis Lumber, Stock Builder, Home Depot????I think that I will give a lumber list, everyone that comes to the Open House can bring a board or send a check and we will get it for you. Geeez, I will even build it if I keep getting some help like today. I like volunteers, raccoons too, esp when they are sleeping....maybe I cant hear them, I love this ipod.
...thanks kids,
Dad
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