International Bird Rescue staff give a presentation on physical therapy, photos by Curt Clumpner
Last week, 500+ wildlife rehabilitators came together from throughout North America (and in some cases from around the world) to exchange knowledge and experience, to connect with old colleagues and to meet new ones, and to re-energize themselves going into spring—what is known in this venue as “baby season.”
The National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association Annual Symposium took place over five days outside of Nashville, TN. The conference included more than 100 presentations by wildlife rehabilitators, wildlife veterinarians, wildlife biologists and non-profit administrators. There were lectures, workshops and roundtables, often in four different rooms at any given moment, addressing everything from reptile nutrition, mammal fracture immobilization, improving volunteer programs, non-profit business models, cage design, social media use, aquatic bird rehabilitation, succession planning and more. It’s the largest and most important educational opportunity to support wildlife rehabilitators in their goal to constantly broaden their knowledge and improve the care they give to the orphaned, injured or displaced animals.
International Bird Rescue and its staff and volunteers believe deeply in this goal and have long supported NWRA’s mission and the conference. A number of International Bird Rescue’s staff members have served on NWRA’s Board of Directors over the last 20 years, and our veterinarian, Dr. Rebecca Duerr, recently joined the board to continue that commitment.
In Nashville, our staff and volunteers were once again full participants, learning from others and also sharing their knowledge and experience with more than 12 hours worth of lectures and workshops. In addition to supporting the conference with our knowledge, we sponsored the physical therapy workshop, presented by Dr. Duerr and Julie Skoglund, Staff members Michelle Bellizzi and Curt Clumpner also presented during the symposium.
We see this as a great investment in both our own organization and in our goal to increase the capacity of wildlife rehabilitators everywhere to return wildlife to the wild. —Curt Clumpner
