Volume 39, Number 3 September, 2019 THE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW YORK STATE WILDLIFE REHABILITATION COUNCIL, INC.

NYSWRC Board of Directors

Kelly Martin, President kmartink@midtel.net Barb Hollands, Vice Pres. barbh103@rochester.rr.com Cheryl Hoople, Secretary hooplec@twc.com Eileen Hagerman, Treasurer eileenhagerman@hotmail.com Jean Alden, Membership Jalden4@verizon.net Virginia Frati, Release wrwrch@aol.com Beverly Jones bjonesnature@yahoo.com Ellen Kalish info@Ravensbeard.org Scott Meacham scott.meacham@ymail.com Terri Murphy wtaoffice@aol.com Rebecca Pou rebeccapou@gmail.com Veronica Serwacki, Release serwacki@canisius.edu Lauren Schulz LSchulz@VolunteersforWildlife.org Jenny Topolski jenn.topolski@gmail.com Matt Zymanek matt@hawkcreek.org Committee Members: Maggie Ciarcia maggie119mae@yahoo.com Catherine Wolfe cathy@urbanutopiawildlife.org Advisory Board: Andrea Sammarco, Attorney at Law George Kollias, DVM, PhD Noha Abou-Madi, DVM, Msc. Karen Slote, DVM

www.NYSWRC.org Back issues of Release are available in color online.

NYSWRC Board Meetings are open to everyone. E-mail Kelly Martin, President 2019 NYSWRC Annual Conference Date: November 8th—10th, 2019 Location: Hilton Garden Inn, Troy

We Look Forward to Seeing You in November!

This Year’s

Keynote Speaker

Jennifer Miller

Wildlife Artist

Jennifer Miller lives just outside of her home

town of Olean, NY, where she has spent most of her life surrounded by all she loves most: a natural setting of eastern deciduous forest and wildlife, where visiting birds are a special delight. In addition to the company of wild birds, Jennifer keeps a flock of pet chickens and is regularly entertained by their individual personalities. Indoors, her home is made more lively by the companionship of three parrots and a sassy domestic pigeon. The wild and domestic birds are endless inspiration for her work, even finding their way into her fantasy art, where the imaginative creatures are given the same attention to detail, anatomy, and behavior as their real counter-parts. Birds have been a life-long passion for Jennifer, and her love and devotion to them shines through in her artwork. Jennifer shares her life and adventures with her husband, Brian.

A love of exploring the natural world and

enjoyment in learning about both flora and fauna often drives Jennifer and her work. Every walk outdoors is a nature walk, and Jennifer participates

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feel we must cover every year. It can be difficult to offer something for everyone. In order to do this however, we need to run concurrent sessions and that often frustrates attendees because ‘they can’t sit in on it all.’ Now that is a problem we like to have! One solution – make sure to come with friends and divvy up the sessions and then share the information. Another suggestion is that rehabilitators will share information on the conference with their cooperating veterinarians and their staff and perhaps offer to offset their costs in sending people. Continuing education credits will again be offered for veterinary technicians and for licensed veterinarians attending the Sunday Vet Session. Those of you who have attended wildlife rehabilitation conferences in the past are well aware that the benefits far outreach what is learned in a classroom. We learn from each other, share with each other, increase our network, and we in turn take that home with us and share with those unable to attend. I am impressed in reading wildlife rehab chats online. This is an expedient way to help those who are new to this endeavor. But, nothing takes the place of sharing the experience of a collective group gathered together for a common purpose: to learn how to better do what we do, share the ups and downs, and take away a feeling of renewal when we return home.

We are so pleased to have Jennifer Miller return-ing to our conference this year as our keynote speaker. She inspired us with an appearance a few years ago as a speaker and we are looking forward to her sharing her love for nature and insight to our gathering this year. She may even be bringing a few other special ‘guests’ who will make an appearance.

Joining her will be speakers from all parts of the country, Canada as well, who will cover many topics. This year there is a more refined breakdown in listing topics: the categories of advanced, intermediate, and beginner. There are general topics that can be applied to the care of multiple species. However, there will also be species-specific topics. We maintain our commitment to offering the Rabies Vector Species Course with the state agencies, as well as our commit-ment to our own Animal Basic Care course for new rehabilitators or those wishing to become licensed. Again, hopefully there will be something for everyone at all levels of expertise. It is not too late to send us ideas for vendors to invite, especially resources that may be from areas more local to Troy. In addition, we welcome advertisements for the program booklet. Let us all know who you are, where you are, and what you rehabilitate with your business card. So, keep an eye out for the registration information coming to you soon.

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as a hobbyist naturalist and citizen scientist. Her passion for conservation is echoed through her personal life; applying permaculture and strong habitat ideals to her property both in gardening, in restoring native flora to create better habitat, and powering her home with solar energy. Jennifer’s work has won many awards, both nationally and internationally. Notably, one of her paintings won the prestigious Federal Duck Stamp competition, and became the 2015-2016 Federal Duck Stamp, which has gone on to raise millions of dollars for habitat conservation. She is also a Signature Member of Artists for Conservation.

President’s Message

Kelly Martin

The NYSWRC Board of Directors is busy planning the details for our upcoming conference in Troy, NY. It is our hope that with access to this location by planes, trains, automobiles, and yes, buses, that we will draw some new faces to our annual gathering. One of our challenges in deciding upon speakers and topics is how to mix new lecturers and information in with the people we love to invite every year, along with certain topics we

Andi Daldonado, Philippine Eagle Costume, Dennis Salvador, Dr. Jayson Ibanez

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Frog’s Den “The Frog’s Den will once again shed some light on the challenges that a growing number of species face in order to survive, and will share some ways we can help to make this planet a healthier home in which to co-exist amidst our feathered friends.

Adventures of a Purple Martin (Progne subis)

With kind permission of WildCare of WNY to

republish

Karen Slote, DVM A beautiful male Purple Martin (Progne subis) came into my care on May 3rd of this year. He was found injured at a colony in Lockport, New York by a caring Purple Martin landlord. The martin had a green band on his left leg (A095), and a silver band on his right leg (2331-95594). Upon further investigation, it was found that he and 5 siblings hatched in the summer of 2012 at a colony close to Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Biologists banded them on June 27 2012, making this martin almost 7 years old! Purple Martins are North America's largest swallow. Like all swallows, they are aerial insectivores and perform precise acrobatic maneuvers in the sky to catch bugs while in flight. Insects are their only food source. When our temperatures become too cold to support their flying food, they must migrate to warmer wintering grounds. Martins prepare for migration after all their young have fledged. They will leave our area in late August to early September. We have learned about the migration of Purple Martins by tracking 2 female martins as they flew from Erie, Pennsylvania to Brazil and back. These girls carried "geolocators" with them like a backpack, and the information that was collected from these tracking devices is amazing! The round trip to Brazil and back is approximately

8000 miles. Martins have an estimated flight speed of up to 40

miles per hour. In the first part of their journey, they traveled 1500

miles in just 5 days, including a 500 mile non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico.

While in Brazil, Purple Martins spend their days hunting over savannahs, agricultural fields and sometimes even rainforests. At night they congregate in large roosts, frequently in towns or cities. They stay in South America until early April when they begin the long journey back to their breeding colonies.

In eastern North America, Purple Martins breed almost exclusively in man-made birdhouses and gourds, and martin "landlords" must maintain these houses and monitor the families within them to help ensure that the Purple Martins are successful with raising their young. The martin parents have an even bigger job: they spend the breeding season creating the perfect nursery, and then incubating and feeding their offspring. Young Purple Martins are fed from dawn to dusk. Both parents need to help to keep up with the ravenous appetites of the nestlings (and somehow need to manage to feed themselves too!) At peak growth, when the nestlings need the most nutrition, deliveries of food can be as frequent as 13 times every hour! This incredible development from egg to fully feathered bird takes only 4 weeks. At this point, the nestlings fledge and learn to fly. They need to become expert flyers quickly because there is not much time before they need to make the long journey to Brazil themselves. Unfortunately, Purple Martins face many threats. Populations of aerial insectivores (nighthawks, nightjars, swifts and swallows) are all declining, with the long-distance migrants being hit the worst. This involves multiple factors, but one big problem is that there is just not enough food. The insecticides used in our yards and on our crops kill the flying insects directly and also seep through the soil and into the water, poisoning the wetlands that insects need to develop. But we can help: if we don't use lawn chemicals and we choose to eat only organic foods, we can make a big difference. As mentioned earlier, Purple Martins in our area only nest in houses and gourds that are created and managed by Purple Martin landlords. Without the care and dedication of these special humans, breeding success of martins would be significantly decreased. To learn more about Purple Martins and how to become a landlord, visit the New York State Purple Martin Project at: friendsofiroquoisnwr.org/purplemartins

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Illustration by Karen Slote, DVM

Photo by Karen Slote, DVM

Information can also be found at purplemartin.org Back to the 7 year old banded Purple Martin: unfortunately, he got in trouble and was injured beyond repair. But he had an amazing life! Just think of it! He made his first flight down to Brazil when just a youngster, not knowing where he was going, but following his instinct and other martins that knew the way, using all his strength and energy to make that incredible flight. He was able to explore a new land with incredible biodiversity and beauty. Then the urge to start a family of his own led him back to where he came from. It was likely he fathered a clutch of eggs each year from 2013 to 2018, possibly sending another 30 martins out into the world. Each year he made that long journey to Brazil and back, totaling 56,000 miles in just migration travel alone! The rest of the story only he knew, but he must have had adventures we cannot even imagine.

Rest in peace, my friend.

“Cyanobacteria and Their Effects on Wildlife”

Susan Faso, LVT

Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Health Center

Cyanobacteria are single-celled microorgan-isms, often confusingly referred to as “Harmful Algal Blooms”, or HABs because during times of rapid growth, their appearance can resemble that of algae. Despite this common name, however, cyanobacteria are not plants like algae, they are classified as bacteria. They are found worldwide, in both fresh and marine water, most typically in still water such as lakes and ponds. In the United States they are most prevalent in the summer and early fall, when water temperatures are warmer, and they receive plenty of sunlight from longer day length.

Occasionally, these bacteria produce and release potent toxins, called cyanotoxins. Humans, domestic animals, and wildlife can all be affected by these cyanotoxins. Typical routes of exposure for humans include: ingestion, direct contact (swimming), and inhalation (aerosolization while watering lawns with contaminated water).

Symptoms reported can include GI upset, difficulty breathing, allergic responses (including skin irritation), electrolyte imbalances, and liver and kidney damage. In humans, treatment involves washing contaminated skin with soap and fresh water for 10-15 minutes, including eye irrigation with saline in case of eye exposure. For ingestion, seek medical attention at nearest urgent care center or emergency room.

There are few documented incidents of

cyanotoxicity exposure in wildlife patients submitted for rehabilitation. It can be presumed that there is a high mortality associated with wildlife

cases, decreasing the likelihood that the patients would survive long enough to reach a rehabilitation facility. Additionally, due to the wide variety of

presenting symptoms, and the expense of testing, a definitive diagnosis is seldom pursued. As with all patients submitted for care, a thorough history, including location found is imperative. Cyanobacte-

ria toxicity should be considered in patients found in or near water, presenting with neurologic and/or respiratory abnormalities. Decontamination by

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Photo by Karen Slote, DVM

Love Bees! Continued on p. 5

washing with soap and water would be recommend-ed, as well as seeking more advanced veterinary care as appropriate. It would be recommended to don appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, gloves, apron, and mask), and to avoid using a sprayer apparatus in order to decrease likelihood of aerosolization.

The NYS DEC maintains a website (map) which pinpoints the locations of known, suspected, and past HABs. It can be found at:

https://nysdec.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=ae91142c812a4ab997ba739ed9723e6e This might aid in determining if a patient has come in contact with a toxic organism.

For more information, several health

organizations have websites devoted to HABs. These include the EPA, the CDC, and the NYS DEC. Many organizations are actively monitoring

outbreaks with the help of concerned citizens, with the NYS DEC in particular providing a means of reporting potential blooms via their website.

Preparing for A Long Winter

ANNOUNCEMENT OF ANNUAL MEETING

NOMINATING COMMITTEE PRESENTS SLATE FOR ANNUAL ELECTION

The Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors and members of NYSWRC will take place on Saturday evening, November 9, 2019 during the annual conference being held at the Hilton Garden Inn, Troy, New York. To serve on the board of directors, you must be a NYSWRC member in good standing for at least one year, at least 18 years old and a resident of New York State. No member of the board of directors shall receive compensation for service as a director. NYSWRC board members volunteer their time to attend statewide meetings several times a year. NYSWRC board members present, discuss and lobby for current wildlife rehabilitation issues, write articles for Release, participate and present at the Annual Conference, and are general watchdogs and ambassadors for wildlife rehabilitators in New York. There are four vacancies with four current NYSWRC Board Members seeking re-election. We are pleased to announce that Kelly Martin, Barbara Hollands, Matt Zymanek and Terri Murphy have agreed to continue their role on the board and have been nominated for re-election. However, nominations will be accepted from the floor at the annual meeting and it will help us prepare ballots if we are notified in advance of your intent to run for election. Please contact the nomi-nating committee chair, Terri Murphy, wtaof-fice@aol.com to find out more about board service. Those NYSWRC members attending the conference

will have the opportunity to vote in person. Proxy

voting is available upon request. Email your request

to: Terri Murphy, wtaoffice@aol.com. Proxy

conditions are outlined in the NYSWRC By-Laws.

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We look forward to

seeing you at the

NYSWRC

Conference

November 8th-10th, 2019

Photos by Veronica Serwacki

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There was no streetlight where the mother had been hit, so we had to use the car headlights to search for any more babies, with my husband making sure I didn't get hit by any other vehicle. Another car pulled up, and a guy stopped to ask if I was OK and if I needed any help. I answered—distractedly, as I was trying to prioritize what to do—that this mother opossum had been killed and that I was trying to find any living babies to help them. He again asked if there was anything he could do, and I replied (still distracted as I now had the five babies inside my shirt) that I needed a box. Unbelievably, he said, “I have a box,” opened his trunk, and built me a cardboard box that he had flattened in his trunk. All of this happening on a pitch dark road! I was now easily able to take the mom’s body home to see if there were any other babies in her pouch.

My Easter Story

By

Eileen Hagerman

Now that baby season is somewhat winding down, and we’re all exhausted from that and the “people-ing” that comes with it, I wanted to share an uplifting story that happened to me. The night before Easter Sunday, coming home from a Vigil Mass, my husband and I came upon a dead opossum in the road. I hopped out of the car to check to see if it was a mother with joeys; she was, and several of her babies were strewn about the road. Though some were dead, five were still alive. My reason for sharing this story is, of course, to raise awareness about opossums. There is also another part of the story—a human one.

Baby Opossums found Strewn All Over the

Road Photo by Eileen Hagerman

All of four Baby Opossums Photo by Eileen Hagerman

Eyes Open Baby Opossums Photo by Eileen Hagerman

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This kind stranger thanked me several times for what I was doing. I remember thanking him quite a few times, too, for stopping and for helping. But, like most of us who do rescue, we often, after the fact, realize that we are so focused on what we are doing that we forget to truly thank the people who step up to help. He first stopped to see if I was okay, and then stayed around until I was done with my rescue. We have all heard bad stories about people, but I

was, and still am, touched by this guy for his caring: First, for his concern for me, then about the poor momma opossum and her babies. I probably will never know who he is, but I hope he knows how grateful I am. P.S.: Four babies did great and were released back

into the wild.

SUCCESSFUL RELEASE!!

Join us For NYSWRC’s 39th Annual Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference

November 8 – 10, 2019 at the Hilton Garden Inn

in Troy, New York

Early Bird Registration due by October 15th!

The New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, Inc (NYSWRC) is a not-for-profit statewide organization that has been in existence for almost 40 years. The primary goal of our membership-based organization is to promote professionalism in the field of wildlife rehabilita-tion 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 keep abreast of current issues and continue to 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.

HOPE TO SEE YOU AT CONFERENCE

IN NOVEMBER! H

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Good News For Bees And The Environment

With kind permission to reprint this article by author:

Lyn Chimera The EPA has banned neonicotinoids because of their effect on bees. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act requires pesticides sold or distributed in the U.S. to be registered by the EPA. Due to the much publicized and well researched problems caused by neonicotinoids, the Environ-mental Protection Agency has canceled registration of a dozen pesticides from this class of chemicals. The cancellations are effective as of May 20 for 12 neonicotinoid based products out of 59 products containing the active ingredients clothianidin and thiamethoxam produced by Syngenta, Valent, and Bayer. Oddly enough the ban is only the result of their effect on bees and doesn’t include potential harm to people. The law came about through a settlement agreement linked to an Endangered Species Act challenge by environmental groups. Developed as an alternative to organophosphate and carbamate pesticides, neonicotinoids are chemically related to nicotine, and attack the nervous systems of insects. Unlike traditional pesticides, “neonics” are also systemic, meaning that when taken up by the root system, the entire plant becomes toxic to insects. “Today’s cancellation of these neonicotinoid pesticides is a hard-won battle and landmark step in

the right direction,” said George Kimbrell, legal director at the Center for Food Safety, which litigated the case and was a party to the settlement agreement. “After five years of litigation, this settlement represents a positive outcome in the interest of all parties. The terms clearly support America’s farmers while ensuring continued protection of the environment,” Syngenta (a company) said in a statement. “The settlement allows growers contin-ued access to trusted neonicotinoid products containing thiamethoxam, essential for controlling destructive pests, managing resistance, and support-ing integrated pest management. While farmers will still have access to other neonic-based products for the time being, environmental groups are pressing the EPA for a complete ban on all outdoor uses for neonics in the coming years based on similar endangered species concerns. “This entire class of active ingredient soon will be up for re-registration [under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act] by 2022,” said Kimbrell. “These first 12 were just an interim step. In April 2018, the European Union adopted a near total ban on outdoor uses of neonic pesticides. It will be interesting to see if the US follows.

All Photos for this article Provided by Veronica Serwacki

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Want to Make Your Own Suet to Feed the Birds and Squirrels!

Recipe kindly provided by Donna Andres

Ingredients: 1/1/2 cups lard 1 cup crunchy peanut butter 3 cups yellow corn meal 1 to 1/1/2 cups seed mix Melt lard and peanut butter over low heat. Make sure the peanut butter does not burn. Pour heated mixture into a 9x13 pan. Add corn meal and mix well, and then add a

mixture of bird seed, sunflower seeds and whole corn.

Mix well and let cool until set. Place in freezer over night. Remove from pan and cut into desired sizes. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. We cut the cooled mixture into 2 inch squares and place a few in several suet holders. The birds and squirrels love it. Also woodpeckers seem to like it too.

Pollinating Bees and Other Pollinating Insects Love Native Speedwell

NYSWRC Board of Directors Announce an Increase in Membership Dues for 2019

The Board members of the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council greatly value their body of membership and while the board members have been reluctant to raise membership dues for a number of years, the board has decided on a $5.00 increase in dues for each category. This will assist NYSWRC in continuing to offer excellent services to New York State’s Licensed Wildlife Rehabilita-tors in a variety of areas that include: Promoting professionalism in the field of

wildlife rehabilitation Providing educational and technical support

opportunities during the annual NYSWRC conference that offers workshops, lectures, labs and meaningful discussions for all levels of wildlife rehabilitators. Veterinarians, Veterinary Technicians, Wildlife Professionals and Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitators who specialize in a variety of areas of expertise in wildlife rehabilitation, come from all over the country to teach introductory through advanced levels of classes including well researched, cutting edge methods in Wildlife Rehabilitation

Providing CEU credit opportunities for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians

Working with governmental agencies to formulate better than adequate regulations concerning wildlife

Disseminating educational material and information to NY state residents about distressed wildlife

Promoting environmental issues and the conservation of wildlife, their habitats, and other natural resources

Providing field support that wildlife rehabilita-tors deserve and the educational services they need to appropriately care for distressed wildlife including opportunities for wildlife rehabilitators to network with others across the state and throughout the country

Providing a quarterly newsletter for wildlife rehabilitators to share their expertise in the form of rehabilitation and conservation articles, artwork, poetry, and for veterinarians to share their latest research in wildlife rehabilitation methods and treatments.

We Are Grateful For Your Continued Support! Look who else Benefits from Eating the Seeds of

the Native Speedwell Plant!

Don’t get bugged out over bugs, bugs can be beautiful!

Beverly Jones

Nature Program Coordinator

Pfeiffer Nature Center

The republication of this article is with the kind

permission from the author and the Pfeiffer Nature Center

Spring will be coming around again soon and

many of us are getting excited to go back out into our gardens to play in the dirt. We all know that to have a successful garden it takes a good amount of planning and a good amount of “hands on” work. With so much to do, why not get help from the locals? Our local bugs, that is. Bugs are a wonderful resource for healthy gardens. By supporting bugs, we support the pollination and the protection of our plants. While not all bugs are considered garden friendly, many are wonderful to have around. We just need to attract those bugs that we do want, and this can be done by building them a bug hotel. Bug hotels, also known as bug houses or bug boxes are people made structures which provide shelter for insects. The hotels can be simple or they can be very elaborate. There are many designs on the internet which you can view for ideas of what would work the best in your garden. So, who do we want to check into our bug hotel and how do we entice them to stay?

Before building your bug hotel, I encourage you to find out more about our local bug representatives by visiting the insectidentification.org website. Once at the website, if you do a search for New York State, you will find 611 insects recorded in their database. The insects are listed alphabetically and there is a beautiful photograph for each species. While not all of these insects may be present in our gardens right now, it is fun to take a look at the possibilities of who we could have as future bug neighbors.

The website domain name states that they identify insects, but they also identify bugs and spiders. We know that insects and spiders are different animals but who knew that insects and bugs are different animals as well? All of these animals belong to the phylum “Arthropoda”, meaning they are invertebrate animals which have an exoskeleton and legs which are jointed and paired. Insects are characterized by having bodies that are segmented into three parts, they have six

legs and sometimes two pairs of wings. Spiders have unsegmented bodies, eight legs and fangs which inject poison into their prey. Bugs have bodies like those of insects but they are different from other insects because they have mouths that are shaped like a straw which is called a stylet. They use their stylet to suck juices from their food unlike other types of insects which chew their food. Examples of true bugs are the stink bug, the milkweed bug and the assassin bug. Even though we use the two names interchangeably, this is not really accurate as all bugs are insects but not all insect are bugs. But for the sake of this article, we will refer to our arthropod friends as “bugs”. I hope this does not bug you… Attracting beneficial bugs should now be taken under consideration. We want to invite the types of bugs which will help reduce the number of detrimental bugs and we want to encourage those which will pollinate our plants. As with people, hotels entice visitors based on décor. People want stay in places which are comfortably furnished to suit their styles and needs, and bugs are no different. With the correct room set up, you will find yourself hosting some pretty spectacular friends.

Finding ladybugs and lacewings in your hotel is

a wonderful thing. Both of these bugs are beneficial to gardens because they eat aphids, mealy bugs and other pest species which can destroy our plants. To attract ladybugs, place dry leaves, dry sticks or straw into your hotel. To attract lacewings you can place corrugated cardboard and dried leaves inside. Beetles, centipedes and spiders are also welcome guests as they will eat some of the larger garden pests. The wood-boring beetle will even take on pests as big as slugs. Dead wood with bark still

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green lacewings Chrysoperla sp. Joseph Berger

Joseph Berger, Bugwood.org

Continued on p. 11

attached and pine cones will draw these bugs into your hotel. Solitary bees, such as mason bees are excellent pollinators and should be on your list of VIP guests. Lay your welcome mat out for these bugs by placing hollow reeds and bamboo tubes into their hotel room.

“Location, location, location….” Where you set up your hotel is another factor to contemplate. For ground bugs, the hotel can be placed on a flat, solid piece of ground. Most bugs enjoy a cool, shady location such as a brush pile or wooded space. If there is water available, then place the hotel near an overgrown hedge along a pond or under a shady tree near a stream. To attract bees, place the box up against a flat surface like a shed wall in an area that is protected from strong winds. The hotel entrance should face South or South West to get the most sun in the winter time. Bug hotels should be open year round. They provide shelter in the winter and

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maternity space in the summer. The best time to do hotel housekeeping is in the late spring. Remove old materials such as straw, cardboard and dried leaves and place them near a compost pile or in a shaded area in case there are bugs attached. Replenish with fresh materials. Replace the sticks, bark, pinecones and hollow tubes as needed. Be sure to support your hotel guests by planting “foods” such as coneflower, dill and black-eyed susan which will sustain them and keep them coming back.

In our ever changing and environmentally challenged world, preserving and creating habitat for wildlife is always a great idea. “If you build it they will come”, a that stance is definitely applicable to our bug friends. Collecting and arranging materials for your bug hotel with a child is a wonderful way to help young folks understand the importance of habitat protection for all creatures. Besides, they may think being a hotel manager for a bug resort is a pretty cool thing to do!

Help Support Our Wildlife and Our Rehabilitated and Released

Wild Birds and Mammals by Providing Bug Hotels for Benefi-cial Insects and Planting Native

Plants that Support Them!

BUG HOTEL

Honey Bee with legs full of yellow pollen on Cone Flower Photo by Veronica Serwacki

Photo by Beverly Jones

NYSWRC

1850 N. Forest Rd.

Williamsville, NY, 14221

www.NYSWRC.org

NEW YORK STATE WILDLIFE REHABILITATION COUNCIL, INC.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

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Our NYSWRC Mission

NYSWRC, Inc. is a not for profit membership organization dedicated to the

education of wildlife rehabilitators, improvement of the field of wildlife rehabilitation, and the protection and preservation of the environment.

NYSWRC MEMBERS Please check the address label on this issue of RELEASE to determine your current membership type. Your membership in the New York

State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (NYSWRC) expires on this date. To guarantee uninterrupted membership services please utilize the

application below to renew your membership. We encourage you to share your issue of RELEASE with new rehabilitators and other

interested persons. RELEASE is the quarterly newsletter of the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, Inc. and is included with membership.

Papers, photographs, illustrations and materials relating to wildlife rehabilitation are welcomed and encouraged. Please send

materials to one or both of the following:

Virginia Frati, RELEASE, 97 Wildwood Rd, Sag Harbor, NY 11963, wrwrch@aol.com Veronica Serwacki, RELEASE, 175 Greenaway Rd, Eggertsville, NY 14226, serwacki@canisius.edu

All materials are copyrighted. For permission to reprint portions, contact Editors.