2024 Calendars are now available!
$25 plus $4 shipping if necessary
(we can typically arrange free pick up or porch drop off through the Roaring Fork and CO River Valleys through Fruita)
Or pick up at the following locations: Jean’s Printing in Rifle, Town and Country Vet in Rifle, The Honey Shop in Silt, Hy-Way Feed in Silt, RJ Paddywack’s in El Jebel
Call or email us (contact info below) to let us know if you’d like a calendar!
Tis the season (to be cold)! Welcome to winter. Brrrr. It was eight degrees yesterday and 11 this morning. I guess it’s time to settle in to the cold and snow. We have all of the outdoor critters winterized with head lamps, heat pads, heated water bowls, etc. where needed, so let it snow!
In the last two weeks, we’ve been able to release three bald eagles that were with us for around a year or so. It’s a long process to rehab an eagle with a broken wing. One of the eagles came from the Town of Silt, just down the road from our center. It had been hit by a car on I70 near the Silt exit. Silt’s police chief, Mike, and my brother Al wrestled traffic and the bird and were finally able to safely corral it and get it in a carrier. Unfortunately, the adult had a severely broken wing. Our vet was able to pin it and it had to have bed rest (perch rest?) in a small room for six weeks. After the pin was removed, the wing was very stiff and couldn’t extend out. This is called patagial contraction, where the flexible skin and tissue on the wing loses elasticity when the wing isn’t constantly moving. To treat this, the bird has to be caught daily and the wing manually extended and massaged. It can take weeks to months to get the “bad” wing to be able to extend as far as the “good” wing. Eventually, the bird moves to our large flight cage where it can start working on building back cardio and further strengthening its wing. This eagle was with us a little over a year, but was finally ready to be free.
We were able to release it at the Silt River Preserve and met up with the police chief and a few other officers. We let Mike open the door and the bird took off across a long field. It flew really well for a long ways, then landed in the far end of the field getting its bearings. From there, it flew up into a huge cottonwood and sat for another ten minutes. Eventually, it took off toward the Colorado River and went out of sight. Hopefully it’s back to hunting fish! Check out a video of the release here.
The other two we released went up near Reudi Reservoir and the Frying Pan river. One was an adult and one a juvenile. They too took off well. The juvenile landed on a branch that wasn’t quite strong enough for it (this is common with juvies on release), and it had to ungracefully fly up to a larger branch on a pine tree. The homeowner watched both eagles for a while and they eventually both took off to join the real world.
Here’s wishing you all a good winter! Stay safe and warm, and thank you for your continued support!
Please enjoy these photos of just a few of the animals we took in at PSSWF this year. Your support helps us continue to care for animals like these!
⁂VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT⁂
Sonya Vasconcellos
Sonya is another long-time volunteer at PSSWF. She has always been conscientious and thorough, and we often specifically start new volunteers with Sonya so she can share that with them before they move on to volunteering a different day.
Sonya writes:
“I started volunteering five years ago and it continues to be a rewarding experience. I have learned a great deal about wildlife rehabilitation. The animals have taught me their sights, sounds, smells, tracks, diets, and needs. I carry their teachings with me when I am exploring the outdoors camping, climbing, biking, boating, and skiing. Always with an eye open for wildlife.
I also enjoy reading books about animals and spending time with the Audubon Society.
I’m pictured here with my two big sweet rescue cats who are brothers named Look “e” Lou and Chicken.”
Sonya, thank you for your continued support and dedication to PSSWF! We are lucky to have you on the team and always have fun when you’re around!
Stay connected with PSSWF!
Website: www.psswf.org/
Facebook: /PSSWF
Instagram: @pss_wildlife
Email: psswildlifefoundation@gmail.com
Phone: (970) 876-5676, or text (970) 896-6895
Board of Directors
Executive Director: Nanci L. Limbach
Chairman of the Board: Al King
President: Nanci L. Limbach
Vice President: Dr. Paul Bingham
Secretary: Karen Roberts
Treasurer: Nanci L. Limbach
Director of Vet Services: Dr. Paul Bingham
Member: Walt Geister
Member: Cat Martin
Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation
Home of the Western Colorado Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
PSSWF is a Not for Profit 501 (c) 3 dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation. Our mission is to provide quality, professional care to injured and orphaned wildlife, in conjunction with educational programs on wildlife and the environment. The Foundation relies solely on public funding. If you would like to contribute to this cause, please donate at www.psswf.org/donate.
Annual contributions of $100 or more add you to our mailing list for quarterly newsletters. Your contributions are tax deductible and a letter of 501 (c) 3 verification is available upon request. No contribution is too small or too large! THANK YOU!!!