Dear Friends,

I hardly know where to begin. This year has been a record breaker for the REGI organization in a number of ways.

We have come to expect our patient numbers to increase each year; however, the number of Bald Eagle patients in 2011 increased dramatically. In late August, we had 45 Bald Eagles as well as several hundred other species

in care at the same time. For the first time in our history, we were forced to send several patients out of state to finish their rehabilitation as we were out of space. Our wonderful foster dad eagle raised 22 eaglets this summer. Several tornados contributed to eagles’ nests being destroyed when the chicks were very young. The maladies affecting the adult eagles were the usual mix of poisonings, those hit by cars, and shootings. (Yes, inexplicably people still shoot Bald Eagles.) Our census is back up to 30 bald eagles at this writing. With gun deer hunting season now over, sadly our “lead poisoning season” is about to begin. It will be a busy winter, no doubt.

We were also faced with recovering and rehabilitating the largest mass Bald Eagle poisoning ever recorded. We are thrilled all of the eagles survived and are wild once more. Even at the top USFWS forensics laboratory in the country, testing to identify the toxin takes time. We didn’t realize it as we worked on these desperately sick eagles, but it turns out the toxin involved is usually 100% fatal. It has no antidote. You can read their story, from a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publication, on page 3 of this newsletter. The legal aspects of this case are ongoing, therefore we are not allowed to comment on it further. Suffice to say with a staff of just 3 rehabilitators and myself, we were very busy.

In October I traveled to Turkey to do seminars at the University of Istanbul Veterinary School and to assist in the opening of the first wildlife center in that country. It was an amazing honor to work with our Turkish colleagues!

A sincere thank you to you, our donors. Without your support we would not be able to help these magnificent wild creatures that enhance our life and world. We have had to add staff to keep pace with our patient load. The spring will bring need for additional caging and flight space for eagles as well as other species. We will be forever grateful if you keep us in mind with your end of year charitable giving.

We wish for you and yours peace and joy in 2012.

Where to see us this Winter!

Eagle ReleaseBald Eagle Watching DaysSaturday, January 14. 12:30-1:30VFW ParkPrairie du Sac, WIhttp://www.ferrybluffeaglecouncil.org/eagledays/index.html

Watch our events page for updates: http://www.raptoreducationgroup.org/Events.cfm

From the Executive Director

Sincerely,Marge Gibson

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Summer Babies

Eagle Rescue & Release

Business Sponsors

Very Special Volunteer

Wings Over Wausau

Summer Interns

Birds in Art Visitors

Wonders of the Web

Thank You All

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Summer Babies 2011

This baby Common Loon is only a week old. He looks nothing like he will as an adult with the stunning black and white feather pattern.

(Photo left) This baby American Kestrel was a tiny handful when admitted after his tree was downed in a storm. A cousin of the Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrels are the smallest member of the falcon family. Several kestrel chicks were raised at REGI this summer.

This adorable little Bald Eagle was one of our first babies. She is one of 22 eaglets cared for at REGI this summer. Once again, our Bald Eagle foster dad did a superb job raising all of the youngsters. They have either been released or will be soon.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are among the most beautiful woodpeckers. These three came in when they were only a few days old. All have been released to the wild!

This cygnet Trumpeter Swan looks a lot like a gosling at this age, but he, and 2 others raised at REGI this summer, will join the ranks as the largest flying bird in North America. They will be released in the spring.

These Green Heron babies were 2 of 6 that were found orphaned over the summer. All have been successfully raised and released!

This Red-eyed Vireo and several others were reared this summer at REGI. This vireo species is often heard, but seldom seen in the eastern United States.

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Poisoned Bald Eagle Rescue, Recovery & Release

The largest and most successful rescue of poisoned eagles ever recorded has come to a dramatic completion today at Antigo, Wis. with the release of seven American bald eagles into the wild by the Raptor Education Group.

The eagles, poisoned at a landfill in Vilas County, were found on the ground and near death on April 9, 2011 when wildlife rehabilitators raced to the scene and transported the eagles to the Raptor Education Group rehabilitation facility in Antigo, Wis. An eighth eagle was found dead at the scene.

The investigation launched by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is ongoing and investigators cannot comment on the details of the case until it is complete.

“The cause of the poisoning has been determined and is no longer a risk to wildlife or the public,” said USFWS Special Agent Steve Stoinski, the lead investigator.

After weeks of intense care, the eagles – three adults and four juveniles – have all recovered from the toxin and are ready to be released back to the wild.

“The Raptor Education Group did an excellent job rehabilitating these birds back to health and we are very pleased to see the eagles returned to the wild,” Stoinski said.

The eagle release took place beginning at 11:00 a.m. June 1, 2011 at the Raptor Education Group, Inc. facility at N2160 W Rollwood Rd, Antigo, Wis.

-FWS

To see the complete article and view FWS photos visit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwsmidwest/sets/72157626735620151/

Please enjoy this condensed version of an article which appeared in a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publication about the bald eagle rescue, rehabilitation, and release which took place at REGI.

Marge and Don, along with REGI staff, band one of the poisoned eagles in preparation for its release.

Marge Gibson allows the crowd a close-up look at this juvenile Bald Eagle who is about to be released after being close to death a few weeks before.

This juvenile Bald Eagle is just moments from release and is pictured next to a photo of herself on the day she was found face-down in the snow, looking quite dead. (Photo credit: photo of sick eagle - Ken Pedersen)

Rehabilitated Eagles Returned to Wild in Wisconsin

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Antigo Area Business Sponsors

Volunteers are what make REGI go around. Dennis Stenstrom is one of our very valuable volunteers. While he

is here he accomplishes a great deal of work, including tons of repairs and handyman work, that is in no short supply. As REGI passes the 20 year mark, our buildings need more TLC than ever.

But it is not just the work done here at REGI that makes Denny one of our prized volunteers. Denny found a way to volunteer from home! If you have visited REGI over the summer then you may have seen some of his handiwork.

Denny has hand crafted many nest boxes for birds and these boxes are for sale at REGI!

Thank you Denny for being a very special volunteer!

Denny Stenstrom, volunteer, with some of the nesting boxes that he hand made as a fund-raiser.

Are you interested in becoming a REGI volunteer? We can use your help with: cleaning, MAINTENANCE, snow removal, feeding, yard work, and much more!

Contact Molly or Karissa at (715)623-2563 or email MollyM.REGI@gmail.com or Karissa.REGI@gmail.com for more information on how you can join the REGI team.

A Very Special Volunteer

Bronze Level Sponsors

Aspirus General ClinicBrickner’s of Antigo

Kwik TripMcCormick Klessig & Associates LTD

Spiegl Construction LLCThe Blue Awning

Winter, Winter & BehrensZelazoski Wood Products

Silver Level Sponsors

Cousineau Auto IncJohnson Electric Coil Co

Waukesha Bearings

THANK YOU! To all of REGI’s newest business sponsors!

REGI business sponsorships are an important part of meeting the financial demands of wildlife rehabilitation. Each year we see other rehabilitation facilities throughout the state close down, and our patient numbers increase. It is more important than ever that we have your support.

Your business can become a REGI sponsor at one of 4 levels:Bronze$100-499

Silver$500-999

Gold$1000-4999

Platinum$5000 or above

Contact Karissa Mohr for more information about your business becoming a REGI sponsor

Karissa.REGI@gmail.com or (715)623-2563

ContaCt Molly or Karissa to purChase one of these beautifully Crafted boxes!(sorry, piCK-up only) (715)623-2563

Bluebird Box - $20Screech Owl Box - $30Saw-whet Owl Box - $30Barred Owl Box - $40Wood Duck Box - $40

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Wings Over WausauOur second annual Wings Over Wausau (WOW) fund-

raising event went off without a hitch this year thanks to the dedication from our volunteers, staff, supporters, and sponsors. The coordinator behind the whole event is our wonderful volunteer, Megan Ackley. She and her entire family pitched in to make this year’s event even better than the last!

Wings Over Wausau is our biggest fund-raiser of the year and helps to cover the cost of caring for the hundreds of patients admitted into our clinic every year. Thank you to all who volunteered, donated, attended, and supported us in spirit. We are excited to work with everyone again at the event next year!

Photo above: Animal care technician, Stacie Wild, and wildlife rehabilitator, Katie Farvour, educate the public about the wonderful world of Turkey Vultures with help from educational vulture, Fran.

Photo above: Wings Over Wausau coordinator and REGI volunteer, Megan Ackley, is pictured here with Great-horned Owl, Fonzi.Thank you Megan, for all do to help REGI!

Photo above: Volunteer, Lenora Dombro, and Director of Education, Molly McKay, teach people about Saw-whet Owl, Sally, and Great-horned Owl, Fonzi.

Photo left: REGI Executive Director, Marge Gibson, introduces long-time education Red-tailed Hawk, Julie, to one of the WOW attendees. Julie has been captivating audiences for 22 years!

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Summer Interns 2011

Birds in Art Visitors

Fast Fact

There are over 10,000 species of birds in the world. About 925 have been seen in the U.S. and Canada.

Summer has once again come and gone and with it our interns have returned to their regular lives.

This year’s summer interns all hailed from UW-Stevens Point. All were college seniors with majors in Biology, Captive Wildlife, Wildlife Management, or Environmental Education.

This summer was an intense learning experience for the interns due to both a wide variety of species admitted

and very high patient numbers. They experienced full immersion in the world of wildlife rehabilitation including many aspects of this multi-faceted field from avian nutrition and care through husbandry and training educational birds. We can’t wait to see what their undoubtedly bright futures hold.

Interns, Katherine Tesch, Kyle Lannon, and Elizabeth (Libby) Pearson examine one of the many bald eaglets they helped care for over the summer.

A love for birds is something that transcends language or cultural barriers. We learned this

once again with the international guests who came to spend time at REGI while their art was presented as part of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum Birds in Art exhibition. Two of our visitors were Junko and Haruki Koizumi from Japan. As we shared a variety of our native birds with our guests there was no mistaking the look of amazement on their faces. It is rare to get such a close look at raptors. Seeing the birds up-close allows artists to depict new levels of detail in their work.

Birds in Art is a sensational exhibit of the top bird artists from around the world. About 100 pieces of art are selected annually.

Find out more information about Birds in Art at:http://www.lywam.org/birdsinart/

Photo: (left to right) Marge Gibson, Lynn Block, Junko Koizumi, Lynn Ott, and Haruki Koizumi. Above Marge introduces the group to Morrie, long time educational Turkey Vulture, as they snap photos to use a basis for their art. Turkey Vultures are a rare treat for these visitors as they are members of the New World Vulture family, which is found only in the Americas.

Photo above: Interns, Libby and Katherine, assist Marge in an eagle rescue.

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The Raptor Education Group, Inc. Mission• Promote increased awareness of and respect for native bird species, their natural behaviors and habitats.• Develop and promote better understanding of the natural history of avian species in both the public and scientific communities.• Develop nutritional protocol, rehabilitation methods and husbandry based on the species’ natural history to assure a successful transition

into the wild.

Wonders of the Web

Thank You ALL! We are very grateful to our supporters. You are the “wind under our wings” and made a huge difference in our ability to continue our work with wildlife. State and federal wildlife agencies continue to suffer cut-backs. Services once offered by natural resource agencies are increasingly handled by non-profit private sector organizations, like REGI.

A special thank you to Dr.’s Sarah Lautzenhiser, Sharon Brunzlick, Dan Turunen and staff at Antigo Veterinary Clinic; USFWS; State of WI DNR/BER and Police, Sheriff and Fire Departments throughout the state who help in so many ways. Thank you to Lakeside Pharmacy and Butch’s Shop Rite in Antigo and Cousineau Recycling for continuing to be our drop-off point for aluminum cans, and Lillian Tower for continuing to collect and transport cans for us. Gary Keen and Keen Appliance of Antigo, for keeping our appliances in running order. Thank you to the Antigo Daily Journal.

Thank you to our volunteer transporters who put thousands of miles on their personal cars every year getting patients safely to REGI and Dave Piehler for his expert air transport of our critical patients from remote areas. Thank you to Dennis Stenstrom, Lori and Rocky Schubring, Dave Koch, Gary Whitman, Eva Nelson-Hohensee, Lynn Ott, Nick and Jeanette Salm, John Benishek, Laura Schneider, George and Rosalie Blumenschein, Kathy Bloom, Denny Stenstrom, Brigid Hanke, Greg Toon, Ted Bengtson, and Ken Pedersen. Thank you Madalyn Petroskey for your lemonade stand fundraiser for REGI. Thank you David Hoffman for the much needed medical supplies you bring, and Kronnenwetter Veterinary Clinic for your support.

Thanks to The Dale Zimmerman and Dan Turunen Families, Ben and Kristina Mott, Jim Johnson, Jeff and Tammy Campo, Hunter Petroskey, Roger Benishek, Bill Boettcher, Dan Lipinski, Joan Ostermeier, Dick Andres, Dan Auner, Beau Gabriel, Holly Web, Larry Wheeler, Bill Begrow, Cavan Kelly, Beth Kelly, Dave Steckbauer, Marc Beer, Austin Beaumier, Dave Arendt, Greg Plamann, Joann Jensen, Dave Antoniewicz, Alice Klimoski, Don Miverden, Michelle Blahnik, Cindy Loken, Reed Lazarz, Trish Hugunin, Joan Burk-Miller, Ken Kubacki, Beth Dickinson, and Jim Stelzer for bringing us rats, mice, fish and many other foods that help us keep our birds fed and in good health.

Thanks to R.J. Hilger and Sons Baits of Antigo for supplying loads of minnows both alive and dead for our patients. Another huge thanks to Dale Waterhouse and JaDa Baits, and John Jacobs for continuing to supply us with waxworms and mealworms for our insectivore patients.

Thank you to Patrick Mohr, of P&K Machine; Kevin Dexter; Larry at Custom Steel; and Roger at CTECH for building new bow perches for our raptors.

Thank you to Megan Ackley for taking the time to organize our highly successful fund-raiser Wings Over Wausau. Thank you to Jim and Julie Hass, and Old Dog Design for all of your support and generous donations. Thank you to all of the sponsors, supporters and attendees of Wings Over Wausau; you made it a success.

Thank you all!

Donate OnlineWould you like to make a donation to REGI? Just visit our web site www.raptoreducationgroup.org and click on “Donate Now.” Paypal is safe and secure and you do not need to be a member of Paypal to use its services.

Switch to Our Electronic NewsletterYou can switch to the e-newsletter and help REGI lighten its environmental footprint. An e-version helps us to save paper and keeps costs down, which means more of your donations go directly to the patients. Send an e-mail to MollyM.REGI@gmail.com to make the switch to the e-version of the newsletter. Be sure to include your full name and the e-mail account(s) that you would like added.

Staying connected to REGI has never been easier! Find all the ways to stay connected on our website at www.raptoreducationgroup.org

P.O. Box 481Antigo, WI 54409

Hello,Can we talk?

That’s me on the left. It’s not my best photo. I look dead. That is what the folks thought when they found me

and 6 of my Bald Eagle friends together at a landfill. We were poisoned with some nasty stuff that didn’t even taste funny. It is usually

100% fatal but the folks at REGI would not rest until we were all back on the wing and free again.

Here is the thing; none of us had health insurance. REGI gets no state or federal funding to pay for medical expenses and

other care for us or other patients.

Please, we need your help.

Thank you,Bald the Eagle

Current Resident or