The Minnesota Wildlife Assistance Cooperative is bringing together an array of speakers that will lecture on a wide variety of subject matter. Whether you are new to the field of wildlife rehabilitation or have been involved for years, this conference will provide something for everyone!

BREW Pre-Conference Seminar: Friday the Minnesota Wildlife Assistance Cooperative will be presenting the Beginning Rehabiliation Education Workshop (BREW) as an optional pre-conference seminar, BREW is a comprehensive approach to wildlife rehabilitation education specifically designed for rehabiliatators with two or less years experience or as a refresher for more experienced rehabilitators. This 8 hour workshop includes the following topics: theory and administration, species identification and natural history, rescue/capture/restraint, basic triage, care and feeding of orphan birds and mammals, release criteria, zoonosis, and a one hour physical examination lab.

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Icebreaker and Networking Opportunity: On Friday night unwind and enjoy some social time with your fellow rehabilitators and wildlife enthusiasts. Swap stories, share some laughs, meet your conference planners and learn about what others have been up to in the past few years.

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The Conference Program: Saturday we begin our program in earnest with our keynote speaker, Gigi Abbadie, Global Marketing Director at Aveda. After receiving her MBA in Services Marketing from Vanderbilt's Owen School of Management, Gigi's love of fashion took her to a career in the beauty industry and her love of animals and the environment soon brought her to Aveda. Gigi's role at Aveda has fueled her passion for sharing with individuals and businesses their responsibility and ability to slow global warming. In her work at Aveda, Gigi has taken on the challenge of redefining Aveda's Earth Day fundraising efforts and created a unified global Earth Month program which focuses on the effects that global warming has on biodiversity. Gigi will share with us those effects of global warming and what wildlife rehabilitators may be expecting in terms of influences on wildlife, such as changes in migratory patterns, species that we may be seeing more of and potential changes in native habitat types. Gigi will also help us to understand what we, as individuals can do to help slow the progress of global warming.

The rest of the day Saturday and through Sunday we have a program packed with variety. Come learn from an array of lab offerings, case studies, beginner, intermediate and advanced topics such as behavioral enrichment, specialized care courses in songbirds, nightjars, swifts and swallows, squirrels, beaver, muskrat and river otter, opossum, hares and rabbits, raptors, waterfowl, ecology and natural history along with many other course selections designed to not only refresh your skills but bring them to a level that is beyond the basics.

We will close our program on Sunday with our guest speaker Jim Fitzpatrick who will share his experiences of participating in the search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Jim is the Director of the Carpenter Nature Center in Hastings, Minnesota and brother to John Fitzpatrick, the Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which has spear headed the search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the Cache River area of Arkansas. Thought to have been extinct for over 60 years, several sightings within recent years, one by Jim Fitzpatrick himself, spurred the intense scientific search for this illusive bird. Jim will teach us about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker which was once called the “Lord God Bird“ and share his experiences of participating in the search for this majestic creature that was once thought to be gone forever.

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Lodging and Meals: The conference is being held at Craguns Resort in Brainerd, Minnesota. Located on Gull Lake Craguns is a refreshing, relaxing getaway from the hustle and bustle. Craguns offers hiking and biking trails, indoor and outdoor pools, boating and fishing, tennis courts, indoor Sports Centre, and a luxurious spa where you may want to enjoy a relaxing massage. Conference lodging and meals will be provided by Craguns and are included in the registration fee. The registration fee is based on double occupancy, so when registering, be sure to indicate a roommate preference if applicable. We hope that you will find time during the conference to refresh your spirit and enjoy all that Craguns has to offer.

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Vendors, Raffle and Silent Auction: Help support MWAC! There will be vendors displaying a variety of useful items and after a relaxing dinner Saturday evening, a raffle and silent auction with many great items will be held. If you would like to be a vendor or donate an item to the raffle or silent auction, please contact Stacey Trapp at 952-423-9708 or srtrapp@hotmail.com

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Freebies: Back by popular demand, enjoy our “freebie” table! A whole table filled with items that rehabilitators need…from syringes, dishes, bowls and lactated ringers to fleece scraps, goggles and gauze, your sure to find something that you can use…all donated and free to you! Check the table often for new arrivals added throughout the conference.

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Scholarships: There are two $150.00 student scholarships and two $125.00 non-student scholarships available for this conference. To be eligible for the student scholarships you must be a student registered at least half time (proof of registration required). Scholarship applications must be received no later than September 20th and can be downloaded by clicking the links below. For further details contact Stacey Trapp at 952-423-9708 or by email at srtrapp@hotmail.com

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Take the test! The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Services will be offering the Novice, General and Master Class Wildlife Rehabilitation examinations on Sunday, November 4, 2007 at 1:00 pm. You are not required to be an attendee of the conference to participate in the examination offering.

To be eligible to take the wildlife rehabilitation examination you must contact the DNR no later than October 15, 2007 by calling 651-259-5122 in the twin cities metro area or in greater Minnesota at 1-888-646-6367 or by e-mail at diane.vejtruba@dnr.state.mn.us

Current permit holders that wish to take an examination to advance to the next permit level must submit a completed Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit Advancement Application Form, no later than October 15, 2007 to the DNR Division of Ecological Services, 500 Lafayette Road North, Box 25, St. Paul, MN 55155.

To obtain a Wildlife Rehabilitation Advancement Application Form, or if you have questions regarding the examination, contact the DNR at the numbers listed above.

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Continuing Education Credits: If you attend this conference you may be eligible to receive continuing education credits from the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine (MBVM) and the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA). Please contact Stacey Trapp 952-423-9708 or srtrapp@hotmail.com for further details.

2007 Midwest Regional Conference on Wildlife Rehabilitation Schedule Offerings

Keynote: Preparing for a warmer future- Climate change and global warming: Current effects of global warming as well as the predictions in central Minnesota states with regard to habitat changes, weather patterns and implications for wildlife rehabilitators such as the loss of some species, or increases in others, and also the potential for increases in inclement weather situations and the potential effects on wildlife populations and what you can do to help slow the progress of global warming.

Specialized care of Lagomorphs- from infants thorough adults: Learn the difference between hares and rabbits, various techniques and approaches- dietary requirements, feeding techniques and caging/housing, release criteria and techniques.

Building a network Panel: Learning your role and how to work effectively with you vet, local unit of government, conservation officer, and other wildlife professionals and centers.

Specialized care of squirrels and other rodents- from infants thorough adults: Learn various techniques and approaches- dietary requirements, feeding techniques and caging/housing, release criteria and techniques.

Specialized care of the opossum- learn techniques of caring for North America's only marsupial: dietary requirements, caging, feeding/tubing, challenges of, hypothermia and frostbite.

Herps- unique challenges of turtles, snakes and salamanders: first aid, stabilization and transport, metabolic differences, over-wintering, dietary and caging requirements, release criteria and techniques.

Raccoons- beyond the basics: baylis, distemper, de-worming protocol, dietary and caging/housing, release criteria and techniques

Euthanasia: Learn when euthanasia may be the best option for your patient- how to work with your vet to accomplish this task and how to deal with difficult emotions and related stress.

Rules and Regulations: what you need to know to comply with applicable rules and regulations and how to work effectively with your local unit of government, including dealing with difficult situations.

Dehydration/emaciation/diarrhea. Recognition, assessment and treating in both birds and mammals: options and alternative approaches, products available, mitigating stresses to sensitive species.

Raptors: A comparison of historical information to current trends related to species type being admitted, blood parasites currently being found, and prominent diseases needing treatment.

Songbirds (altricial): expanding on the basics with songbirds and other altricial species including pigeons and doves- a more in depth look at caging requirements, housing with conspecifics, socialization, nutritional information and release techniques.

Nighthawks, jars, swifts, and swallows- feeding “on the wing”: Learn techniques to successfully rehabilitate these unique species with focus on feeding and housing requirements.

Holistic Medicine: Learn how to incorporate holistic medicine into your rehabilitation practice to improve the wellness of the animals in your care. Learn through case studies what has worked in the past and different holistic treatments that can be used for common rehabilitation problems.

Case studies: learn from others experiences by hearing select case studies that are sure to be both educational and heartwarming.

Bats: expand on the basics and learn from those that specialize in caring for bats- diets, caging and the unique challenges including successful release will be addressed.

Triage Techniques: learn when to act quickly and when to observe carefully- how to effectively maximize your time to provide the best possible care to each patient in both emergency and non-emergency situations.

Fox and Coyote: Learn fox and coyote rehabilitation techniques from pups to adults including special dietary needs, caging requirements, socialization technique, handling techniques  to release criteria.  

Educating the public: how to get the word out and communicate effectively with the public, whether it is on a one-to-one basis with individuals that present patients or by teaching groups of individuals about wildlife and wildlife rehabiliation

Semi-aquatic Mammals - Otters, Beaver & Muskrats: challenges and rewards of these species. Including unique dietary requirements, importance of housing and behavioral enrichment

Ecology and Natural History: Learn how to use natural history to increase the effectiveness of your rehabilitation program.

Waterfowl (precocial): Learn how to successfully raise and release waterfowl. Includes diets, housing and common difficulties and conspecific fosters.

Study Group: If you're taking the permit exam, here is your last chance to study! Come work with others to review and quiz one another!

Labs: a variety of hands on labs options are also offered during the conference

First Aid Lab: learn methods of effective first aid in both emergency and non-emergency situations

Bandaging Lab: learn and practice how to bandage injuries properly to ensure quick patient recovery

Turtle Shell Repair Lab: learn about various techniques while practicing skills needed for successful repair of damaged turtle shells

Natural History Lab: this lab is an open self guided lab offered over the course of the entire conference, peruse through a variety of stations at your own pace and discover unique concepts of ecology, natural selection and animal adaptation

Closing: The Quest for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker- Learn about the intensive scientific search for the Ivory Billed woodpecker in the Cache River area of Arkansas. Thought to have been extinct for over 60 years, several sightings within recent years, spurred a search that continues today.

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