Keep up with the latest news and
Pine View happenings

From the Executive Director
Spring 2024

For the last few weeks the Pine View Team has been actively preparing for the arrival of the 2024 spring babes. Cleaning, rearranging, ordering supplies and continuing to build additional enclosures at our new hospital location.

Photos reflect our volunteers working inside the renovated wing and our young adults transporting the new enclosure for one of our educational ambassadors. The sustainability of Pine View is volunteer based. We have been fortunate over the years to benefit from amazing individuals of all ages that dedicate weekly, monthly and yearly moving us forward. They share their hands and talents, energies, skills, time and donations ensuring our future as we enter our44th year. Shout out to our 25 volunteers.

Simultaneously, while spring preparations continue our permanent educational bird of prey ambassadors are experiencing the fresh air and warmer temps taking in the spring sun rays. So too, our turtle ambassadors' activity levels accelerate as do their emerging from their winter long hibernation.

The last of our winter patients (check out photos on our FB page) have been released. Each patient grows our experience levels and knowledge that we share throughout the year with our communities.

We are beginning to schedule our environmental educational outreach programs. At these presentations, we not only address the current challenges all species struggle with in maintaining healthy environments, we share the natural history of our various educational ambassadors and their unique characteristics in adapting to global changes. Our programs are available to schools, social, civic and environmental groups. (for more info about our educational outreach check out our education page)

Our educational Task Force team also assists human communities when confronted with potential wildlife conflicts. As an example, Pine View will present on April 5th at the Niederkorn library at 4:30 an educational forum specifically addressing coexisting with fox and coyote. With continued habitat eradication in multiple Wisconsin communities wildlife searches to replace their established territories that now are under construction.

We will share on a monthly basis the continuing and developing activities as the snow melts.

— Jean Lord

Eagle Admit Update
November 2023

Even after 4 decades, we are reminded subtly sometimes, how little we know regarding this special and fragile earth and the inhabitants therein.

It is always a joy, each season, every day, when we can successfully release a wildlife patient back to their environment. Be it a bird of prey, young frog, or recently hatched turtles, smiles abound, and as we retreat and vacate from the location of the successful release, a teeny part of us goes with that patient.
Our recent admit of an immature Eagle reminded us again, of some of the unknown factors and conditions that bring a patient to our hospital. Secrets we will not know. Adding to the lack of knowledge as to what transpired out in the wild to bring this Eagle to Pine View will remain a mystery, despite good intentions from all involved. Long story short, as a result of severe neurological compromise and irreparable nerve damage to the spine and leg of our immature Eagle, the bird's leg and pelvis, including the tail, were rendered useless. The bird has lost its quality of life and ability to function on its own. The bird was humanely euthanized.
We wish to thank two very special veterinarians: Dr. Brian Rollman and Dr. Scott. Their time, energies ,efforts and knowledge assisted in guiding and determining the deteriorating condition of this bird. Thanks to all for your support.
Although we could not return this bird back to the wild, it too takes a bit of who we are with it..

Summer 2023 Updates

We recently released 13 Red Fox kits, several snapping turtles, painted turtles, and a Blandings turtle.
We currently are caring for several Red-tailed Hawks, a Snapping turtle, and this years immature Great-horned owls, who have been moved to our flight cage where they will remain until release.

Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz

Listen to Jeannie Lord from the Pine View Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center as she joins Fuzz to explore this wonderful organization. Pine View is dedicated to rehabilitating injured birds of prey (e.g., owls, hawks, eagles & falcons) as well as foxes, coyotes, badgers, reptiles, and amphibians.

Foxes taken from parents ‘a really sad story’

A litter of red fox pups that gained internet notoriety with their playful antics on St. Mary’s hill in Port Washington have been trapped and separated from their parents at the behest of a group of area residents who, wildlife experts said, were apparently unwilling to coexist with the generally harmless animals for the short time they would have been in the area.

Read the full story here

These 7 kits bring our total number of immature Red Fox up to 10 in just one week’s time at Pine View.

Spring Update 2023

As we enter Spring (finally!) we wanted to give you a peak into one of our winter patients.

We admitted a juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk in mid-February with a wing fracture. Radiographs and vet consultations led us to pursue conservative therapy. After over a month of bandaging, range of motion therapy, and supportive care, we are on track for a successful release.

The following photos show x-rays taken every two weeks as well as the patient.

With baby season being in full swing we wanted to share these wonderfully made diagrams created by the NWRA for everyone to have on hand if they come across a baby bird or mammal. This is the general guideline of questions we would ask if you were to call us on how to best help these young and vulnerable creatures so please keep them in your back pocket as a quick reference!

As always, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns, we are always happy to assist the best that we can.

Public listening session set for Wisconsin's wolf management plan

Wisconsin DNR plan would split state into wolf management zones

By Deneen Smith

The public will get a chance to weigh in on the draft of a new Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Wolf Management Plan at an online listening session Feb 7.

The DNR released the draft plan in November. It shifts away from maintaining a statewide wolf population goal in favor of managing animals locally within the state’s six wolf hunting zones.

Members of the public have been able to comment on the plan in writing since its release, and the comment period had already been extended once. But the virtual listening session gives people a chance to speak directly to agency leaders.

"This listening session is an additional opportunity for anyone interested to provide input on the proposed plan while the public review and comment period remains open until Feb. 28," the DNR stated.

Wisconsin's wolf population remains a controversial topic, with views of some hunters and livestock owners clashing with those who have welcomed the return of a species that was declared extirpated from the state in 1960.

The DNR's management of the population drew national criticism after the February 2021 wolf hunt when hunters killed 218 wolves — nearly 20 percent of the state's total wolf population at the time — in less than three days.

Since the hunt, a federal judge's ruling restored endangered species protections for wolves in most areas of the country, including Wisconsin.

The DNR's draft plan has been met with support from environmental and conservation groups but criticized by some lawmakers and hunting organizations.

Those who wish to speak at the listening session must register by Feb. 6. At the session, DNR staff will give a brief overview of the plan, and the public comment period will immediately follow. Comments will be limited to two minutes each. DNR staff will not be taking questions during the event, according to the agency.

The session can be viewed online on the DNR’s YouTube channel.

This young Fox was admitted in late July after it was found suffering from severe mange. After about a month and a half in our care we were able to release this now beautiful young male back into the wild!

Fall Updates

We receive calls almost year-round about mange fox sitings. We are unfortunately unable to do the live trapping ourselves due to the amount of monitoring it entails. We also cannot recommend anything for you to “put out” to try to treat the mange yourself. Everything is dosed by weight and it is impossible to know if the targeted animal is getting the dose it needs without it being in a controlled environment. There are also other ailments commonly seen with mange that will need to be addressed as well, such as, dehydration, emaciation, open wounds, and secondary infections. We understand live trapping an ambulatory animal is challenging and frustrating when all you want to do is help. Sometimes these efforts are in vain if the animal passes away before being caught, or if it gets scared off by the presence of the trap, or if it just absolutely refuses to take the bait in the trap and slowly withers away right before your eyes. Just know, we know you tried your best, you did not fail. Nature has never been kind and we applaud the individuals who acknowledge an animal in need and take the time to call us regardless of what the outcome may be.

These great horned owls are siblings from the same nest. During a wind storm one of them fell from the nest and was admitted. Just a day or so later the entire tree fell down along with the second sibling. Both were fortune enough to not be injured from the fall but needed intervention because they were too young to be out of the nest. They will be with us into early fall.

All of our young admit fox and coyote have been successfully released!

These young turkey vultures were illegally removed from a nest and kept for several days before we were able to intervene and admit them. We will release before they need to migrate.