The NYSWRC-Pace Alliance

 Created by wildlife rehabilitator and author Suzie Gilbert, NPA is a partnership between the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (NYSWRC) and Pace University’s Animal Policy Project (APP).

 By uniting a university renowned for environmental policy with the nation’s oldest state-level wildlife rehabilitation organization, the NYSWRC-Pace Alliance (NPA) generates data, educates communities, and shapes policies that safeguard wildlife.

Rehabilitation, legislation, and education – all under one virtual roof.

The first of its kind in the nation, the Alliance will serve as a model for state rehabilitation organizations to partner with higher education policy experts across the country.

Our first project: resurrect a NYS Department of Environmental Conservation-partnered survey of state wildlife rehabilitators, which had been stalled for four years. In six months the survey was re-written, put into a Qualtrics format, and sent out to every rehabber in the state. Nearly 600 rehabbers responded; the results are scheduled to be analyzed and ready in the fall of 2026, and will be instrumental in supporting rehabbers and enhancing their relationship with NYSDEC.

February 2026: our second project was a public informational evening highlighting the dangers of rodenticides and supplying alternatives. It featured three speakers and ended with Brian Iler’s inspirational 4-minute video of a poisoned screech owl rehabbed and released (see below).  It was attended by over 120 people, Pace’s most attended event since Covid. 

With the organization firmly in place and both Pace and NYSWRC eager to take control, Suzie left NPA in June 2026 to create an environmental Substack. Thin Air was launched three months later. 

https://vimeo.com/1175485782?fl=ip&fe=ec