New Alliance Leads Groundbreaking Effort

to Protect New York’s Wildlife

PRESS RELEASE

The New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council partners with Pace University’s Animal Policy Project as increased threats to wildlife prompt alliance of “nature’s first responders”

October 16, 2025 – Habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, disease— these are just some of the threats to wildlife targeted by a groundbreaking collaboration of the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (NYSWRC)and Pace University’s Animal Policy Project (APP).

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

 “Every day, wildlife rehabilitators see firsthand the devastating impacts of human activities on New York’s wild animals,” said Suzie Gilbert, the Alliance’s founder and director. “By bringing together rehabilitators and policy professionals, we can educate the public as well as improve policies on issues such as pesticide use, infrastructure design, exploitation of wild animals, and response strategies for emerging wildlife diseases.”

 According to Kelly Martin, president of the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, “Wildlife rehabilitation is most effective when backed by strong, science-based policies that address the root causes of wildlife distress. The NYSWRC-Pace Alliance will ensure that rehabilitators’ expertise informs policy decisions and create a future where both wild animals and those who care for them are better supported.”

 “Wildlife rehabilitators are nature’s first responders,” said Michelle Land, clinical professor and director of Pace’s Animal Policy Project. “They see the threats to New York’s wild animals every day, often working out of their own homes. We will gather that expertise through a statewide network that serves as a much-needed conduit between science and policy.”

 The Alliance, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), will leverage an expert network of rehabilitators, advocates, and policymakers to advance and improve New York State wildlife protection and care. Seed funding for the NPA was provided by the Gale Epstein Center for Technology, Policy and the Environment. 

Key to the Alliance’s success will be collaboration with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and its Wildlife Health Program partner, Cornell University.