Avian Conservation Center Information

OUR MISSION To identify and address vital environmental issues by providing medical care for injured birds of prey and shorebirds, and through educational, research and conservation initiatives. OUR VISION To serve as a preeminent medical, scientific, and educational institution that teaches and inspires all whom we encounter to embrace the beauty, mystery, and wonder of wild birds and to recognize and appreciate them as a vital link to the quality and sustainability of our lives. Founded in 1991 and now celebrating over 25 years of service, the Center has emerged as the premier avian center in the region and the only one of its kind in the nation comprehensively combining science, education, research, medical care, captive breeding & oiled bird treatment. Among other benchmarks, the Center: • Provides professional medical treatment for more than 600 injured birds of prey and shore birds each year, releasing the majority back to their natural habitat utilizing strict criteria providing sound assurance of their survivability in the wild; • Understanding that the most responsible public is that which is best informed, reaches 32,000+ students and adults each year through on-site and off-site educational programs, highlighting the threats to birds from habitat loss, contaminants, and other human-related risk factors, as well as the key role that wild birds play as crucial environmental sentinels; • Conducts annual research projects including a fall raptor migration survey and a citizen science survey of the endangered Swallow-tailed kite; • Serves as the only permanent Oiled Bird Response Facility of its kind on the eastern seaboard, affording the most efficient response possible in the event of a contaminant spill; • Employs a professional staff representing nearly 100 years of collective avian experience, and a Volunteer Staff Program that provides more than 20,000 skilled volunteer service hours each year.