We close out our fifth season with the second part of our discussion with Dr. Julia Ponder, the Director Emeritus of The Raptor Center, on lead toxicity in bald eagles. Join us in taking a close look at the treatment and care of bald eagles with lead exposure and the changes that can be made for a lead-free future.

Special thanks to our guests, Partners For Wildlife, and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Resources mentioned:

Sporting Lead-Free

North American Lead-free Partnership 

Eagles and Lead - SOARRaptors

Lead Toxicity in Bald Eagles _American Eagle Fdn

Bullet Fragmentation and Lead Deposition in White-Tailed Deer and Domestic Sheep

Effects of lead from ammunition on birds and other wildlife: A review and update

Lead from Spent Ammunition: a Source of Exposure and Poisoning in Bald Eagles

We welcome Dr. Julia Ponder, the Director Emeritus of The Raptor Center, back to the show to discuss lead toxicity, particularly in bald eagles. In this episode, we explore the differences between acute and chronic toxicity, the range of clinical signs associated with each, methods used to diagnose, ongoing education and outreach efforts, and common sources of exposure. In part two, we’ll take a closer look at treatment and care.

Special thanks to our guests, Partners For Wildlife, and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Resources mentioned:

Demographic implications of lead poisoning for eagles across North America

The Raptor Center Research on Lead Toxicity

Sporting Lead Free

USFWS lead free initiative

Lead Free Partnership

Go Lead Free for Wildlife

Examining the effect of the Hunter's Choice: Alternative Ammunition project on Minnesota deer hunters' knowledge, attitudes, behavioral intentions, and behaviors regarding lead ammunition

In this episode, we’re joined by Scott Diehl, Director Emeritus at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center with the Wisconsin Humane Society. We discuss methods and programs implemented at the Wildlife Center to keep wildlife in our communities safe, helping to prevent unnecessary fear, injuries, illness, and even death, so that fewer animals end up needing rehabilitation. 

Special thanks to our guests, Partners For Wildlife, and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Resources mentioned:

Wildlife Rehabilitation Center - Wisconsin Humane Society

We continue our series on what’s going on behind the scenes at Partners For Wildlife with Chad Caruthers, the Partnership and Community Engagement Coordinator. In this episode, we learn about P4W’s public outreach initiatives, what is currently in the works, and plans for the future. 

Special thanks to our guest, Partners For Wildlife, and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Resources mentioned:

Partners for Wildlife

Subscribe to PACE's Substack here

We discuss what’s going on behind the scenes at Partners For Wildlife with Program Manager Rob Kulhanek—diving into the collaboratively designed Wildlife Rehabilitation Knowledge Exchange (WRKE), a peer-to-peer message board platform for wildlife rehabilitators, veterinarians, and other wildlife care professionals hosted by the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), a long-standing networking site for veterinarians.

Special thanks to our guest, Partners For Wildlife, and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Resources mentioned:

About WRKE

WRKE sign-up form

From a logged-in VIN account to WRKE

In the second part of this conversation, Gail and this episode’s co-host, Julia Ponder, a clinical wildlife veterinarian with a background in public health, continue speaking with members of the Wild Alert team: Rachel Avilla, President, Co-Founder, and Executive Director of The Wild Neighbors Database Project; Terra Kelly, an epidemiologist and wildlife health specialist; and Pranav Pandit, a One Health epidemiologist. They discuss how Wild Alert functions at the state level, describe the individual user experience, and outline their future goals for the system.

Special thanks to our guests, Partners For Wildlife, and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Resources mentioned:

https://wildalert.org/

www.wildneighborsdp.org

https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/whispers

Interested in learning more about WRMD?

“Every single wildlife rehabilitator is important, big or small…” - Rachel Avilla

In this conversation, Gail and her first co-host, Julia Ponder, a clinical wildlife veterinarian with a background in public health, speak with members of the Wild Alert team: Rachel Avilla, President, Co-Founder, and Executive Director of The Wild Neighbors Database Project; Terra Kelly, an epidemiologist and wildlife health specialist; and Pranav Pandit, a One Health epidemiologist. They discuss what Wild Alert is, what it does, and the projects they are currently working on. In the next episode, they take a deeper dive into how the system is used.

Special thanks to our guests, Partners For Wildlife, and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Resources mentioned:

https://wildalert.org/

www.wildneighborsdp.org

In the second part of this conversation, we speak with Dianne Odegard and Lee Mackenzie, the founders of Austin Bat Refuge. We add to our previous episode by doing a deep dive on the Eastern Red Bat, specifically, orphan babies.

Special thanks to our guests, Partners For Wildlife, and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Resources mentioned:

Austin Bat Refuge

The Rehabilitation and Captive Care of Insectivorous Bats

In the first part of this two-parter, we speak with Dianne Odegard and Lee Mackenzie, the founders of Austin Bat Refuge. We hear recent rescue stories, and learn about radar projects, Free-tailed bats, and how Austin became known as “bat city”. 

Special thanks to our guests, Partners For Wildlife, and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Resources mentioned:

Austin Bat Refuge

In the second part of our conversation with Amanda Nicholson, Senior Vice President of the Wildlife Center of Virginia, and Dr. Karra Pierce, Director of Veterinary Services at the Wildlife Center of Virginia, we discuss the offerings (books, courses, and beyond) through the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA) and how you can get involved from becoming a member to joining a committee and even the board. 

NWRA’s 2026 Symposium takes place February 24–28 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. To learn more about the symposium, please see the links below. 

Special thanks to our guests, Partners For Wildlife, and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Resources mentioned:

NWRA's 2026 Symposium

NWRA website