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<TITLE>100+ rescues today & Northerly Island News</TITLE>
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<FONT FACE="Lucida Grande">Dear Bird Conservationists<BR>
I write to you on an upsetting morning here in Chicago. We have again had over 100 rescues.<BR>
We are working to solve the issues of bird strikes but on a morning like today, it is clear that we have a long way to go.<BR>
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The good news is that we had teams out there rescuing these birds and that many will be released after expert care.<BR>
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The other good news is that yes we are getting a rehab in Chicago and it will be at Northerly Island!<BR>
This is fantastic news for our monitors and for all birds in the Chicago region. I want to thank all of you for your support and your e-mails to Bob O’Neill. We couldn’t have done this without your help and without the help of Mr. O’ Neill . Please accept out heartfelt thanks and also thank Mr. O’Neill if you have a chance. He did so much to make this happen and we are truly grateful.<BR>
boboneill@grantparkconservancy.com<BR>
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We are incredibly lucky to have Dawn Keller the Director of Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation <BR>
on board for this effort at Northerly.<BR>
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I approached Dawn about setting up a satellite rehab facility at NI and she is working out final details with the Park District now for setting up there.<BR>
Dawn is getting no funding for this operation from the city and we are working to try to help get donations to her. <BR>
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Currently, Dawn is spending many hours a week triaging birds downtown at her (non-rehabilitation) office. She is working full time in business and is making time to treat our birds before work and during breaks. She also is driving from Barrington everyday in order to be able to transport birds back out to her facility for further care. She is an excellent rehabber with a stellar reputation and we are so grateful for her efforts. She is doing this work at no cost to us and on her own dime. Becky Buzenski (from Fox valley) is working at Flint Creek in Barrington during the days now when Dawn is downtown and we could not hope for a better team to help our birds.<BR>
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If you are able to donate funds to support the rehab, you can earmark the funds for the Northerly Island rehab. You need to make the check out to Flint Creek but you can put “for Northerly Island” on the memo of the check to direct funds for this effort.<BR>
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Also donations can be accepted online and the funds can be earmarked for Northerly in the comments section<BR>
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http://flintcreekwildlife.org/<BR>
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Please donate to this very worthwhile cause if you can and please resend this letter to your groups or any other interested parties<BR>
Fundraising ideas are welcome and we have a committee at CBCM working on this issue. If you would like to contact us about any ideas please do!<BR>
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Dawn has wonderful plans for a state of the art full time bird rehab facility at N<BR>
ortherly, but she can only get there with our support.<BR>
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If you have ever wanted to help CBCM but cannot come out to monitor, here is your chance!<BR>
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Thanks very much<BR>
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Robbie Hunsinger<BR>
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Founder & Director<BR>
Chicago Bird Collision Monitors<BR>
http://www.birdmonitors.net<BR>
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