Over a span of 20 years of public service, Ravensbeard has supported the wildlife from the surrounding communities of Woodstock, Saugerties and Kingston. Ellen J. Kalish is the Founder and Executive Director of Ravensbeard Wildlife Center, a wildlife rehabilitation and educational center that focuses on rescue and release for wild birds. In caring for animals, we promote community awareness, education, appreciation, compassion and acceptance of the circle of life. Ravensbeard Wildlife Center is located in Saugerties, New York and has been successfully running as a non-profit organization for the past two decades. Ellen was licensed in 2000 with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and was Federally licensed through the US Fish & Wildlife Service in 2002 to work with migratory birds. In spring of 2017, Ellen accepted the William R. Ginsberg Stewardship Award from the Woodstock Land Conservancy, for her service of rehabilitating and releasing our wild birds back into nature, and for her educational programs with wild, non-releasable birds of prey.
Summer of 2019, Ellen received an Appreciation Award from the Catskill Exotic
Bird Club at their 32 Anniversary Meeting.
In addition, Ellen also holds a license for Falconry and Education with live raptors. She’s served as a board member for 8 years for the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, NYSWRC. Through NYSWRC licensed wildlife rehabbers work to inform, educate, support in field work and promote conservation. Ellen has been a student all her life, raising and caring for exotic animals (including monkeys) throughout childhood. “In my lifetime, I’ve learned volumes about the subtle behaviors of animals, and it has been a special honor to work with the Avian Kingdom”.
Ellen currently cares for nine unreleasable birds that she utilizes to educate the community about the environment, the interconnectedness of all life, and the reliance on each other for long-term survival. The birds used for educational programs cannot be released due to injuries that would be fatal if left in the wild. They have become ambassadors in wildlife education.
Ravensbeard Wildlife Center Inc. is a 501(c)3 wildlife rehabilitation organization. As a community service, we give free medical attention to injured, orphaned and sick wildlife with a mission to return them back to the wild. We treat all birds and will place any indigenous animal with the proper NYSDEC and Federally permitted rehab facility in New York.
