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Red fox kit resting in a rescue carrier lined with soft fleece

Fox kit · Found by the Okafor family

Gloved hands bottle-feeding a spotted fawn in a warm barn

Fawn · Volunteer feeding

Child peering into a wooden carrier with wide curious eyes

Emma, age 7

Red-tailed hawk mid-release soaring against pale morning sky

Red-tail · Release day

Barn owl perched on a wooden branch inside a recovery enclosure

Barn owl · 3 weeks post-rescue

Small box turtle being gently carried across a gravel path

Box turtle · Highway rescue

Group of volunteers in orange vests gathered around a release crate in a meadow

Spring release · 14 volunteers

Juvenile great horned owl sitting on a falconer glove recovering from wing injury

Horned owl · Dr. Patricia Reyes

Refuge Wildlife Rescue Center

"Every rescue starts with someone who stopped."

Since 2009, ordinary people have brought 14,000+ animals back to the wild. You're one of them.

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Recent Rescues

Stories from the field

Each tile is a real rescue, a real family, a real second chance.

Your story belongs here.

Have a rescue photo? We'd love to add it to this board.

14,847 animals released since 2009🦅3,200+ volunteer hours this year🦌47 species in active care🐢Serving 6 counties in the Hudson Valley🦉100% volunteer-run🦊No animal turned away🐦14,847 animals released since 2009🦅3,200+ volunteer hours this year🦌47 species in active care🐢Serving 6 counties in the Hudson Valley🦉100% volunteer-run🦊No animal turned away🐦
Free Resources

Field guides for
everyday rescuers

Written by our veterinary team. Tested by the families who've used them on trails, in backyards, and on roadsides.

Small nestling bird resting on a cupped human palm with soft background blur

8 pages

PDF preview

SpringMost Downloaded

Spring Field Guide

Baby Bird Down

Found a nestling on the ground? This guide walks you through the three questions that determine exactly what to do — and what not to do — in the first 15 minutes.

Nestling vs. fledgling
Nest replacement
When to call us
Transport basics
Download Free — 8 pages
Eastern box turtle crossing a rural road with wildflowers visible in the roadside ditch
All Year

All-Season Guide

Road Turtle Protocol

Turtles are the most preventable wildlife casualty on American roads. Learn safe handling, the right direction to move them, and how to treat a cracked shell in the field.

Safe handling
Shell trauma first aid
Transport tips
Download Free — 6 pages
White-spotted fawn curled in tall grass, dappled sunlight filtering through leaves above
Summer

Summer Field Guide

Deer & Fawn Response

A fawn lying still is almost never abandoned. This guide explains fawn behavior, how to read distress signals, and the one situation that requires you to act immediately.

Wait and watch
True orphan signs
Safe approach
Download Free — 10 pages
Upcoming Events

Show up on a
Tuesday morning.

No experience required. Just the willingness to care for something that can't ask for help.

MAR08

Spring Release Morning

Release Event
7:00 AM — 10:00 AM
Refuge Center, Woodstock NY

Help us release 12 rehabilitated songbirds and one red-tailed hawk. Families welcome. Coffee provided.

14 spots left
MAR15

Volunteer Orientation

Training
10:00 AM — 12:00 PM
Refuge Center, Woodstock NY

New to wildlife rescue volunteering? This 2-hour session covers animal handling basics, enclosure care, and how to respond to emergency calls.

8 spots left
MAR22

Kids Naturalist Workshop

Family Program
9:00 AM — 11:30 AM
Refuge Center, Woodstock NY

For ages 6–14. Kids learn species identification, safe observation, and what to do if they find an injured animal. Taught by our education team.

6 spots left
APR05

Habitat Restoration Day

Conservation
8:00 AM — 1:00 PM
Ashokan Reservoir Buffer Zone

Plant native shrubs, clear invasive species, and build brush piles for small mammal cover. All tools and lunch provided.

22 spots left
Older woman with silver hair wearing a blue volunteer vest, smiling warmly at the camera

"I've been a retired vet for six years. I thought I was done. Then I showed up on a Tuesday morning to help tube-feed a fawn and I haven't stopped coming back. This place doesn't let you feel like a bystander."

Dr. Patricia Reyes

Retired veterinarian · Volunteer since 2021