Meet Our Nonprofit Partners

Destination: Wildlife is proud to partner with these nonprofit organizations whose work helps to preserve the Earth’s incomparable plant and animal biodiversity, making for a healthier, more resilient planet and future for all of us. Below is some of the vital work you support when you participate in one of our trips.

The Grassland Bird Trust 

In Their Own Words:
We envision a resilient landscape of conserved grasslands across North America teeming with healthy populations of native grassland birds… 

Grassland Bird Trust (GBT) partners with landowners, government agencies, and other organizations and stakeholders to ensure the recovery of endangered and threatened grassland bird species while expanding economic benefits for local communities.

The Work
Grassland Bird Trust (GBT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust conserving critical habitat for endangered, threatened and rapidly declining grassland birds.  We’ve conserved over 250 acres of prime habitat in the heart of the Washington County Grasslands Important Bird Area (IBA) since our founding in 2010.

We’re working with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and other major partners to protect critical habitat for endangered and at-risk grassland birds across New York State.

GBT owns and manages 78 acres at our Alfred Z. Solomon (AZS) Grassland Bird Viewing Area in Fort Edward, located in the heart of the Washington County Grasslands IBA.  This area supports 10 of 11 of New York’s most imperiled grassland bird species.  It is critical to the survival of Short-eared Owls in New York State!

GBT is a proud member of the Land Trust Alliance. The GBT hosts bird walks and other educational programs and events, including an annual Raptor Fest.

Note from Destination: Wildlife 

I first met GBT founder Laurie LaFond (now retired) on a cold, grey, overcast March morning in 2015. We stood on the side of a country road; the wind howling, freezing sleet rendered our binoculars useless and slid its way under collars and down unprepared backs. Five of us journalists and responsible wildlife tour professionals invited by New York State to discover their "watchable wildlife" stood wet and shivering, our extremities slowly turning into popsicles. Across the frozen field, a lone Northern harrier glided against the dark backdrop of pine. Laurie saw it first. Gordon Ellmers, her friend, supporter, passionate nature lover, and unofficial photographer, aimed his lens. Neither Laurie nor Gordie seemed to notice the weather. 

That day, Laurie's passion for birds and steadfast determination to protect their habitat lit a fire in my soul, too. Years later, an idea was born when she asked us to help her raise money for the GBT. Today, our annual trips for the GBT underscore grassland importance and the myriad species it supports worldwide and raise funds to help acquire, care for, and advocate for grassland habitat in the Fort Edward, NY, area and educate and inspire visitors from all over the US and the world. 

Learn more about the Grassland Bird Trust.

The Wolf Conservation Center

In Their Own Words:
The Wolf Conservation Center envisions a world where wolves thrive

Our mission is to advance the survival of wolves by inspiring a global community through education, advocacy, research, and recovery.

We are driven by our values of respect, community, and passion.

Respect - We respect wolves, their complex ecological role, the landscapes they shape, the people who care about them, and the people who live among them.

Community - We are inspired by the pack. We bring people together, we nurture, we educate, we aid, we protect, we organize, and we defend. We are always stronger together.

Passion - We have a passion for wolves, for the landscapes we share, and for the work of protecting them. Our passion drives us to learn, see the big picture, and be diligent and tenacious in the long-term work of saving wolves.

The Work
Wild wolf survival is heavily dependent on public sentiment. WCC addresses this issue through various public education events and programs appropriate for grade school-age to senior citizens, including tented "howl" overnights, video libraries, Webcams, educational programs for schools, scouts, or other groups, controlled photography sessions with Ambassador Wolves and more. 

Research, advocacy, and species recovery programs round out WCC's work. The WCC Integrative Ecology and Coexistence Lab (IECL), led by Dr. Joey Hinton Ph.D. and WCC research associate Sunny Murphy, researches the ecology, management, and conservation of mammalian carnivores, focuses on the distribution and population dynamics of carnivores and assessing strategies used for population recovery. Managed Breeding and Reintroductions: The Wolf Conservation Center participates in the federal Species Survival Plan (SSP) recovery programs for the Mexican gray wolf and the red wolf; both species at one time were completely extinct in the wild. WCC is one of the three largest holding facilities for these rare species.

Note from Destination: Wildlife

Historic fear and misunderstanding brought the extinction of some wolf species, the extirpation of others, and an alarming decrease in numbers worldwide. But this apex species helps to balance ecosystems; our planet is healthier with wolves. And we can learn much from their character, including resourcefulness, teamwork, loyalty, and taking time for a good play session – no matter our age or circumstance. The Wolf Conservation Center is a leader in bringing a more correct perception of wolves to the public and helping to save this iconic species.

Learn More About: The Wolf Conservation Center

Project SNOWstorm 

In Their Own Words:
Project SNOWstorm launched in 2013 and is now one of the world's largest collaborative research projects focusing on Snowy Owls. They are staffed by a largely volunteer team of scientists, banders, and wildlife veterinarians and funded entirely by tax-deductible donations from the public.

 The Work:
One of the most important elements of our research is understanding the winter ecology of snowy owls, using GPS/GSM transmitters that record the bird's location, altitude, and flight speed as frequently as every six seconds. On-board temperature sensors and accelerometers add additional layers of data to help us understand how these birds hunt, migrate, and survive both here on their more southerly wintering grounds and in the Arctic.

In the past 11 years, we've tracked more than 110 Snowy Owls from Alaska and the Dakotas to the Great Lakes, New England, southern Canada, and the mid-Atlantic, including their summers in the Arctic. Our tracking data has documented previously unknown behavior and shed light on poorly understood aspects of the snowy owl's life, both in their temperate wintering areas -- the main focus of our work -- as well as their breeding grounds in the North.

We continue to partner with Cellular Tracking Technologies, which supplies the high-tech, next-gen transmitters we use, and whose engineers and staff have been part of our team from the beginning.

Note from Destination: Wildlife

Of the organizations we work with, Project SNOWstorm manages to do outstanding research with the tiniest, most impossible budget – every dollar is vital. We are proud to say that in 2023, our first year with them, our "Winter Owls and Others" trip was responsible for about 10% of their goal, helping them meet and exceed their total year's fundraising income. Our scheduled 2025 Winter Owls and Others to Benefit Project SNOWstorm has raised 16.6% of its fundraising goal so far. 

Learn More About Project SNOWstorm

The Raptor Trust

In Their Own Words:

The Raptor Trust envisions a world where animals and the environment are not harmed by human activity, unless accidentally, at which time people would do all in their power to heal and correct the harm.

The Raptor Trust’s mission is to set a humane example by providing care to native wild birds in need, and by educating people about wild birds, especially birds of prey.

The Work:

1. Provide free care and assistance to injured, sick, or orphaned wild birds.
TRT’s professional staff supplies the highest quality medical care and maintenance to all avian patients. A fully equipped medical infirmary, including an intensive care wing, exists on site. Services available include diagnostics, X-ray, orthopedic repair, and specialized diets. Although begun as a raptor care facility, TRT now offers assistance to all native wild birds. The goal is always to return all viable individuals to the wild.

2. Educate people about wild birds, especially birds of prey.
The Raptor Trust’s educational efforts to benefit raptors and all wild birds are actively pursued in several ways. Currently, two full-time teachers/naturalists are employed by TRT…These informative, factual presentations are given to schools, scouts, nature organizations, and all other interested groups, and are attended by thousands of people, primarily young people, each year. Live birds of prey are often used in these educational offerings. … TRT educates is through its own written words. Over time, it has published and distributed a great deal of information about wild birds in the form of books, pamphlets, fact sheets, and posters.

Each year, tens of thousands of people visit The Raptor Trust to view the many unreleasable native birds of prey in residence. People are allowed, indeed encouraged, to come and see the birds, marvel at them, ask questions about them, and learn about them. It is hoped that … learning more about raptors, people will become less apprehensive and more tolerant of them.

3. Provide a humane example for others.
… The Raptor Trust has provided its unique services to the wild birds and the people who find them, always trying to be helpful and caring to both. It is TRT’s hope that its long-standing presence and humane conduct have provided a worthy example to others.

Note from Destination: Wildlife
The Raptor Trust has been in my heart for over 40 years. Growing up, this urban girl’s entire experience with nature was the bees, begonias, and once a praying mantis in her mom’s 2ft. x 6ft. flower garden squeezed between our driveway and front stairs.

I was twenty-one when The Raptor Trust gave me my first-ever look at a Red-tail hawk, a Barn Owl, and a huge Golden Eagle, all injured and safely under their care. Their keen eyes watched me watching them - then turned upward far beyond their enclosure to the sky. Light filtered through the chicken wire and danced on iridescent feathers. The birds, dignified and wild even though hobbled and confined, opened my world. 

Begun as one man’s backyard passion project in the 1980s (founders Len and Diane Soucy’s son Chris is now Executive Director), TRT has grown to a full avian medical infirmary (operating room, intensive care, isolation, and rehab facility) and nursery for motherless chicks, caring for hundreds of injured or sick wild birds every year. Its location next to the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is the perfect launch site for their recovered patients. In March, when I visited, permanent resident Winston the Black Vulture played with my shoelace, and Ollie the American Kestrel received medicine in a delicious fresh mouse lunch, mashed to accommodate its damaged bill.

Learn More About The Raptor Trust

Felidae Conservation Fund

 In Their Own Words:
We firmly believe that we can live in harmony with nature. Our mission is to improve the state of global wild cat ecosystems. We work through a fusion of research, education, and online technologies. Our end goal will benefit humanity and drive meaningful change in the natural world.

The Work
Our work allows us to get involved in the classroom and the field. We work with the public to educate them on how best to interact with and support wild cat conservation. We are also committed to maintaining the most up-to-date and innovative research. The Felidae Conservation Fund was born from a close encounter with a wild puma. The experience left a feeling of being an intruder in the natural space and a profound sense of the need for forward-thinking, wild cat research in the conservation space. Only through this research and education will we truly be able to heal people's relationships with wild cats and live in harmony. 

Notes from Destination: Wildlife:
The Felidae Conservation Fund emphasizes human/wild cat coexistence in the US and worldwide - including in urban areas where historically wild cats such as cougars, mountain lions, jaguars, and bobcats ranged. The survival of these endangered predators, some returning after near extirpation but vital to healthy, balanced ecosystems, heavily depends on the public reaction to the cats in their midst. Founded in San Francisco, California, the FCC does critical work to educate the public and support field research worldwide. 

Learn More About the Felidae Conservation Fund

Great Swamp Conservancy 

In Their Own Words: Our mission is to foster environmental, cultural, and natural history education, promote outdoor recreation, preserve biological diversity, and conserve and manage natural resources in the Oneida Lake and Lake Ontario watersheds.

Note from Destination: Wildlife: Like many conservation organizations, the Great Swamp Conservancy began with a hunter. One autumn day, Michael noticed that the migrating waterfowl that arrived every year, "his" ducks, were missing. Michael put down his rifle and got busy returning non-productive farmland to the lively, fecund wetland habitat it once was. 

Today, the GSC sports 7 miles of trails, viewing blinds, and interactive opportunities like catch-and-release fishing. Michael, his wife Rusty, their trusty right-arm, Bree, plus a few volunteers, run a full roster of activities and events for kids, adults, and families aimed at educating and creating a love for the wetlands and the wildlife, great and small that make it such a magical (and vital) habitat.

How can one couple in a rural New York State create and support a conservancy protecting vital habitat? By reaching hearts and minds - one community event at a time.

Learn More About the Great Swamp Conservancy

For more information or to enquire about how Destination: Wildlife can help your organization, click here