Historic Huguenot Street is joining forces with Ellen Kalish of Ravensbeard Wildlife Center and Justin Wexler of Wild Hudson Valley to bring audiences a presentation on indigenous birds of prey. During this hour and a half program, visitors will get to see five live birds of prey; all native to this region. Ellen Kalish will speak on each species’ habitat, distinct features, and how they each came to be with her at the Center. Justin Wexler will share Lenape names for each species, associated folklore, and the creature’s cultural significance amongst Northeastern native peoples, past and present. Together, the presenters will talk about how the landscape and ecology has changed in the past several hundred years, and what the Indigenous population would have seen and experienced here in comparison to the plant and wildlife that surrounds us today.
Families with young children are invited to arrive early at 1pm to make their own owl hand puppet craft and listen to the story of “Rocky", the saw-whet owl found in the 2020 Rockefeller Christmas tree and rehabilitated by Ellen at Ravensbeard! This is a free workshop included with your child’s program registration.
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.
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. Ellen also holds a license for Falconry and Education with live raptors. She served as a board member for New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council for 8 years.
A life-long resident of the Hudson Valley, Justin Wexler has devoted his life to sharing his love for the natural world. Obsessed with nature from his earliest years, he has spent most of his life either in the outdoors or in his research on local history and ethnoecology. He has studied local Algonquian languages, history and folklore for over two decades. Justin co-runs Wild Hudson Valley, a forest farm and educational organization that teaches about the rich ecology and history of the region through hands-on programming, guided walks, and overnight Eco Camp stays. Justin is not of native descent, and he strives to respectfully teach about Northeastern native peoples, their land management practices and their history by meticulously examining the historic record and by working with their contemporary federally-recognized communities. He has a BA in History and Anthropology from Marlboro College in Marlboro, VT; a Professional Certificate in Environmental Policy from Bard College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Bard College.
$20 General Admission
$15 Discounted Admission for HHS members, senior, students, active military, veterans, and children under 18
Free Admission for children under 13
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