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MenuPaul and Anne Schnell |
Nature of the Business
Funding covers: 1) housing for the birds, 2) transportation and fuel for program travel and food acquisition and, 3) purchasing raptor meals. In total a ton of mice, chicks, quail, rats, rabbits, pickerel, venison and beef parts are consumed annually by the birds! 
Annually, Paul’s and Anne’s programs are seen by 4,000 – 8,000 people. Paul and Liberty (now 21 years!) are “regulars” at the New York Power Authority’s Wildlife Festival in Lewiston, NY each September since its inception in 1986, and at Braddock Bay Raptor Research’s Bird of Prey Days in April each year. Other venues include USFWS and DEC sanctioned public programs. Schools, colleges, and service groups round out the remaining lecture opportunities.
The 3,000 square foot facility (mews) the Schnell’s constructed in 2006 houses about a dozen eagles, hawks and owls used exclusively for education. They do no rehabilitation believing instead that their time is maximized by planting trees, cover and food plots, erecting nest boxes, and teaching young people the value of biodiversity (species richness), and personal responsibility. Anne and Paul also serve on several boards that promote resource conservation. Both are inductees into “Who’s Who” for their long-term contributions to conservation. Please note that we are not open for public visitation nor do we need volunteers at this time. Occasional tours are by invitation only. If you desire to meet the birds, you can attend one of the public programs we participate in, arrange for a private photographic session, or contact us about scheduling a program for your school or organization. Also, all the raptors and biological specimens are held pursuant to Federal and state and local regulations. “What have you done TODAY to make the natural world a little bit better?”
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The Institute for Environmental Learning incorporated in 1992 as a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. Although donations are always welcome, our operating capital is virtually 100% derived from paid programs. 
Special opportunities sometimes arise. In January 2009, Liberty travelled to Manhattan to appear on the popular syndicated cooking show hosted by Rachael Ray. In 1997, Liberty participated in the federal de-listing ceremony where she posed with then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt at Montezuma NWR in central NY.