Mike Allen, Senior Wildlife Technician of the NYS DEC is a man who is
passionate about his job. This was evident in his presentation on Wed
eve highlighting New York State's Bald Eagle Restoration Project. This
33+ year project has reached the incredible goal of restoring the
breeding population of eagles in NYS by importing young birds from other
states and hand rearing them to independence and release. This process
is known as "hacking". Mike was joined by Paul Schnell, an educator
from the Institute for Environmental Learning, and Liberty, a rescued,
non-releasable, bald eagle. The moment Liberty was taken out of her
"hood" the audience was entranced by her majestic presence. This
amazing raptor was both gentle and intimidating.