The Inaugural New Mexico Wildlife Conference will take place at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center November 6 & 7, 2026.
Hawks Aloft has taken the lead role in collaboration with Desert Willow Wildlife Rehabilitation, the New Mexico Wildlife Center, and the NM Department of Wildlife. A full day of concurrent workshops will be followed by a day of scientific presentations, featuring speakers from New Mexico and Colorado universities, tribal nations, and governmental agencies. New Mexico wildlife rehabilitators and veterinarians will have the opportunity to earn continuing education credits.
One of the four pillars of Hawks Aloft is ‘Collaboration with Others’. Capacity building via direct communication within HAI as well as other organizations and government agencies is among the best ways to advocate for change. These conversations have had a measurable positive impact in several areas, as will be evidenced in our premier wildlife conference. Full participation in the conference will yield two years of continuing education credits, a new requirement for wildlife rehabilitators in the state.
Brian Millsap, the keynote speaker, will present data on the population status of North American raptors, including new data on Prairie Falcon. Millsap is currently a Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology at New Mexico State University (NMSU). Millsap served as Chief of the Division of Migratory Bird Management, Deputy Director of the Southwest Region, and National Raptor Coordinator from 2002-2022. Brian has served as President of the Raptor Research Foundation and the North American Falconers Association and is currently a Senior Editor for the avian journal Ornithological Applications.
The conference includes cutting-edge data from the field of wildlife rehabilitation, including talks by Rachel Avilla, director of the Wild Neighbors Database Project, a nonprofit dedicated to developing data systems that support wildlife professionals through wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife health surveillance, oil spill response, and marine animal stranding programs. She leads development and implementation of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Medical Database (WRMD), one of the largest standardized wildlife rehabilitation datasets globally. Avilla discusses WRMD and Wild Alert, an event-based wildlife health surveillance initiative designed to explore how aggregate, standardized rehabilitation data may support recognition of unusual wildlife health patterns.
Preliminary Schedule
All times are currently tentative.
Friday, November 6, 2026 // WORKSHOPS – Room 1
| 8:00–8:05 | Intro & Welcome | Linda Contos |
| 8:05–8:30 | Regulations/CE Requirements | Maggie Curtis |
| 8:30–9:00 | Ambassador Animal Acquisition | Anna Tobin |
| 9:00–9:30 | Ethics/Euthanasia/Compassion Fatigue | Linda Contos |
| 9:30–10:00 | Bat Rehab | Justin & Kari |
| 10:00–10:15 | Coffee break | |
| 10:15–10:45 | Pain and Stress Management | Christine Fiorello |
| 10:15–10:45 | Triage and Fluid Tx | Ashley Kramer |
| 11:30–12:00 | IV Regional Perfusion Therapy | Christine Fiorello |
| 12:00–1:30 | Lunch break | |
| 1:30–2:00 | Fracture Management | Kari Atkinson |
| 2:00–2:30 | Ocular Injuries | Candace Auten |
| 2:30–3:00 | Management of the Anorexic Patient | Amelia Thompson, John Heidrich |
| 3:00–3:15 | Coffee break | |
| 3:15–4:00 | Wound Management | Ashley Krame |
| 4:00–5:00 | Wound Management Cadaver Lab | Ashley Kramer, John Heidrich |
Friday, November 6, 2026 // WORKSHOPS – Room 2
8:00–8:05 | Intro & Welcome | Christine Fiorello |
8:05–8:30 | Basic Skills for Rehabbers | Amelia Thompson |
8:30–10:00 | Basic Skills for Rehabbers Lab | Amelia Thompson, Heather Rissi, Mikal Deese |
10:00–10:15 | Coffee break | |
10:15–10:45 | Medical Math Lecture & Lab | Barb Wolfe |
10:45–11:30 | Math Practicum | Barb Wolfe, Amelia Thompson, Heather Rissi |
11:30–12:00 | Zoonoses/Biosecurity/PPE Lecture & Lab | Sammie Holeck |
12:00–1:30 | Lunch break | |
1:30–2:00 | New World Screwworm Surveillance | Sammie Holek, Elin Crocket |
2:00–3:00 | Avian Clinical Anatomy & Necropsy | Christine Fiorello |
3:00–3:15 | Coffee break | |
3:15 – 5:00 | Necropsy Lab | Chistine Fiorello, Barb Wolfe |
Wound Management: Dr. Kramer, assisted by veterinarians and experienced rehabilitators, will review the wound care techniques presented in her lecture, and attendees can practice these skills using cadavers. Limited to ~25 participants.
Basic Skills for Rehabbers: In this lab, lead rehabilitator for Hawks Aloft, Inc., Amelia Thompson will demonstrate techniques that all rehabbers should know, including giving subcutaneous fluids, gavage feeding, intramuscular and subcutaneous injections, and applying bandages. Then attendees will practice these techniques on cadavers, with the assistance of Amelia, veterinarians, and other rehabilitators. Limited to ~25 participants.
Zoonoses Lab: This lecture/lab combo, presented by state veterinarian and rehabilitator Sammie Holcheck of Desert Willow Wildlife Rehab, will talk about the risk of transmission of zoonotic diseases from wildlife to people, and during the lab portion, attendees will have the opportunity to practice applying personal protective equipment. No limit.
Avian Clinical Anatomy: Dr. Fiorello, along with other veterinarians and rehabbers, will guide attendees through a raptor necropsy. Attendees will have access to cadavers and can work alone or in small groups to explore avian anatomy. Clinically relevant anatomy will be emphasized. Limited to ~25 participants.
Saturday, November 7, 2026
| 8:00–8:10 | Introduction | Gail Garber |
Wildlife Management and Species Status
8:10–9:00 | Keynote: N.A. Raptor Populations National Raptor Center | Brian Millsap |
9:00–9:20 | Mexican Wolf Recovery Program | Melissa Kreutzian |
9:20–9:40 | Prairie Falcon Integrated Population Management | Brian Millsap |
9:40–10:00 | Coffee break | |
10:00–10:10 | Update from Desert Willow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center | Sammie Holeck |
Wildlife Epidemiology and Health
10:10–10:30 | Allostatic load in Wildlife | Barb Wolf |
10:30–10:50 | WildAlert Disease Surveillance | Rachel Avilla |
10:50–11:20 | Emerging Wildlife Diseases in New Mexico | Elin Crocket, Sammie Holeck |
11:20–11:40 | Polyfluoreoalkyl Exposure in New Mexico Wildlife | Chris Witt |
11:40–11:50 | Update from other centers | |
11:50–1:20 | Lunch break | |
1:20–1:30 | Update from New Mexico Wildlife Center |
Conservation and Research
1:30–1:50 | 14 years of Avian Surveys in the Jemez Mtns & Valles Caldera | Trevor Fetz |
1:50–2:10 | Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Surveillance Study | Haley Yaglom |
2:10–2:30 | Wildlife Corridors and Management on Santa Ana Pueblo | Dan Ginter |
2:30–2:50 | Tracking of Yellow-rumped Warblers | James Loomis |
2:50–3:10 | Mexican Spotted Owl Movements on Mescalero Apache Land | Xavier Lovato |
3:10–3:20 | Update from Hawks Aloft | |
3:20–3:40 | Coffee break | |
3:40–3:50 | Update from other centers | |
3:50–4:10 | Big Game Research and Management on the Navajo Nation | Jessica Fort |
4:10–4:30 | Wildlife Exclosure Options | Justin Stevenson |
4:30–4:50 | Motus Tracking in New Mexico | Erin Duvuvei |
4:50–5:00 | Thank you, wrap-up, etc. | Gail Garber |
Please note: Three hands-on workshops are limited in attendance due to space constraints and require advanced registration. There is no additional charge if you are registered for Friday’s program, but you must still sign up. In the morning, you can choose to attend lectures or a combination of lectures and the Basic Skills for Wildlife Rehabilitators workshop. In the afternoon, there will be lectures and your choice of Wound Management or Avian Anatomy workshops.
Choose one for Fri morning: Lectures only OR Basic Skills for Rehabbers
Choose one for Fri afternoon: Wound Management OR Avian Clinical Anatomy
Continuing Education credits: *Licensed veterinarians and Registered veterinary technicians can earn up to ___ CE hours, sponsored by the American College of Zoological Medicine and approved by the NM Board of Veterinary Medicine. There is a flat fee of $25 for the certificate.
Licensed wildlife rehabilitators in New Mexico can earn up to 10 CE hours. There is no additional charge, but attendees are responsible for submitting their proof of registration to Maggie Curtis at the NM Dept of Wildlife.
