Ahead of tomorrow's Owl Moon Raptor Festival, let's introduce you to the festival host! Suzanne Shoemaker is the founder of Owl Moon Raptor Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that rescues and rehabilitates injured, sick, and orphaned of birds of prey that have been found throughout Maryland. She started the organization in 2002 after volunteering with other wildlife rehabilitation groups. Shoemaker specialized in birds of prey due to her interest in raptors and to keep the organization’s work focused while she raised her children; demand for raptor rehabilitation has increased over time. In 2024 alone, Owl Moon rescued 713 raptors.
Owl Moon relies primarily on individual donors and volunteers to maintain its day-to-day operations. The center has expanded over the years and now has one paid employee (not Suzanne) and an active volunteer cadre of more than 80 people who help with raptor care and treatment, food preparation, and rescue and transport of birds. Owl Moon is actively recruiting volunteers, especially for rescue and transport locally and across the state. Even if you are unable to attend tomorrow's festival in person, you can support our efforts by donating at https://owlmoon.org or signing up as a volunteer. For more information about tomorrow's festival, visit this page: http://bit.ly/omrcfestival.
