Dear CCWR Member,

Spring is in the air. You can just see your intake desk coming to life. Please take a moment to visit our website. In these interesting times we are experiencing, environmental work is going on at an unprecedented pace, and much of it affects the work we do. There is new information about white-nose syndrome in bats, starvation and malnutrition in seabirds and marine mammals, good news about colony collapse disorder in honeybees, and lots more.

	The State of the Birds A report published by the US Fish and wildlife Service was released on March 19 by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The report indicates that nearly one-third of America’s native bird species are endangered, threatened or in decline, due to habitat loss, pollution and other threats.
	Your Opinion Matters Now that you've got your taxes out of the way, we want to remind you of another deadline: you have just a few more days to complete our survey and help us plan the things we'll be offering our members in the next few years. Would you please take a few minutes to complete our Survey? It is quick and easy. Just hit "Submit Now" button when you've finished and it will be sent to our board members who will do the tally. We'll review the survey results at our next board meeting in May, and let you know the results this summer. Deadline for the survey is April 20.
Help us Grow! One of the main goals of CCWR is to provide education and networking opportunities to rehabilitators in California. Some of us have been to the NWRA conference in Illinois last month and were surprised (and gratified) to find out that CCWR is one of the largest and most well-organized state organization in the U.S. Even so, only a fraction of the rehabilitators in California belong to this great state group. We want to build on that, and increase the educational opportunities for all people who engage in wildlife rehabilitation in California. If you are the director or volunteer manager of a center, you know how tough it is to keep your volunteers educated and motivated. We'd like to offer you the chance to let your volunteers hear from us directly to invite them to join us. No telephone calls or solicitations. If you send us a list of email addresses, we'll send them each a personal invitation to join CCWR and to attend the CCWR symposium in Pismo Beach this November. For more information, contact JoLynn Taylor.
	New CCWR Membership Directories Have Arrived! By now you should have received your 2009 membership directory. Please review your listing to be sure it is correct, and if you have made changes in your information since it has been printed, please contact Susan Kaveggia. Remember, if you are updating your email address, please furnish your OLD address as well as your new one. Check out the new resource section in the back. We'd like to expand on it, so if you have special vendors or suppliers to contribute, Susan would like to hear about those, too.
Deadline for Research Grants Approaching The Oiled Wildlife Care Network would like you know that they still have funding available for research projects that would further our success in treating oiled wildlife. They are seeking your proposals. Don't wait to explore this opportunity to help expand our knowledge of the effects of oil on wildlife. Deadline for Receipt of Pre-Proposals is May 1, 2009 and for Small Grant Proposals is 24 July 2009. For a complete description of the research projects, submission details, and contact information, download the pdf.

Thanks for everything you do for wildlife!

CCWR Board