In the spring of 2019 I began volunteering at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science as a Raptor Caretaker, working with Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, and Owls.
When I was a young man I had been a biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation but eventually moved on and made a career in the arts. When I retired as a designer and began on a path toward becoming a healer I found myself longing to be in the company of wildlife again but couldn’t imagine how this would be possible. VINS is an organization which rehabilitates injured birds with the goal of returning them to the wild, and it is there that I found the people and purpose I had been looking for all of those years ago.
This Nature Revisited podcast from filmmaker Stefan van Norden features a brief history of VINS in interviews with its directors and visionaries for their mission for the future. It also includes my story from an extraordinary day when I witnessed the Eagle Dance. Stefan found the story to be the perfect opening to this post. My story begins at the 1:20 minute mark.
I hope you enjoy it and can one day visit VINS, a treasure of hope and compassion nestled in the mountains of Vermont, supported entirely by the efforts and donations of caring individuals.
Copyright 2019 Harry D. Hudson. All Rights Reserved.
