WASHINGTON BORO, Pa. — Tracie Young is living her dream caring for animals. She isn’t a vet or a breeder or pet store owner, she is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator at Raven Ridge Wildlife Center, a facility she opened in 2015 along the Susquehanna River.
Young specializes in caring for predator birds (referred to as raptors) as well as rabies vector species — animals that are suspected of carrying the rabies virus.
“Yes, it can be exciting,” Young said. “And brings a smile to your face when we are able to return a bird or mammal to its natural environment and pretty sad and devastating, too, when a species in our care doesn’t make it.”
Raven Ridge Ambassador Baron VonVulture surveys the Raven Ridge Wildlife Center office in Washington Boro, Pennsylvania.
Young, 55, majored in visual arts at Maryland Institute College of Art and took her graphic design degree into the field working first with agencies in magazine design and then at R.R. Donnelley in pre-press work at their Lancaster plant.
While working in the graphic arts field, Young also volunteered at animal rescue operations in York and Malvern, Pennsylvania and became a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, as deep down it really was what she wanted to do.
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico that released 134 million gallons of oil killing thousands of birds and marine mammals was the spark that moved her toward establishing Raven Ridge.
For five years she rescued small mammals and birds, caring for them in a closet in her townhouse while working full-time and saving to expand her operation.
Young and her husband, Kurt, moved to an 1898 home facing the Susquehanna River south of Columbia in 2011 and opened her current facility in 2015. Raven Ridge is a 501-C3 non-profit and Young works with a team of part-time and volunteer workers who care for upwards of 1,500 birds and mammals each year.
Raven Ridge Wildlife Center volunteers prepare food for the wildlife residents.
With a yearly operating budget in excess of $160,000, Raven Ridge relies on donations from the public as well as income from educational programs they run at schools, youth groups, nursing homes and other organizations.
Raven Ridge also hosts special events including corporate picnics and birthday parties. On April 6, it will run its own baby animal shower at the Columbia Crossing River Trail Center for families to see and learn more about wild species and what to do if they come across an injured animal.
“Fortunately with the internet, social media and the exposure we have gotten with some high-visibility rescues and rehabs, the public has seen what we do and have been supportive,” said Young.
Raven Ridge is one of only two licensed rehabilitation facilities in Lancaster County and is one of only 13 facilities in the entire state certified to handle rabies-vector species including foxes, skunks, groundhogs, raccoons, coyotes and bats.
Veterinarian Dr. Kevin Moon of York, Pennsylvania, works with a ground hot at the Raven Ridge Wildlife Center.
“We accept injured raptors from 17 Pennsylvania counties,” Young said. “And the birds include owls, eagles, ravens, hawks and vultures.”
Several Raven Ridge rescues have brought the rehab center a good deal of publicity in the past few years that shined a light on their work.
“In December we rehabilitated a red tail hawk that was stuck in power lines in Swatara Township and was rescued by the Lancaster County Game Warden Greg Graham working with a crew from PP&L,” Young explained.
Raven Ridge also was involved in the rescue of an eagle tangled in fishing line over the Conestoga River in 2020, a large osprey tangled in fishing line under the Route 372 bridge in 2021 as well as a juvenile flamingo that was injured and found in Franklin County in 2023.
Young said they usually do not do the actual rescues although many times they are on-site and assist and take over when the bird or mammal is out of immediate danger.
Rehabilitators don’t do surgery but are the conduit between rescue and release, meaning they coordinate with the veterinary professionals when medical care is needed and handle the rehabilitation at their location.
“It all gets covered through funds donated to Raven Ridge for its operating budget,” said Young. She works closely with veterinarians Dr. Kevin Moon of York who also serves on Raven Ridge’s board, as well as Dr. Lynn Libby of Mount Joy when rescued birds and mammals need medical care.
An owl being rehabilitated at the Raven Ridge Wildlife Center.
Rehab, especially for birds, sometimes goes fairly quickly and they are released back into their natural environment within a few weeks.
“Besides caring for the animals, we are charged with protecting the public from species who might be rabies’ carriers,” Young said.
The Raven Ridge staff who handle these species are fully vaccinated and trained in proper handling and use of caging shelter while these animals are in there group’s care.
Young says education is so important for everyone who might come in contact with an injured or wild sick bird or mammal.
The center’s educational programs stress the proper way to get involved is to wrap an injured wild animal in a towel and put it into a box and get it to us as quickly as possible.
“Do not give it food or water or medicine as it can aggravate any injury,” Young said.
Raven Ridge accepts sick and injured wild species 365 days a year. At any one time, they can have upwards of 100 birds and mammals in rehabilitation.
“We are not a zoo,” Young stressed. “And we are not open to the public. It’s my dream job, but it can be pretty stressful at times.”
Watch the video below to learn more about Raven Ridge.
Raven Ridge Wildlife Center is an accredited wildlife rehabilitator Washington Boro, Pennsylvania. Learn more about the work the center is doing and meet some of the animals in its care.