About Us
Our
Story
Palm Springs Wildlife Advocates was formed in 2020 in response to the need to provide support for wildlife in the Coachella Valley and beyond. Most members of the public have difficulty finding the right resources to help wildlife in need. PSWA provides the bridge to determine how to help wildlife, either through advice, advocacy or in the field assistance.
Our volunteers work with injured and orphaned wild animals, using specialized techniques and diets to facilitate their recoveries and ultimate release. They often do this at their own expense and on their own time—answering wildlife rescue calls from the public, transporting and doing field rescue of injured wildlife, in addition to fundraising and educating people on how to coexist with these essential creatures that share our natural environment.
We network closely with animal control agencies and partner with rehabilitation facilities and local veterinarians, who provide essential medical care or humane euthanasia when absolutely necessary.
PSWA Founders
Bettina Rosmarino
Bettina Rosmarino has been a long-time animal and wildlife activist. In the late 1990s Bettina created a program designed to stay ahead of development projects wiping out Black-tailed Prairie dog (BTPD) colonies in the Greater Denver and Boulder area of Colorado. Bettina, along with other activists including her sister Nicole, went on to found a land trust called Southern Plains Land Trust (SPLT) to protect the short-grass prairie ecosystem of which BTPD are a keystone species.
Bettina then moved to Los Angeles and, while working in software development, simultaneously helped run the largest vegetarian music festival in the US at the time, LA VegFest. It was also around this time in 2005 when Bettina got involved in animal disaster rescue, most notably during Hurricane Katrina and later involved in Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Florence as well as the Woolsey Fire in Malibu in 2018.
Bettina recently moved to Palm Springs and loves the desert flora and fauna. She's thrilled to be a part of Palm Springs Wildlife Advocates.
Cinda Johansen
Bio coming soon.
PSWA Vision
PSWA's long-term goal is to open and operate a modern wildlife recovery center built on property in or near Palm Springs, with the capacity to save and serve thousands of animal lives a year.