This is a discovery I have been watching for better than 10 years, but recently, I had the opportunity to visit their facility, and it’s like the scales fell from my eyes. Here’s my quick story:

We know that we humans have an oversized role in shaping the future of the world.  Probably the clearest demonstration of that is our effect on wildlife. Example, it is estimated that one billion birds are killed each year between house cats and other human intrusion. That’s not talking about the millions of animals that are hit by cars, shot by hunters (those young and old), and hundreds of other human-made catastrophes.

What organized force is on the animal’s side?  Napa’s Wildlife Rescue truly comes to the rescue.  Here is where the scales fell from eyes— You see, over the years, I have worked with the Wildlife Rescue, helping them in little ways to survive hand to mouth. I visited the little song bird clinic they had on the County’s Yountville corps yard.  It was a sweet rag tag group of sheds, trailers and cages where volunteers would nurse back to health hundreds of birds.  Most of the rest of the work was scattered at volunteer’s houses and the Shafer property.

This time, I met Carol Poole, longtime volunteer, at a site on Cuttings Warf Road.  Now I had seen this site before about a year ago when it was going through the planning process.  It was a shabby house and shabby property, but I could see it had a gleam in its eye.  Meeting Carol this time, the place has really come together.  Every room in the house had a purpose.  There were many cages, refrigerators, kitchens, medical equipment—it was basically a little hospital.  On the property, there were outdoor cages and pens for many sorts of animals, the day I was there, I saw a few squirrels and a fox.  Carol told me they are nursing back to health over 1,600 animals this yea,r and this is the officially sanctioned wildlife rescue center in Napa County by California Fish and Wildlife.

Here is the link to their website if you want to learn more. It is run 95% by volunteers so I’m sure you would fit in somewhere.

I hope you enjoy the contents of this newsletter. I wish you and yours a joyous Thanksgiving holiday.

Please continue to be good to one another, take care of yourselves and those around you. As always, you can reach me at Brad.Wagenknecht@countyofnapa.org.

Very Sincerely,

Brad