2020 Fall Newsletter | Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue |
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A Message from our Executive Director |
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Baby Season Draws to an End |
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October is a special month for those of us working in wildlife rehabilitation. After months of care and growth, we begin to send our orphaned juveniles back out to their homes in the wild. With lower patient numbers, we can finally take a step back, reflect on our accomplishments for the year and take a much needed deep breath. Soon, we'll begin working on our "winter" projects and preparing ourselves for the next baby season and future developments. With orphans coming as early as February, there is no time to waste in the off season!
This year we've seen an uptick in intakes compared to previous years, taking in over 1,350 wildlife patients so far in 2020! For perspective, we had 1,198 intakes for all of 2019, 1,354 in all of 2018, and the year is far from over.
Caring for the many orphaned opossums, squirrels, raccoons, skunks, foxes, rabbits, beavers, coyotes, and raptors this year was possible thanks to our dedicated volunteers and interns who show up rain or shine to clean enclosures, feed our wildlife community, prep diets and wash the countless dishes and towels that cycle through our center every single day. In the face of COVID-19, many volunteers were not able to come in and we indefinitely suspended our community service volunteer program to limit the number of people inside of the center. With the work load all the more bearing this year, we could not be more grateful and proud of the commitment and dedication that our volunteers showed to wildlife this baby season.
We are also abundantly grateful for our generous supporters that answered our calls for help time and time again. Thanks to you, we have received donations of over 10,000 hardboiled eggs, hundreds of towels, food specific to the dietary needs of our patients and many generous financial contributions directed towards the cost of food, medical equipment and other necessary supplies. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your willingness to step up and help when we needed you most.
Thanks to our supporters, we've successfully wrapped up another baby season and look forward to many, many more. Please consider donating today so that we my continue our mission to rescue, rehabilitate and release wildlife. The timing for our annual Year End Appeal will be within the first half of November, which is the perfect time to think about thanks and giving.
Sincerely,
Doris Duncan
Executive Director
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Winter Internship at SCWR
Interns wanted! Are you considering pursuing a career in the animal care field? Do you want to know what it's like to work in wildlife rehabilitation?
Follow the link to our website below to find out more information and to start the application process! Winter applications are due by October 31st! Apply today!
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Volunteer Orientation
Those who would like to attend our Volunteer Orientation on January 5, 2021 should fill out and submit an application no later than December 4, 2020.
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Public and Private Tours Reopen at SCWR
We're happy to announce that public and private tours have reopened at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue! Our fall/winter tour times are at 2 PM. Tour groups will be limited to 10 people per time slot and reservations are required. Please call 707-992-0274 to make your reservation today!
To keep everyone as safe as possible during the pandemic, we have created a set of guidelines for both public and private tours that can be viewed here.
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All About Trees
It's not too often that we call on outside resources for help with a rescue but when we received a call about a raccoon stuck by it's rear leg 20 feet up in a tree, we knew just who to call! All About Trees is a local tree company who has been helping us prepare for our new APEX Predator Enclosure and trail maintenance around the facility. As a wildlife rescue and non-profit, they have been extremely mindful of our unique and specific needs while working at the center. So when we saw this daunting rescue, we knew that they just might be willing and able to lend a hand. Kyle answered our call for help and drove straight to the Coast Guard Base and prepared his ropes while learning to use a catch pole for the first time. The above video shows the entire rescue from start to finish. Thank you so much to Kyle and All About Trees for your help and compassion for wildlife! If you are looking for tree service in the future, please reach out to All About Trees at 707-479-8047 or visit their website at https://www.about-tree.com/. |
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BOMP Corner -
Fall Maintenance
As Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue's BOMP Program continues to grow, more and more people are learning about the importance of properly maintaining their barn owl boxes on an annual basis. Currently, Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue has already cleaned over 100 boxes and our schedule is completely packed through the middle of November!
This year, Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue has responded to multiple emergencies where we had to temporarily remove barn owlets in uncleaned boxes because the box had either become so compact that it started to tear apart or because the box was so full of feces and pellets, there was not enough room left inside for the barn owls to grow, making it extremely likely that they would jump from the box or be pushed out prematurely. When it comes to barn owl clutches inside of barn owl boxes, a hands off approach is always best, which is why we only conduct emergency removals and repairs if the situation is dire.
If you have a barn owl box on your property, protect next year's owls by cleaning your box this fall! Call or email us today at 707-992-0274 or bomp@scwildliferescue.org.
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Barn owlets in box prior to repair.
Santa Rosa, CA - April 17, 2020
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Barn owl box prior to emergency repair.
Petaluma, CA - July 18, 2020
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Last month we asked our supporters to sign our petition urging Governor Gavin Newsom to sign AB-1788 into law, banning Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides. On September 29th, we received the excellent news that he did just that! The passage of this bill will save countless wild lives across the state of California including birds of prey, mountain lions, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, and endangered species such as the northern spotted owl, pacific fisher, and San Joaquin kit fox!
While this is a great step in the right direction, the unfortunate fact is that the bill did not ban other toxic forms of rodenticides that impact wildlife. Bromethalin is a form of rat bait that is very toxic and deadly to wildlife, which we suspect brings patients into our center regularly. As a neurotoxin, the symptoms of bromethalin poisoning mirror other illnesses and injuries that come through our center such as distemper, glioblastomas (brain tumors) and head trauma. The only way to be certain is with testing. In 2021, we are hoping to increase our capabilities of testing with larger funds directed towards this. Our hope is to gain a better scope in understanding of the ways these toxins impact our local wildlife. As with the ban on Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides, a deeper knowledge and understanding of any human imposed threat to wildlife has the power to affect great change.
If you would like to make a directed donation toward this funding, please click the button below.
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Support Your Local Wildlife! |
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Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization that relies on donations from the public to rehabilitate the 1,000+ animals we receive each year. We do not receive any government funding. Our annual operating budget is $950,000, which means it costs almost $2,600 per day to keep our doors open. Any donation helps! |
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