Dear Wildwoods Friends and Supporters,
We hope that this New Year finds you happy and well, enjoying the beauty of the northland!
Thank you for your patience and for standing with us during this time of transition and change. We are here because of you, our community, and we will come back as strong as ever because of you. Please continue reading to see what we have been up to this winter!
When can we take in animals again? Wildlife rehabilitation permits reside with an individual, not with a facility. Staffing changes at the end of the summer resulted in the loss of our permit, and our inability to accept animals for care. For us to obtain a new permit, we had to hire additional staff, which we’ve done! We still have a few things left to do, but we are getting there. Next steps: 1) Wildwoods staff must take and pass the permit exam proctored by the MN Department of Natural Resources (scheduled for this week!); 2) Upon passing the exam, permit applications must be filed; and 3) Facility inspections may take place at the request of the DNR. Once those steps are complete, a permit may be issued for wildlife rehabilitation.
Much as we may wish to accelerate this process, the forward pace is determined by the DNR. They know that our goal is to begin accepting animals by spring, and are working with us to make that happen. We will continue to provide you with updates as we have them, and you are more than welcome to reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have.
What else has been happening at Wildwoods? The winter always sees fewer arrivals at Wildwoods, and has traditionally been a time of training for our staff and facilities maintenance. This year was no different and we set some goals for ourselves: 1) Hire a new Nursery Manager, 2) Provide our staff with continuing education, 3) Address facility maintenance, and 4) Fundraise, fundraise, fundraise!
We are proud to say that we are well on our way to having accomplished each of these goals. 1) Our new Nursery Manager started at the beginning of the year and is hard at work helping us to prepare for the spring. 2) Our staff is attending trainings provided by the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of MN, and in-house trainings led by our personnel. 3) Our nursery and clinic have gone through a thorough scrubbing; we have a new design for our squirrel cages and are building them now; we have a new pigeon aviary; and we are actively fundraising to repair our basement so that we can expand our clinic space! (Please donate here to support this expansion!)
In the midst of all of this, we have an incredible core of volunteers who have been tirelessly transporting animals in need of assistance to other rehabilitators in the state. Our heartfelt thanks to these volunteers who stepped up in this time of need.
What about you, our friends and supporters? None of this is possible without you. Your patience during this trying time has warmed our hearts and our hearths, and we look forward to serving you again as soon as we can. Stayed tuned for details for our opening date and for our surprise event at Glensheen Mansion on April 24!
Warmest wishes,
Jessica LaBumbard, Executive Director