Medicine River Wildlife Centre
"My favourite moment," says Carol Kelly, executive director of Medicine River Wildlife Centre, "is of course when we release an animal that we've helped, and they fly, or hop, or swim away, whatever they do."
But just as wonderful is the moment when she sees the light go on for a member of the public. "When I'm feeling exhausted and depressed and thinking that I'm not making any difference, and then I see that look in the eyes of people who are inspired by what they're learning. That's an awesome moment."
There have been plenty of awesome moments of both types since the Medicine River Wildlife Centre opened in 1984. The hospital for injured animals is the centre's cornerstone, helping more than 1,000 patients per year, but education is just as important.
Of all the great moments, one occasion stands out for Carol: "Myself and a staff member, Judy Boyd, stood in front of a full house of fellow wildlife rehabilitators and presented a protocol we had developed on how to foster orphaned wildlife back to wild families. In contrast to the usual method of raising and releasing them, this method reduces workload and costs for the wildlife rehabbers but also puts wildlife back with wild families where they belonged before their lives were interrupted by human intervention. The look on the faces of the audience and the excitement they showed made us so proud to have played a part in revolutionizing the way orphans are handled."
There have been challenges too.
"The biggest challenge for us is funding. People see 'wildlife' in our name, and assume we're a government agency. But we don't get government funding except grants that we have to be eligible and apply for."
"As with many non-profit organizations, we struggle with operating costs. The Community Spirit Program is so great because we can use the funding to cover operating costs. Most grant programs won't let you do that."
Having funds to take care of operating costs means staff and volunteers can concentrate on the public programs that bring the centre's work to a larger audience and expand its support network. Carol and her colleagues offer educational programs to individuals and groups, from children to seniors, to Aboriginal and international visitors to those in the correctional system.
For three years now, the Medicine River Wildlife Centre has been welcoming a group of European students on a two-month summer work program. The students range in age from 18 to 29 years, and come for a variety of reasons. Some are just graduating from secondary school, and are looking for direction. Others want a change from a career that's grown too predictable. They do everything from basic animal care to translation of education materials, gaining life experience, new knowledge and sometimes a new life goal along the way.
If Carol were to take a moment to dream the big dream, what would the dream look like?
"We've already done that. We'd like to upgrade our building to international tourism standards, and expand so we could have an international private eco/educational retreat centre."
It would be tourism with an educational focus to be sure, backed by the same value that guides the Medicine River Wildlife Centre's staff and volunteers every day: "Respect - respect for each other, respect for the environment, and respect for wildlife."
The Medicine River Wildlife Center is located in Spruce View. Visit them online at http://www.medicineriverwildlifecentre.ca
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