2020 was a year…

Want to hear about all the trials and tribulations we endured to meet our mission during this fitful year?

Me neither!

This was a tough year for everyone in our commuity (the world), but for the most part, we came through the last ten months stronger, more resilient, and more able to meet the challneges of providing care to our wild neighbors in need and promoting co-existence with the Wild (the highest reality).

So instead of touring through our troubles, here are some photographs of our patients and staff as we did our jobs, all of which was made possible by your generous support – a critical feature of all that we do, and the most necessary thing that’ll get us through whatever 2021 has in store. We need you like an orphaned family of raccoon babies needs Humboldt Wildlife Care Center.

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From Mountain Lion Kittens orphaned by forest fire, to dozens of orphaned Common Murre chicks, from orphaned Gray fox kits to Great Blue Heron chicks blown from their high nest in a freak Summer storm, from caring for 3000 ducks and shorebirds driven to near death by botulism in the Lower Klamath Refuge to cleaning 14 fawn bottles three times a day until all the fawns are weaned and released, staff was ready, pandemic protocols in place, to do the job we’ve always done – helping our wild neighbors in need.

All of us at HWCC/bax thank you deeply for all that you did to help us durvive this year. We wish you a much better 2021, and a return to good graces with nature, Mother Earth, and the wild.

We’re counting on you.

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Happy Holidays from Bird Ally X!

Dear Friends and Supporters,


When the pandemic first hit back in late February and early March, I was terrified. Of course I had the same concerns we all have for the safety of our community, our friends, and our loved ones, but more than that I was afraid for what the pandemic and our response to it would do to our mission. At the time it seemed entirely possible that Bird Ally X and all of our projects, including Humboldt Wildlife Care Center could be swept away in the tsunami of economic damage suffered bay our community as well as the overarching concern for human not wildlife health.

By July, after three months of skeleton staff pandemic protocols, HWCC was running on fumes. Our resources were dwindling rapidly as our caseload rocketed. With no volunteers helping us, our small but mighty crew took care of 25% more wild patients between May and August than in 2019, our busiest year to date. In all of California north of Santa Rosa we were the only facility still able to admit orphaned deer fawns. We provided four months of care to more fawns this year than any previous year.

But that wasn’t all 2020 had in store for Bird Ally X. The worst outbreak of avian botulism in over twenty years occurred in the Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge just north of Shasta. For the last 3 years BAX has operated a field hospital on the Refuge to treat waterfowl and shorebirds impacted by avian botulism. 2020, however, was significantly worse than previous years with tens of thousands of birds killed by the early heat and dry conditions of this season. As with HWCC, our Lower Klamath field hospital was severely understaffed due to the circumstances imposed by COVID-19.

In the face of these challenges and in the midst of the pandemic, you came through for our wild neighbors. You made sure we could get through our difficult season! If you hadn’t we might to be here today. The support that you gave at the end of July did more than pay bills, it gave our staff the lift they needed to persevere. Thank you. The support you provided our botulism response on the Lower Klamath made possible the care of over 3000 ducks, sandpipers, stilts and more during the Summer outbreak.

And there’s no room to mention the fires of Autumn…

We don’t know what the future will bring, but we do know that we need to constantly rebuild ourselves more resilient, more adaptable, more ready to meet the challenge of a life on earth in which all bets are off. For now, please just accept our heartfelt gratitude for the help you gave us this year. We’re still here, thanks only to you.

Please enjoy a beautiful season of gratitude for the love and beauty that still fill our lives even as our world is rocked by troubles. And let’s all wish for each other a healthy and safe and better New Year.

In alliance with all that is wild and free and on behalf of the pandemic crew of Bird Ally X,
Monte

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