Spring/Summer 2014 livelive wellwell withwith wildlifewildlife I in this issue I wildlife science how drought affects wildlife found a baby wild animal? swallows in spring ten cool facts about pill bugs 2013 annual report wildcare news volume I18, number 1 spring/summerI 2014 Dear Friends, Administration and Education It has been a busy and productive winter, and as 415-453-1000 fax: 415-456-0594 spring approaches, I am thrilled to share some wonderful Wildlife Hotline and Hospital news about WildCare with you. 415-456-SAVE (7283) Website http://www.wildcarebayarea.org We are moving closer to our goal of securing permits and raising the $8 million needed to complete our new Email [email protected] home at the Silveira Honor Farm property in north San Address 76 Albert Park Lane, San Rafael, CA 94901 Rafael. We have raised over $1.8 million to date. While Office Hours 9am–5pm M-F this is impressive, we still have a long way to go. And Exhibit Hall, Courtyard and Clinic Hours along the way I continue to be amazed by what our staff 9am–5pm seven days a week and volunteers are able to accomplish in the confines of our current space. board of directors While we work to make our new home a reality, we remain committed to President Susanne Lyons our central programs and projects. It takes over $2 million dollars annually to Vice President Julie Allecta operate WildCare, and I want to thank you, our loyal supporters, who helped us Treasurer Aaron Canale achieve a record fund raising milestone in December – over $1 million in new Secretary Linda Cheng Ed Dong gifts and pledges for our current operations and the new facility! Steve Kimball I am also pleased that we have selected the Redford Center as the recipient Alexandra Morehouse Susan Rusche for the 2014 WildCare Environmental Award. Founded by Robert Redford and Kate Van Gytenbeek his family, the Center is committed to transforming social and environmental issues into films that inspire positive change. The event will be held at Cavallo executive director point in Sausalito, and James Redford, one of Robert’s sons, will be present to Karen Wilson accept the award! More on this in coming months…. WildCare staff Jan Armstrong Lacey Babnik Our education programs are a living legacy of “Mrs. T,” and we will celebrate Marco Berger Mecca Billings Nelson that legacy as we honor an outstanding Bay Area environmental educator with Kim Bullock Lucy Burlingham the Terwilliger Environmental Award (TEA) on May 3rd. This celebration will Cindy Dicke Marian Eschen take place at our spring “Walk with WildCare” event at the Terwilliger Trail at Vanessa Glidden Jessica Grace Stafford Lake. Alison Hermance Katharine Jessup Juliana Joe Eileen Jones We continue to document the impacts of second generation anticoagulant Kelle Kacmarcik Kate Lynch rodenticides (rat poisons) on wildlife. Thanks to a generous grant we received Diana Manis David Marsh Judith McElroy Charlotte Patterson from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) in 2013, we were Melanie Piazza Mary Pounder able to hire a research assistant, Lacey Babnick, to engage veterinarians in our Barbara Pritchard Françoise Samuelson study, and to expand our advocacy and networking activities to educate people Kim Sandholdt Janet Sinnicks about the dangers of these toxic poisons. The DPR is pleased with our progress, Andy Smith Nat Smith, RVT and we hope to continue to partner with them to end the commercial sale of Paulette Smith-Ruiz JoLynn Taylor rodenticides for a healthier and more sustainable environment for wildlife and Victor Ullrich Larry Van Cantfort humans. in memory of Elizabeth C. Terwilliger Thanks to staff and volunteers who helped hold a very Julie Malet successful hospital volunteer orientation in January, we are ready for 2014! We welcome 120 new volunteers as we WildCare advocates for wildlife approach our busy spring/summer sessions. And we are pleased for a sustainable world. to welcome Kim Bullock as Associate Development Director. Cover Photograph: Wilson’s Warbler While her professional experience has been in the private sector, Photo by Marianna Hale Kim is no stranger to WildCare; she volunteered here 20 years Editor: JoLynn Taylor ago and loved it! Kim Bullock Website: Alison Hermance As I embark on my 11th year as Executive Director, I am so grateful to you WildCare’s newsletter is published three times a year (April, August, November). Every effort has been made to ensure that the for the support that sustains and transforms this wonderful organization. Thank contents of this publication are accurate. We regret that we cannot you for all you do for WildCare! be responsible for human error, printing mistakes, or variations in individual workmanship. Printed in USA on Orion Satin Recycled paper by Schumann Printers, Inc., Fall River, Wisconsin. POSTMASTER send changes of address to WildCare, 76 Albert Park Lane, San Rafael, CA 94901. Karen J. Wilson Executive Director 2 wildcare 415.453.1000 spring/summer 2014 I news & notes I I donor salute I terwilliger environmental award wildcare on the huffington post Join us on Saturday May 3, 2014 Alison Hermance, our webspinner, at Stafford Lake in Novato for a Walk videographer and Communications with WildCare at 10am followed by Manager, is wearing yet another hat as our 2014 Terwilliger Environmental she adds the title “Wildlife Writer” to Award Celebration at 12:30pm. her blog on the Huffington Post. Look $20 registration for the Walk for her posts at www.huffingtonpost. with WildCare includes a boxed com/alison-hermance/. Photo courtesy of Steven Morreale lunch. WildCare members receive a 2014 wildcare environmental Thank you Santa! In December, discount, and all kids under 12 are award Levi Strauss & Co. brought Santa free. Terwilliger Environmental Award to WildCare through their annual Celebration that follows is free. The 2014 WildCare Environmental “Ho Ho Ho” campaign. WildCare Award event will take place on walk with wildcare at McInnis Volunteer Steven Morreale works at Wednesday, November 12 at 6pm Levi Strauss and was instrumental Park at Cavallo Point in Sausalito. The in adding WildCare to the list of Join us Saturday July 12 at McInnis event will be limited to 250 attendees nonprofit organizations that Levi’s Park in San Rafael to learn about the and once again, we will first offer 1,500 employees could choose to wildlife of the Las Gallinas ponds, sponsorship opportunities before “adopt” for the holidays. get a sneak peek at the property that opening ticket sales to our general membership and the public. Our guest Levi’s “Ho Ho Ho” campaign has will become WildCare’s future home, been helping Bay Area nonprofits and enjoy a delicious box lunch! of honor will be James Redford, son of Robert Redford. for over 10 years, and WildCare is Registration is $20 (kids are free) very thankful to be a recipient of through Eventbrite; $5 discount for If you are interested in sponsoring such a generous giving program WildCare members. this event, please call Mecca Billings (thank you Steve)! Every December, Nelson at 415-295-4471, or register on Levi’s employees peruse a notebook our website for advance notice. of nonprofit profiles and their vladimir the vulture turns 30! respective “wish lists” of needed items. Employees choose a nonprofit Vladimir, our resident Turkey they’d like to adopt for the “Ho Ho Vulture, turns 30 this year as he Ho” campaign and buy items from celebrates his 30th year of living their list to donate. With a list of at WildCare! We will gather in the items that included everything from courtyard with a cake for his fans and squash to sponges, from wheat some luscious carrion for him! germ to sharpie markers, we’re Watch for the date in our fall certain that WildCare’s wish list was newsletter and email updates, but unique among the others! here’s a hint: It will be held close to Levi Strauss is a quintessential Vulture Appreciation Day in early “give back” company and WildCare September! patients benefitted greatly from their news and notes generous holiday donations. continues on page 11 wildlife prints The curious Barn Owls featured on the cover of our Winter 2013 newsletter won photographer Gary Walter the People’s Choice Award in the 2013 Living with Wildlife Photography Contest. Now you can own an original print of these owls, or another of this year’s stunning finalists’ photos as you support WildCare. Visit www.wildcarebayarea.org/prints. spring/summer 2014 www.wildcarebayarea.org www.wildcarebayarea.org wild wildcarecare 3 wildlife science by Melanie Piazza, Director of Animal Care WildCare has established relationships with a number of scientific CAHFS Laboratory of one five-year-old and educational institutions. Over the course of the last few years our joint adult male Black-tailed deer indicated a projects have helped to further our knowledge in interesting ways. The projects nearly zero level of copper. outlined below remind us again that the different disciplines of medicine, With both preventive and reactive veterinary, wildlife and environmental health are all really one health that belongs treatment, our fawn team was able to us all. to successfully rehabilitate orphans aleutian disease in skunks periodic epidemics in Pacific Coast that otherwise would have died. WildCare was also able to alert other Aleutian Disease (AD) was Band-tailed Pigeons, California’s only native pigeon, a species that has been wildlife centers to the symptoms and diagnosed in skunks WildCare treatments. submitted to the California Animal in decline over the last 40 years. Health and Food Safety Laboratory Birds from WildCare were part of canine distemper virus in wild (CAHFS) for necropsy and diagnostic the sample analyses that, among other carnivores work-up.