The Senior Oiled Wildlife Response Team members including J. Jill Heatley, DVM, MS, Dipl ABVP (Avian), Dipl ACZM, Clinical Assoc. Professor, Zoological Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A &M University taught a pre-conference Oiled Wildlife Response Workshop sponsored by Shell Exploration & Production Co. Other speakers included Nick Benson, O’Brien’s Response Management, and Matt Tilimon, Marine Science Technician and Federal On-Scene Coordinator with the US Coast Guard.

President of Chevron Exploration Technology Company, Melody Meyer worked on the team led by Chevron employee, Tommy Lyle where she helped to build flight cages for the Wildlife Rehab & Education Center’s Education Ambassadors. Not only did these employees get their hands dirty for the love of our wild friends, they also purchased the necessary materials to build the flight cages. 

Chevron’s HumanKind Campaign has encouraged their employees to learn more about charities and how they can lend a helping hand.  “We hope employees who have participated in this program will come back and be a permanent volunteer long after their employee contribution has been made,” says Susie Hebert, Community Engagement Specialist for Chevron.  

The Wildlife Rehab & Education Center is thankful for the generosity and support of the employees of Chevron and the Chevron HumanKind Campaign.  Our animals can now continue to move forward towards a better tomorrow!

Sharon Schmalz, Executive Director

Winter is normally a time for rehabilitators to regroup and prepare for the upcoming cycle of Spring. While the absolute number of animals was down compared to spring months we remained quite busy. In order to give our readers a perspective, please note the shortlist of activities…

•Volunteers wishing to actively participate in the Wildlife Center’s mission of mercy grew. Numerous orientation and training sessions were held to prepare them for the 2008 season.

•An additional fledgling enclosure was constructed (inside the center) to expand the home for those feathered teens who think they are ready to find freedom. Although they are not ready for prolonged flight, the cage allows the caretakers a controlled environment to catch them after a successful escape.

•Efforts in equipping the surgery suite are ongoing. Items such as a surgery light, anesthesia unit, surgery table, autoclave, x-ray light box, microscope among others have been graciously donated to enhance our triage and surgery area.

•Three additional flight cages were added to our existing trio in order to meet the growing demand for outdoor space. Each provides one hundred square feet of floor space; built to meet and exceed federal standards. What a noteworthy addition to the facility!

•A new phased addition is underway to accommodate waterfowl. Comprised of both enclosure and pool, it will provide a ‘splash’ park for visiting waterfowl. The framework of Phase I is complete and WR&E is looking forward to raising funds to fulfill the remaining two phases in the near future. Phase II includes siding and Phase III incorporates a pool filtration system. Completion of this project is anticipated in time for our next Pelican and Northern Gannet residents.

•Education remained an integral part of WR&E’s efforts with the continued sessions with both boy and girl scout troops and school classes. Through these endeavors boys and girls of all ages as well as adults experienced benefits of sharing space with wildlife through the use of our Peaceful Coexistence teaching house visuals in conjunction with several of our wildlife ambassadors.

•Developed and instituted ‘hands-on’ training on our wildlife retrieval kit. The kit consists of nets, gloves, catch and dart poles. Through gifts of caring contributors, we attained the first of several. Plans are to acquire two additional kits for our center.

•Two Oiled Wildlife Response workshops were conducted. The first in Lake Charles, Louisiana sponsored by CITGO and the second in Brownsville, Texas sponsored by Texas General Land Office.

Sharon Schmalz, Executive Director

Since WR&E was formed, we have dreamed of a wildlife center. Today that dream has been realized. Wildlife Rehab & Education (WR&E) in affiliation with the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (HSPCA) will soon celebrate the official opening of a wildlife center, caring for wildlife from the woodlands to the wetlands.  

Every year we care for over 7000 wild animals, educate over 10,000 children and adults, accept all native wild animals that need care, respond to oiled wildlife along the Gulf Coast, and answer thousands of phone calls from the general public. All of this accomplished with a volunteer staff.

Over the past several years, senior wildlife rehabilitators have been worried that we had reached a “breaking point”. Instead, it turns out it was only a “turning point”!  

The Board of Directors of the HSPCA had the foresight to realize in their long-range goals that wildlife in the Houston area needed even more assistance…probably one of the reasons HSPCA was recently honored as national animal shelter of the year. WR&E has had a relationship with the HSPCA for over 15 years and worked in concert with them when concerned citizens would notify or drop off wildlife at HSPCA. They have offered to provide financial support and services and help WR&E create a state of the art wildlife rehabilitation facility on Katy Rd., which will be located next to their main shelter on Portway Drive.

WR&E will now be able to expand and enhance programs by:

•Meshing wildlife rehabilitation knowledge with veterinary medical knowledge.

•Providing a central facility for concerned citizens to deliver native wildlife.

•Providing a central facility for presenting environmental education programs for adults and children with an emphasis on respect for wildlife, the environment and for each other. •Facilitating a training location with materials and supplies for new volunteers and wildlife rehabilitators.

•Improving the ability to respond to oiled wildlife with additional trained personnel and a facility to house oiled wildlife during the rehabilitation process.

Sharon Schmalz, Executive Director

Wildlife Rehab and Education reached an important milestone this year with the opening of its Wildlife Center. The achievement would not have been possible without the unfailing support of our volunteers, their families, individual contributors and our corporate sponsors. The workload has been grueling as we honored our commitments to the wildlife entrusted to our care, provided educational opportunities, taught Oil Spill Response Workshops, responded to oil spill drills as well as oil spills AND opened the Wildlife Center.

It is with a deep sense of wonder and respect that we look back on everything that has been accomplished this year and smile. With great pride and joy we hosted our Grand Opening. The event was magical at times as we shared the depth and breadth of our programs and commitment to native Texas wildlife. As always, the Educational Ambassadors took center stage thrilling young and old alike.

No words can equal the impact of seeing an owl or hawk in person knowing mankind is responsible for its tragic but in this case, redemptive journey. Our flagship ambassador, the Great Horned Owl cared for by Sharon Schmalz is nearing twenty-five years of educational service. He has educated tens of thousands of school children. He came to Sharon with multiple injuries, but it was the gunshot that severed half of one wing that made him non-releasable.

The good news is that the media, both print and television have taken a great interest in the Wildlife Center and have given us much greater exposure to audiences that we had previously been unable to reach. Even better, native Texas wildlife have benefited from the public’s awareness of who we are, what we do and our message of conservation. The bad news is that we have stretched our resources thin to service the increased demand. In particular, we need more suitable release sites for opossum, raccoon, squirrel and water birds, more volunteers and additional financial support.

As spring approaches, the Wildlife Center will be in desperate need of volunteers to care for thousands of babies. The Wildlife Center provides a unique environment to learn and care for a wide range of species without a 24/7 commitment. We also provide opportunities for volunteers to answer phones, enter data for animals arriving at the center, shuttle wildlife between rehabbers and to release sites, fund raise and assist with the tons of paperwork that comes with running a facility. In closing, Wildlife Rehab and Education wants everyone who has helped with our mission to serve native wildlife to know how deeply we appreciate your efforts. Thank you!

The WR&E educational committee team is expanding.  More than fifteen volunteers are in the process of completing training to give wildlife presentations.   The demand for this service is tremendous, WR&E is requested weekly to give wildlife presentations.  By training new presenters we will be able to expand our program and reach even more people with our important message about peaceful coexistence with wildlife.  Some of the presentations given in the last few months included many elementary schools, a master naturalist training class, a diurnal raptor class, Bayou Bend Museum, wildlife groups for Ineos, senior groups, garden clubs, and several scouting groups.

Acknowledging people committed to making a difference

Author unknown

A small boy lived by the ocean. He loved the creatures of the sea, especially the starfish and spent much of his time exploring the seashore. One day he noticed there would be a minus tide and that would leave the starfish stranded on the sand. The day of the tide he went down to the beach and began picking up stranded starfish and tossing them back into the sea. An elderly man who lived next door came down to the beach to see what he was doing, ”I’m saving the starfish” the boy proudly declared. When the neighbor saw all of the stranded starfish, he shook his head and said, “I’m sorry to disappoint you young man, but if you look down the beach one way, there are stranded starfish as far as the eye can see. And if you look down the other way, the beach is also covered in stranded starfish for as far as you can see. One little boy like you isn’t going to make much of a difference” The boy thought about this for a moment. Then picked up the next starfish and tossed it out into the ocean and said, “I sure make a difference to that one.” We all have these moments and let us cherish them despite the fact that we can’t save every single one.

Are you ready to make a difference? Volunteers are always needed and welcomed. The economy has hit WR&E the same as everyone else – problem is, the wildlife don’t know that. Donations of supplies or cash are greatly appreciated. Save and donate newspapers – leave flat, perhaps store in paper bags. If you can, sort out the glossy ads, we can’t use them and it takes volunteer time to sort them. Go to our website for more suggestions under the heading “What can I do to help”.