Playtime in North Idaho Racoon rehabilitation yard

Make sure you call the professionals - not the internet

 

 Each year wild animals are kidnapped from their natural environment. This is a nation wide epidemic.  You can stop the spread of this heart jerk reaction.

   You look out your window into your yard or perhaps you are out on a nice stroll. You see a young animal on the ground and your heart leaps!  First thought is ’look a wild animal’ . To many the next thought is ‘the animal must be orphaned’ and the well meaning individual picks the animal up.

   Your next thought should be: AHWF. Make sure you are AWARE of your surroundings, HESITATE before approaching a wild animal, WATCH for signs of distress before picking up, FOLLOW through with contacting the professionals if indeed there is a need to remove this animal from their natural home.

   Wildlife rehabilitation is challenging at best and exceptionally frustrating when patients come in to care days or weeks after they have been ‘rescued’.       

   The saddest part of rehabilitation is when an animal must be euthanized. The state of Idaho requires all native wild animals be released or euthanized. The wild animal must not be kept in confinement—it is not fair to the wild animal.  

   When an animal has been wounded and full recovery is not possible the decision is easier. The animal is suffering so an end to the pain is the most humane decision.  

   When an animal had every chance to be returned to the wild but must be put to sleep because of ignorance on the part of the well meaning rescuer it is very painful.

   A wise man once said ‘you are forever responsible for what you choose to tame’. When you choose to keep that wild animal and attempt to provide long term rehabilitative care you are not helping the animal. You are not thinking about the animal. You are doing a disservice to that helpless wild creature.

  

 

Wildlife rehabilitation facilities are run by dedicated people with years of training & experience. They did not just read an article on the internet.  Without proper nutrition and housing the animal will not meet the full potential and will not be able to be successful if released back into the wild.

   Survival of the fittest is not just a slogan or nonchalant saying in the rugged Idaho wild lands.

Wild Patients in Need!

This post was supposed to be made in July but as you will read we did not have the chance to get to the computer as we were exceptionally busy with animal care! 
Every year in the early spring, the founder sends out internship applications to nearby universities and colleges. She is looking for the best candidate to fill the position of wildlife intern for the busy spring & summer months. She also gets on the phone and makes calls to a network of supporters. She is asking for help.

Without a crystal ball there is no way of knowing what quantities or what types of wild animals will be needing the services of American Heritage Wildlife Foundation. There is also never a guarantee that the funding will come in to allow this small nonprofit to continue the vital mission of keeping the Inland Northwest WILD. 

What is certain is that an average of 50 cases will need daily care. At least 250 phone calls will be responded to by dedicated and trained volunteers. Somewhere between 2,500 and 3.000 volunteer hours will be recorded.

You read that correctly. Last month we recorded 520 hours of volunteer labor. Can you help too?

To date we have assisted two groups of raccoon, two batches of pine squirrels, one fox squirrel , one young brewers blackbird, one downy woodpecker, one young killdeer, several robins of varying ages, Violet & Green Swallows and one Tree Swallow (requiring feeding every 15 minutes for 16 hours each day—usually for two weeks), several different Deer Mice babies, one Little Brown Bat pup, Mallard ducks, Canada Geese, one Mountain Chickadee, Nestling Northern Flickers, and one adult Flicker, one Starling, Quail hatchlings, two young Ravens, a few American Crows, a young Alligator Lizard, a Northern Painted Turtle, and these two hatchlings —days old  (perhaps gold crowned kinglets?) just in a few hours ago. We will do our best to provide proper care but there is no substitute for the natural mother.    

Fortunately we did have a great summer intern this year to help provide care for the injured and orphaned wild animals in need. 

  

Meet the candidate chosen to be the 2016 Wildlife Care Intern. Sarah Lendzioszek will be graduating in December with a degree in Conservation Biology and Ecology from Montana State University.  She has hopes of working with animals further in the future and is thankful for this learning opportunity. She has had the experience of interning in Yellowstone last summer doing wolf behavior research with a top wolf researcher. Additionally she has experience of vocalization studies through an independent study at the University with several species such as coyotes, wolves, and feral cats. As is the case with so many ’animal people’ she also has various other experiences conducting research and working with animals.  

   The founder recently asked her to describe in a few words what it meant to be working in the field wildlife rehabilitation. Her initial response was a large sigh— “oh wow...in only a few words? I would say rewarding and hard work, also a steep learning curve”.

   She will complete her term with us in August. We wish her the best as she completes one more semester to graduate early and with honors.

Because one or two cannot do it all we send out this plea...

A willing spirit cannot embody physical requirements. There is limit to the amount of stress and strain one body can take.  After all there are only 24 hours in one day. 

   One person can only perform one task at a time. One mouth can be fed, one dish washed, one phone call responded to, one diet prepared, one enclosure cleaned, one animal medicated, one animal examined, one item purchased, one journal article read, one lecture given, one event planned, one thank you letter written, one meeting agenda planned, one project worked on...get the point? To operate AHWF at a successful level we need more than one. We need you. 

 . 

   

The year has begun slowly but steadily.
Our new Intern Sarah has started and is currently caring for 5 raccoon babies, 4 Canada Goose goslings, 3 Mallard Ducklings, 1 Northern Painted Turtle,  1 American Robin, and 1 European Starling. We never know what the next phone call brings so in between our times of wildlife care we are trying to complete various projects such as designing the new large game mammal enclosures. If you want to help us help them and keep North Idaho WILD please go to our website and donate. Thank you.

We are also very active with outreach activities: Barbeque fundraising events each month, highway clean up, occasionally Pizza or Cheesecake fundraising events, & Wildlife Presentations. We have the firewood raffle again this July 4th. We also are planning several events this summer/fall. Comedy show in September and Scarecrow contest in October. The IPA (Idaho Pour Authority) & POW (Pend Oreille Winery) events this fall.  

Lend a hand if you can and volunteer.     

Spring 2016 UPDATE

As I prepare for the upcoming year I take a moment to reflect on the year that was 2015. You may remember from the January Newsletter that we responded to over 300 phone calls, cared for 24 different species of birds and 9 species of mammals. Our volunteers contributed over 3,500 hours and the three interns put in close to 800 in only 4 months.

The year was also filled with  outreach activities and public events. We attended several popular Bonner County events such as the Independence Day celebration in Clark Fork and the 7B Sunday event at Schweitzer Resort. 

We had major concerns as the fires continued to grow and get closer to our facility and properties. The main parcel upon which operate was less than 5 miles as the crow flies from two major complex fires and secondary parcel was less than 2 miles from the third fire causing discomfort in the Clark Fork Valley.

 Our wildlife patients for 2016 are one patient that unfortunately did not survive his trauma.     We also are caring for three patients.                                                                                                               Release is planned for early summer 2016.  We have received a handful of phone calls including being asked to offer assistance to three bears in need but had to refuse due to having no facilities to provide care.

We take the slow time of winter to focus on expansion and growth. The first two months have provided Bonner County residents the opportunity to attend five educational wildlife presentations & attend a gourmet cheesecake tasting fundraiser. In March we will offer two educational events and a Pizza party fundraiser. We have also entered an online fundraising contest which if we raise sufficient donations we could win $10,000.  The month of April we have scheduled the first of two Scenic Highway 200 clean up sessions during the weekend of EarthDay. The month of May begins with the annual IDAHO GIVES one day online fundraising campaign for state wide nonprofits.

Several other events are being planned throughout the year. Of course we will be at the Schweitzer resort event and the Clark Fork Celebration. We are also planning a target shoot and a nature walk. A comedy show at the Tango Café/ColumbiaBank building and pints for a cause event at IPA in September. For October we have planned a scarecrow contest at Hickey Farms and a Sip and Shop event at PO Winery. The second highway clean up will also take place late summer/early fall. We may also be scheduling hot dog and ice cream social fundraiser.      

In relation to wildlife care we are currently replacing our floor in the animal infirmary room, after 15 years of use and improper construction by original owners it needed attention. We are also working towards Spring construction of large mammal enclosures which will house bears and other large game species.  The state has finally given their approval for us to care for these charismatic wild animals when they are in need. As soon as the chosen Intern candidates get our of university in late May, we will again use their assistance to care for all our native neighbors through the summer and fall.                         

2015 Annual Report of AHWF

AMERICAN HERITAGE WILDLIFE FOUNDATION  2015 ANNUAL REPORT

                                                 

American Heritage Wildlife Foundation has the mission to conserve local wildlife through the efforts of rehabilitation of the injured or orphaned and community education. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization and a registered state nonprofit incorporation. AHWF holds federal rehabilitation permits from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for all migratory bird species and Idaho State Fish and Game rehabilitation permits for all species of birds and small non-game mammals. This fall, permission was granted to allow AHWF to provide care for large game mammals once enclosures are constructed. We do not receive federal, state or county funding. We exist only because of community support.                 

2015 AHWF budget

EXPENSES:                  

  proposed  &  actual

     300              390      Fund Raising (including merchandise)

     543              716      Marketing

     960            1,676     Utilities

  4,000           9,740      Animal Care & Educational Mission  

  4,500           7,500      Large Flight Barn  

20,000                0        Nature Trail*                                                                                 

60,000                0        Classroom & Educational Items* 

2015

REVENUE:  

 1,750               6,002   Memberships & Merchandise       

 1,800                2,477   Event (donations) and Aluminum recycling & other programs                  

 3,500              12,112   Donations and Grants

80,000                  325   Phase III Funding* (raised to date)   

                          1,800   In-Kind contributions (excluding labor)   

I would like to express extreme gratitude to everyone that supported AHWF in the 2015 calendar year. Because of your contributions of time, treasure and talents, this year was our most successful to date.

WILDLIFE

By December 31, our total number of phone calls will be over 315. This is roughly 100 calls more than average.   The total number of cases = 50. The number of individual wild animals for 2015 is 88. Our smallest patient was a baby bat the size of a thumbnail. The largest was a young injured coyote. We provided care for a large variety of bird species as well as native non-game mammal. We tallied 1/3 more hours than last year. Currently we are near 3,500. As is the case every year, some of the animals were successfully released back into their wild habitat; some simply had injuries to traumatic to recover from. Each animal however, was provided the best environment we could offer with our very limited resources.    

We have no paid staff. The rate of pay for the donated hours would have been an estimated $27,600. We rely on our community to volunteer time. Our dedicated volunteers donated thousands of hours this year to provide care for our native neighbors. This year we did have sufficient funding to offer internships. Almost 800 were due to our interns. These wildlife care assistants resided at the facility and were available to provide round the clock care when needed. They were also able to respond immediately to phone calls. This is a wonderful improvement from previous years – the lead wildlife care specialist is not readily available since she needs to work away from the facility at various part time jobs. AHWF is a member with two professional wildlife rehabilitator associations; they provide a great deal of information relating to proper care.

The saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ is no less applicable to wild animals. Our total hours of volunteered time will be over 3,500 by the end of 2015.This is a 30% increase from previous year.  From May/June through October our three interns tallied 800 hours.   

Despite having three large fires burning very close to our facility we were still able to complete necessary projects: the large five room aviary, a small mammal yard, and adding sand to two of our existing enclosures as well as creation and mounting of a new exterior AHWF sign.  

We need your help to acquire funding to construct sufficient enclosures – Idaho Fish and Game has granted permission for us to rehabilitate large game species once we get our enclosures constructed. AHWF would be only one in the panhandle to assist these mega-charismatic mega fauna species.       

Education & Public Outreach         

Due to the quantity of wildlife cases, the number of phone calls and the busy hectic schedule of the primary lead volunteer, she was able to arrange or participate in only a handful of activities. The limited time also prevented regular posting on our social media sites, as many of you know we are only able to access dial-up internet at our facility.      We provide updates on our , ,  ,   ,  , ,  . We invite our supporters to write about their experiences with and score this nonprofit on                               &                

Our website provides a wealth of information about all our native neighbors, the various AHWF fundraising programs, wild animal photographs, volunteer and board member forms, and links to our illustrated children’s books. We also have created ‘hubs’ on the hubpages site which offers a variety of information on North Idaho topics. If you enjoy posting and tweeting and pinning and blogging PLEASE give us a call and we will be ever appreciative if you could take over as our s ocial media coordinator – it is a paid part time position!

Our ability to provide educational demonstrations was somewhat limited this year due to scheduling difficulties and lack of time from volunteers. We did provide a lecture at the North Idaho Animal Hospital and the Panhandle Animal Shelter. The topic was relating to wildlife babies and what to do if you find one.

We were invited to set up at the Majestic Landscaping and Garden Center grand opening event. Many wonderful volunteers painted faces and spoke about AHWF. We set up a table at the 7B Sunday event at Schweitzer Mountain, Independence Day celebration in Clark Fork, the Memorial Community Center in Hope, Pend Oreille Winery Sip n shop evening, and a table at the Christmas Craft Fair in the Bonner Mall. We also cleaned up our section of scenic highway 200 twice. We are very grateful to all the helpers for these events.

Additional exposure came from article in the Sandpoint Magazine summer issue. Advertisements were created for River Journal and Co-op magazines. We send out and post on our blog two annual newsletters – the native neighbor news. This publication details our activities. We have expanded our ability to introduce our nonprofit to the global community by expanding our reach through charity listing on several shopping/online sites as well as crowdfunding/donation sites. Locally: Yokes Market & Fred Meyers. Online: Amazon, Ebay, iGive, Good Shop/Good Search, Network for Good, Just Give, Welzoo, Good World, Razoo, Giving Grid, Love Animals & Go Fund Me. We are also investigating the sites:  global giving and generosity by indegogo. Each site for fundraising has their own level of ease and fees associated. Donation buttons are also linked to the facebook pages. We also are completing the project listing with justserve to gain volunteers. All these links are on our website. 

           

 

You can also check with your credit card company to find out if we are one of the recognized charities. For example through American Express the members give program supports recognized 501c3 nonprofits. 

We were saddened to see a local business close its doors after many years. Common Knowledge closed the summer of 2015. We had our series of books for children available with them. Five have been created:      Three (Logger’s Story, Logger Returns, Logger Makes New Friends) are enjoyable stores for younger children -perfect for bedtime stories and young readers. One is an activity book that everyone could find entertaining titled Fun time with Logger. It includes 54 activities such as crossword puzzles, word searches, dot to dot, wildlife trivia and color by number local birds. Adventures of a Wildlife Special Agent is the story written unlike most – it is a chose your own adventure book. The reader gets to decide which path the USFWS agent takes. Our hope is that readers young and old will enjoy the lessons taught by the story. We have been working to connect with a local artist to convert the entire Loggers Story series into a graphic novel (aka comic book).          They are still available at AHWF, Bonner Books, Vanderfords as well as online through the publisher Lulu     .             I believe they are also found through online book publishers – in the ebook formats: amazon’s kindle, barnes & nobles nook, kobu, apple’s ebook. The Sandpoint and Clark Fork Libraries have been given copies as well.  All proceeds go directly to AHWF; they provide a small amount of revenue for the cause of wildlife rehab and community education. An educational magazine that provides a portion of the subscription to help our cause is Bird Watchers Digest.

Funds  

We began the year with high hopes. A grant was being reviewed to allow us to construct a nature walk. We had sufficient funding to begin and complete our large aviary. A handful of public outreach events were scheduled – which allow not only education and awareness but also donation capacity. 

Our 2015 total expenses for the year were are $20,022. Despite being frugal, we still operate on a budget requiring a minimum $10,000 annually. The categories are Wildlife, Education & Outreach, and Administrative & General Operating.

Wildlife expenses were for food, medical supplies & attention, professional membership fees, fuel cost to deliver or retrieve wildlife, and enclosure building materials, Northern Lights electricity & Frontier phone. The mission of Education & Outreach costs included venue reservations, educational materials, & fuel reimbursement.  The total for this category is $9,740. This included the intern cost of $1,659. The cost to complete the large aviary was $7,500.    

We attended eight events and held one firewood raffle. This allowed our community to support us financially. We have several online platforms, shopping bars, and other programs which also provide a means to financially support our mission. The AHWF merchandise site on Café Press is a means to provide revenue as well as expand our reach into several different communities. Café Press offers items such as coffee mugs, teddy bears, a variety of tee shirt styles, tote bags, aprons and baby clothes. We also have the series of books written and illustrated by AHWF founders.  The total raised $2,387 

We are so grateful to Jackie, Judy, Sue, Jan, Darcy, Earthworks, Sharon, Donna, Monarch Market, Blue Lake RV, George, Scott, Mya, Kathleen, Tomas & Margaurite, Sandy, Deanna, Mary, Haden, Kara, Delorie, Jennifer, Jeannie, WW, Christine, Robert & Marilyn, Tammi, Melissa, Lois, Vance, Dave & Suzy, Susan, Jack & Diane, Alice, Sally, WCT. We also wish to thank those who gave supplies or readily traveled long distances, such as Priest River & Orofino to deliver the wild animals in need. Because of their contributions, we did not have to expend our financial resources. 2015 would not have been as successful without all of you! 

Each of these folks made regular pledges each month, joined the membership,   donated through online campaigns, or contributed significant amounts. They made the promise to present the present as a present for future generations. In 2016 … will you?

 The total revenue (including in-kind & labor) received to date an estimated $34,200 .

Future

First and foremost I will announce that we need more board members. Many of our current directors are retiring their volunteer positions due to health problems. We can have as many as seven members. Vacancies exist for all positions – basic Directors, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, and President. We must have a board of directors to remain compliant with all nonprofit regulatory agencies. Applications can be found online or call us directly. The obligation is a monthly meeting in whatever format (phone, email, in person) is chosen. The directors are the guiding force for the foundation. The tasks include reviewing the wildlife and financial information, planning and organizing outreach events.        

The immediate future promises sweets and fun. In 2016, we will offer a gourmet cheesecake and coffee fundraising event. Additionally, we will be bringing back the ‘wild Wednesday’ educational presentations. If you recall, in 2012/2013 AHWF offered monthly presentations on a variety of topics relating to our North Idaho environment and the inhabitants. These educational and entertaining evenings were well attended.  Keep posted on the dates by calling or checking our social media sites.            

At some point, before the Spring baby season begins, we need to replace our animal infirmary room floor. This room is our examination and intake room for new patients, a nursery for youngsters, as well as critical care unit for those with serious injuries. The floor is giving out from the heavy traffic. A crowdfunding site page has been established on GoFundMe. You can also submit a donation with the memo note for floor replacement. 

We will again pursue to hire interns to assist us during the busy Spring/Summer season – April/May through September. We hope to again find candidates that are willing to learn and be taught, able to live without cell phone or high speed internet and remain courteous despite long hours. Applications will be available on the website.  The 2015 interns completed an exit questionnaire. The results were 1) there is a great deal to learn and 2) the wish that the lead wildlife caregiver was more available. As you are aware, the lead caregiver has been affiliated with AHWF since day one, but has to supplement her income with several part time paying jobs. The quick solution would be to provide a cell phone with frontier phone service (they seem to be the most reliable of all the carriers for the Clark Fork region). The long term solution would be to raise sufficient funds and offer a seasonal part time position to allow side by side training.     

We will again join other Idaho Nonprofits for the IDAHOGIVES one day online day of giving. Each May all these charities come together in one place through Idaho Nonprofit Development Corporation to ask their communities to support their mission. Each year we have received generous support from those both near and far.

We applied for a grant to assist the creation of a meandering Nature Walk through the diverse habitat on the leased AHWF property. We did pass the first round of reviews but unfortunately did not make the final round. This could be a wonderful community service project for those able bodies willing to use rakes and shovels to level out the land, carry buckets of bark and mulch, pack wood beams to line the trail, paint signage, etc. Our hope for this trail is not only to offer hands on approach to outdoor education. Once completed, we would encourage school groups, seniors, and all others to schedule appointments and meet with one of our trained guides. We want everyone to get out and explore a sample of North Idaho wilderness in a safe and informative setting. We anticipated this type of educational opportunity could provide a stable means of revenue for AHWF. If you want to help us make this happen give us a call.          

We were not able to take advantage of the generous offer from the Bird of Prey NW founder. She offered to teach topics involving restraint, diagnosis of trauma & medical care for wing breaks so that we may improve our care of these valuable species. The time was simply not available. The mission of St. Maries based nonprofit is to provide education with and rehabilitation for injured raptors. Our newly completed 24 foot by 32 foot aviary will allow AHWF to offer our assistance to BoPNW and provide care for many of the raptor species in North Idaho.    

There will be two Scenic Highway 200 clean-up projects, traditionally April and October. We will also schedule two in-house clean-up projects – the spring spruce up and fall inventory days. With the exception of one year we have attended the annual celebration in Clark Fork on July 4^th for the past 15 years. We have attended the December Craft Fair in the Bonner Mall for the past several years. This is wonderful time to introduce our important mission and offer unique gift options.

Future plans for American Heritage Wildlife Foundation is continuing to expand our ability to care for all North Idaho wildlife species. The state of Idaho has granted permission for AHWF to construct and then receive a large game mammal rehabilitation permit. This means that all the calls relating to orphaned bear cubs or cougars can be immediately responded to. Idaho Black Bear Rehab in the Boise area has offered to assist in any way they can.           

American Heritage Wildlife Foundation is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization and all donations may be tax deductible. We are also an Idaho Nonprofit Incorporation; this does not however provide financial relief in any form. We are a member of the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association and the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. AHWF holds permits from the USFWS migratory bird department and Idaho State Fish and Game. The one acre we lease is a certified wildlife habitat. We are 100 % volunteer.       

                                                                            completed 28 December 2015 by K. St. Clair – McGee

2015 Annual Report of AHWF

AMERICAN HERITAGE WILDLIFE FOUNDATION  2015 ANNUAL REPORT

                                                 

American Heritage Wildlife Foundation has the mission to conserve local wildlife through the efforts of rehabilitation of the injured or orphaned and community education. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization and a registered state nonprofit incorporation. AHWF holds federal rehabilitation permits from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for all migratory bird species and Idaho State Fish and Game rehabilitation permits for all species of birds and small non-game mammals. This fall, permission was granted to allow AHWF to provide care for large game mammals once enclosures are constructed. We do not receive federal, state or county funding. We exist only because of community support.                 

2015 AHWF budget

EXPENSES:                  

  proposed  &  actual

     300              390      Fund Raising (including merchandise)

     543              716      Marketing

     960            1,676     Utilities

  4,000           9,740      Animal Care & Educational Mission  

  4,500           7,500      Large Flight Barn  

20,000                0        Nature Trail*                                                                                 

60,000                0        Classroom & Educational Items* 

2015

REVENUE:  

 1,750               6,002   Memberships & Merchandise       

 1,800                2,477   Event (donations) and Aluminum recycling & other programs                  

 3,500              12,112   Donations and Grants

80,000                  325   Phase III Funding* (raised to date)   

                          1,800   In-Kind contributions (excluding labor)   

I would like to express extreme gratitude to everyone that supported AHWF in the 2015 calendar year. Because of your contributions of time, treasure and talents, this year was our most successful to date.

WILDLIFE

By December 31, our total number of phone calls will be over 315. This is roughly 100 calls more than average.   The total number of cases = 50. The number of individual wild animals for 2015 is 88. Our smallest patient was a baby bat the size of a thumbnail. The largest was a young injured coyote. We provided care for a large variety of bird species as well as native non-game mammal. We tallied 1/3 more hours than last year. Currently we are near 3,500. As is the case every year, some of the animals were successfully released back into their wild habitat; some simply had injuries to traumatic to recover from. Each animal however, was provided the best environment we could offer with our very limited resources.    

We have no paid staff. The rate of pay for the donated hours would have been an estimated $27,600. We rely on our community to volunteer time. Our dedicated volunteers donated thousands of hours this year to provide care for our native neighbors. This year we did have sufficient funding to offer internships. Almost 800 were due to our interns. These wildlife care assistants resided at the facility and were available to provide round the clock care when needed. They were also able to respond immediately to phone calls. This is a wonderful improvement from previous years – the lead wildlife care specialist is not readily available since she needs to work away from the facility at various part time jobs. AHWF is a member with two professional wildlife rehabilitator associations; they provide a great deal of information relating to proper care.

The saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ is no less applicable to wild animals. Our total hours of volunteered time will be over 3,500 by the end of 2015.This is a 30% increase from previous year.  From May/June through October our three interns tallied 800 hours.   

Despite having three large fires burning very close to our facility we were still able to complete necessary projects: the large five room aviary, a small mammal yard, and adding sand to two of our existing enclosures as well as creation and mounting of a new exterior AHWF sign.  

We need your help to acquire funding to construct sufficient enclosures – Idaho Fish and Game has granted permission for us to rehabilitate large game species once we get our enclosures constructed. AHWF would be only one in the panhandle to assist these mega-charismatic mega fauna species.       

Education & Public Outreach         

Due to the quantity of wildlife cases, the number of phone calls and the busy hectic schedule of the primary lead volunteer, she was able to arrange or participate in only a handful of activities. The limited time also prevented regular posting on our social media sites, as many of you know we are only able to access dial-up internet at our facility.      We provide updates on our , ,  ,   ,  , ,  . We invite our supporters to write about their experiences with and score this nonprofit on                               &                

Our website provides a wealth of information about all our native neighbors, the various AHWF fundraising programs, wild animal photographs, volunteer and board member forms, and links to our illustrated children’s books. We also have created ‘hubs’ on the hubpages site which offers a variety of information on North Idaho topics. If you enjoy posting and tweeting and pinning and blogging PLEASE give us a call and we will be ever appreciative if you could take over as our s ocial media coordinator – it is a paid part time position!

Our ability to provide educational demonstrations was somewhat limited this year due to scheduling difficulties and lack of time from volunteers. We did provide a lecture at the North Idaho Animal Hospital and the Panhandle Animal Shelter. The topic was relating to wildlife babies and what to do if you find one.

We were invited to set up at the Majestic Landscaping and Garden Center grand opening event. Many wonderful volunteers painted faces and spoke about AHWF. We set up a table at the 7B Sunday event at Schweitzer Mountain, Independence Day celebration in Clark Fork, the Memorial Community Center in Hope, Pend Oreille Winery Sip n shop evening, and a table at the Christmas Craft Fair in the Bonner Mall. We also cleaned up our section of scenic highway 200 twice. We are very grateful to all the helpers for these events.

Additional exposure came from article in the Sandpoint Magazine summer issue. Advertisements were created for River Journal and Co-op magazines. We send out and post on our blog two annual newsletters – the native neighbor news. This publication details our activities. We have expanded our ability to introduce our nonprofit to the global community by expanding our reach through charity listing on several shopping/online sites as well as crowdfunding/donation sites. Locally: Yokes Market & Fred Meyers. Online: Amazon, Ebay, iGive, Good Shop/Good Search, Network for Good, Just Give, Welzoo, Good World, Razoo, Giving Grid, Love Animals & Go Fund Me. We are also investigating the sites:  global giving and generosity by indegogo. Each site for fundraising has their own level of ease and fees associated. Donation buttons are also linked to the facebook pages. We also are completing the project listing with justserve to gain volunteers. All these links are on our website. 

           

 

You can also check with your credit card company to find out if we are one of the recognized charities. For example through American Express the members give program supports recognized 501c3 nonprofits. 

We were saddened to see a local business close its doors after many years. Common Knowledge closed the summer of 2015. We had our series of books for children available with them. Five have been created:      Three (Logger’s Story, Logger Returns, Logger Makes New Friends) are enjoyable stores for younger children -perfect for bedtime stories and young readers. One is an activity book that everyone could find entertaining titled Fun time with Logger. It includes 54 activities such as crossword puzzles, word searches, dot to dot, wildlife trivia and color by number local birds. Adventures of a Wildlife Special Agent is the story written unlike most – it is a chose your own adventure book. The reader gets to decide which path the USFWS agent takes. Our hope is that readers young and old will enjoy the lessons taught by the story. We have been working to connect with a local artist to convert the entire Loggers Story series into a graphic novel (aka comic book).          They are still available at AHWF, Bonner Books, Vanderfords as well as online through the publisher Lulu     .             I believe they are also found through online book publishers – in the ebook formats: amazon’s kindle, barnes & nobles nook, kobu, apple’s ebook. The Sandpoint and Clark Fork Libraries have been given copies as well.  All proceeds go directly to AHWF; they provide a small amount of revenue for the cause of wildlife rehab and community education. An educational magazine that provides a portion of the subscription to help our cause is Bird Watchers Digest.

Funds  

We began the year with high hopes. A grant was being reviewed to allow us to construct a nature walk. We had sufficient funding to begin and complete our large aviary. A handful of public outreach events were scheduled – which allow not only education and awareness but also donation capacity. 

Our 2015 total expenses for the year were are $20,022. Despite being frugal, we still operate on a budget requiring a minimum $10,000 annually. The categories are Wildlife, Education & Outreach, and Administrative & General Operating.

Wildlife expenses were for food, medical supplies & attention, professional membership fees, fuel cost to deliver or retrieve wildlife, and enclosure building materials, Northern Lights electricity & Frontier phone. The mission of Education & Outreach costs included venue reservations, educational materials, & fuel reimbursement.  The total for this category is $9,740. This included the intern cost of $1,659. The cost to complete the large aviary was $7,500.    

We attended eight events and held one firewood raffle. This allowed our community to support us financially. We have several online platforms, shopping bars, and other programs which also provide a means to financially support our mission. The AHWF merchandise site on Café Press is a means to provide revenue as well as expand our reach into several different communities. Café Press offers items such as coffee mugs, teddy bears, a variety of tee shirt styles, tote bags, aprons and baby clothes. We also have the series of books written and illustrated by AHWF founders.  The total raised $2,387 

We are so grateful to Jackie, Judy, Sue, Jan, Darcy, Earthworks, Sharon, Donna, Monarch Market, Blue Lake RV, George, Scott, Mya, Kathleen, Tomas & Margaurite, Sandy, Deanna, Mary, Haden, Kara, Delorie, Jennifer, Jeannie, WW, Christine, Robert & Marilyn, Tammi, Melissa, Lois, Vance, Dave & Suzy, Susan, Jack & Diane, Alice, Sally, WCT. We also wish to thank those who gave supplies or readily traveled long distances, such as Priest River & Orofino to deliver the wild animals in need. Because of their contributions, we did not have to expend our financial resources. 2015 would not have been as successful without all of you! 

Each of these folks made regular pledges each month, joined the membership,   donated through online campaigns, or contributed significant amounts. They made the promise to present the present as a present for future generations. In 2016 … will you?

 The total revenue (including in-kind & labor) received to date an estimated $34,200 .

Future

First and foremost I will announce that we need more board members. Many of our current directors are retiring their volunteer positions due to health problems. We can have as many as seven members. Vacancies exist for all positions – basic Directors, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, and President. We must have a board of directors to remain compliant with all nonprofit regulatory agencies. Applications can be found online or call us directly. The obligation is a monthly meeting in whatever format (phone, email, in person) is chosen. The directors are the guiding force for the foundation. The tasks include reviewing the wildlife and financial information, planning and organizing outreach events.        

The immediate future promises sweets and fun. In 2016, we will offer a gourmet cheesecake and coffee fundraising event. Additionally, we will be bringing back the ‘wild Wednesday’ educational presentations. If you recall, in 2012/2013 AHWF offered monthly presentations on a variety of topics relating to our North Idaho environment and the inhabitants. These educational and entertaining evenings were well attended.  Keep posted on the dates by calling or checking our social media sites.            

At some point, before the Spring baby season begins, we need to replace our animal infirmary room floor. This room is our examination and intake room for new patients, a nursery for youngsters, as well as critical care unit for those with serious injuries. The floor is giving out from the heavy traffic. A crowdfunding site page has been established on GoFundMe. You can also submit a donation with the memo note for floor replacement. 

We will again pursue to hire interns to assist us during the busy Spring/Summer season – April/May through September. We hope to again find candidates that are willing to learn and be taught, able to live without cell phone or high speed internet and remain courteous despite long hours. Applications will be available on the website.  The 2015 interns completed an exit questionnaire. The results were 1) there is a great deal to learn and 2) the wish that the lead wildlife caregiver was more available. As you are aware, the lead caregiver has been affiliated with AHWF since day one, but has to supplement her income with several part time paying jobs. The quick solution would be to provide a cell phone with frontier phone service (they seem to be the most reliable of all the carriers for the Clark Fork region). The long term solution would be to raise sufficient funds and offer a seasonal part time position to allow side by side training.     

We will again join other Idaho Nonprofits for the IDAHOGIVES one day online day of giving. Each May all these charities come together in one place through Idaho Nonprofit Development Corporation to ask their communities to support their mission. Each year we have received generous support from those both near and far.

We applied for a grant to assist the creation of a meandering Nature Walk through the diverse habitat on the leased AHWF property. We did pass the first round of reviews but unfortunately did not make the final round. This could be a wonderful community service project for those able bodies willing to use rakes and shovels to level out the land, carry buckets of bark and mulch, pack wood beams to line the trail, paint signage, etc. Our hope for this trail is not only to offer hands on approach to outdoor education. Once completed, we would encourage school groups, seniors, and all others to schedule appointments and meet with one of our trained guides. We want everyone to get out and explore a sample of North Idaho wilderness in a safe and informative setting. We anticipated this type of educational opportunity could provide a stable means of revenue for AHWF. If you want to help us make this happen give us a call.          

We were not able to take advantage of the generous offer from the Bird of Prey NW founder. She offered to teach topics involving restraint, diagnosis of trauma & medical care for wing breaks so that we may improve our care of these valuable species. The time was simply not available. The mission of St. Maries based nonprofit is to provide education with and rehabilitation for injured raptors. Our newly completed 24 foot by 32 foot aviary will allow AHWF to offer our assistance to BoPNW and provide care for many of the raptor species in North Idaho.    

There will be two Scenic Highway 200 clean-up projects, traditionally April and October. We will also schedule two in-house clean-up projects – the spring spruce up and fall inventory days. With the exception of one year we have attended the annual celebration in Clark Fork on July 4^th for the past 15 years. We have attended the December Craft Fair in the Bonner Mall for the past several years. This is wonderful time to introduce our important mission and offer unique gift options.

Future plans for American Heritage Wildlife Foundation is continuing to expand our ability to care for all North Idaho wildlife species. The state of Idaho has granted permission for AHWF to construct and then receive a large game mammal rehabilitation permit. This means that all the calls relating to orphaned bear cubs or cougars can be immediately responded to. Idaho Black Bear Rehab in the Boise area has offered to assist in any way they can.           

American Heritage Wildlife Foundation is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization and all donations may be tax deductible. We are also an Idaho Nonprofit Incorporation; this does not however provide financial relief in any form. We are a member of the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association and the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. AHWF holds permits from the USFWS migratory bird department and Idaho State Fish and Game. The one acre we lease is a certified wildlife habitat. We are 100 % volunteer.       

                                                                            completed 28 December 2015 by K. St. Clair – McGee