Wildwoods updates of all sorts below (one funny, some happy, some sad, one quite terrible–read with caution):

Wildwoods

First, the funny:

A porcupine was walking across the Bong Bridge to from MN to Wisconsin yesterday morning. He was picked up by the authorities and brought to us. After an exam, he was released in some good habitat on the MN side (sorry dude).

Next, the happy updates:

The two Franklin ground squirrels are doing wonderfully, as are the other squirrels, the woodchuck, and the mice. The 3 eldest mice will be released today, and the other 6 will be released over the weekend. The crow is doing great, and we’ll probably release him this weekend.

The raccoons are doing well. The young bunnies have all opened their eyes and are doing well. The grouse, pigeons, blackbird, sparrow, bunting, and finch are doing well.

Now, the sad updates:

The spine-injured grackle was improving slowly. However, yesterday evening, she dislocated her hip. This isn’t fixable and renders that leg useless. We were forced to euthanize her.

We got a spine-injured raven from Hibbing, who was completely emaciated. He died just after arrival.

We also got a very sick fledgling robin who died soon after arriving.

Two goslings lately. The first story has a happy ending. A gosling had gotten separated from its family. With some coaching via phone, the caller brought it to the nearest goose family, where it was happily reunited or adopted.

The second gosling story is a terrible story, and illustrates the need to supervise and control pets. Please skip the next paragraph if you don’t have the stomach for it.

Here is the story that E. told us. E. is the caretaker for some children with developmental issues, and they’d been having a wonderful afternoon enjoying themselves at the Twin Ponds area, playing outside and watching the ducks and geese. Then a guy arrived and let three dogs, off leash and uncontrolled, out of his car. E. and the children watched in horror as one of the dogs ran down to the water and grabbed a gosling. E. yelled to the dog owner to control his dog and release the gosling, whereupon the man went to his car, got a bat, and started beating the dog with it.  The beaten dog dropped the now severely injured gosling and the man packed his 3 loose dogs into his car and fled. E. picked up the now dying gosling, rounded up the shocked, weeping children, and headed our way. Her story brought tears to our eyes. The only help we could give the gosling was a gentle release. There were many victims here–the gosling, the dog, the children, the gosling’s family, and E. There was one culprit–a dog owner who should have used a leash.

Back t0 better news

The two gulls convalescing in the bunny shed are finally ready to go! One had spinal trauma and could not walk for a few weeks, but is back to normal. The other was very sick but has recovered. Steve released them near the harbor, and they were glad to be free again!

Wild and Free successfully fostered out 4 trumpeter swan cygnets to a new family this last week. Wow!

A Volunteer Story

Jason Block, one of our star volunteers, is working as a camp counselor at Camp Miller this summer. A group of girls out horseback riding came across a young woodpecker on the ground. They were worried, so they picked it up and brought it back to camp.

Jason saw girls with the bird. He realized that the bird was a normal fledgling doing what fledglings do–spend time on the ground and in the low branches for several days before learning to fly, while their parents feed and care for them.

Jason and the group of girls took the bird back to where it had been found, put it back, and then watched from a distance. Sure enough, within an hour, one of the parents came and fed the youngster, and everything ended well.

Jason learned about fledglings and what to do for them while volunteering here, and now he’s shared that knowledge with a group of young people. What a powerful, positive learning experience Jason gave those kids!

We know we can only do small things here at Wildwoods, but we hope that, little by little, and person by person, these changes will ripple outward and change the world for the better. May this ripple continue to widen and swell. Thanks Jason!

Join us!

Would you like to volunteer with us? Come to our next volunteer orientation on July 27. Click here for more details, and to sign up: 

Wildwoods will host a walking tour of Hartley Nature Center with local wildlife, bird and other experts. Learn the tricks of identifying the natural world and our wild neighbors, while getting some exercise!  

More News and Tips from Wildwoods in the Budgeteer:

Thanks to Naomi Yaeger as editor, Elyse Hornstein as our inaugural author,  and to Trudy Vrieze for great pictures, we have a column in the Budgeteer.  Check us out online at:

Don’t turn a fawn’s nap into a ‘fawn-napping’!  &  Column: Why did the turtle cross the road?

…but also, support your local paper and its local advertisers, and read the Budgeteer!

Wildwoods at BridgeFest

Thanks also to our friends at the Twin Ports Bridge Festival, where we maintained a booth.  WW Outreach co-coordinator Lisa Lepak described it this way:  “A giant thanks to Terani Harris for being the best canopy-putter-togetherer ever, Amy Thompson-Laessig for being great at getting people to open their wallets, Katie Brey for helping with the fawn, carrying the SUPER heavy new canopy and for keeping me laughing when I wanted to scream, Amy Flynn for the wagon and the corn dog, Shawna Weaver for hanging out with us for a bit, Jennifer Evers-Baumann for helping break down even though she was there with her family and not on Wildwoods duty, the goats for keeping us giggling and the gentleman from 2 tents over for slicing his hand with a knife so severely that it required me to leave the event and take him to the hospital which provided us with a ‘what not to do’ at tabling events. Many laughs were had, many people were educated and I would table with any of you any time!!! Thanks again!!!!”

Finally:  Help us continue to be there for orphaned and injured wildlife and the folks who find them; make a tax-deductible donation today!)
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