On a recent morning, Rachel Blackmer, a veterinarian and
director of a wildlife rehabilitation center, started her day
by donning surgical gloves and carefully placing a catheter
into the wing of a severely dehydrated red-tailed hawk.
That same morning, Ellen Gugel, the executive director of a
land trust, slipped into hiking boots and walked the perimeter
of a newly-acquired one-acre parcel in the Waquoit area of
Falmouth. She made her way along the Red Brook, passing by
cedar trees where native ospreys sometimes perch.
At first blush, the lives of Blackmer and Gugel look quite
different. But the two women have more in common than an
appreciation for nature. Their organizations, the Cape Wildlife
Center and the Orenda Wildlife Land Trust, both work to protect
wildlife and their habitats on Cape Cod. The two organizations
have a common founder, Cape Cod resident Barbara Birdsey. And
often, animals successfully rehabilitated at the Cape Wildlife
Center, a program of The HSUS, are released on Orenda
lands.
So it's appropriate that the Cape Wildlife Center and the
Orenda Wildlife Land Trust came together to host a black
tie-optional gala fundraiser on September 12, 2003. Sponsored
by numerous Cape Cod businesses, financial institutions, and
sister organizations, such as the International Fund for Animal
Welfare, the second annual "Back to the Wild Gala" was held at
the Wianno Club in Osterville, Massachusetts.
A Fitting Guest of Honor
Featured guest of honor for the event was Hope Ryden, a
renowned author and naturalist. An icon in the animal
protection community after she helped secure permanent
protection for America's wild horses, Ryden represents the
interests of such other downtrodden animals as beavers, bobcats
and coyotes. She was the 1981 recipient of The HSUS's highest
honor, the Joseph Wood Krutch medal. In her remarks, she spoke
eloquently and passionately of the dual missions of the need to
preserve wildlife habitat and the need to rehabilitate wild
animals.
Ryden's support for habitat protection and wildlife
rehabilitation are tied to her belief that the greatest threat
to wild animals in the northeast is development.
"The animals have no place to go," she said. "Animals need
not only need land but also corridors among lands. They can't
simply be put in pockets here and there to survive."
But wildlife rehabilitation is also close to the author's
heart. "When I was young, I'd bring baby birds home and try to
raise them, as so many children do, thinking they were
abandoned. Of course now I know they were just fledglings that
didn't need my help. I was always curious about what is the
right feed for this animal, how does it live, where should I
put it when it gets well."
Founded in 1986, Orenda Wildlife Land Trust seeks to protect
wildlife and its habitat by acquiring land that is held in
perpetuity as open-space wildlife sanctuaries. The trust has
brought permanent protection to nearly 800 acres of land since
its founding, and currently owns and manages more than 300
acres of wildlife sanctuaries on Cape Cod and in southeastern
Massachusetts.
A program of The HSUS since 1995, the Cape Wildlife Center
cares for nearly 1,400 injured, sick and orphaned wild animals
each year and provides training in wildlife care and
stewardship to veterinary and undergraduate students from
around the world. The center also educates community
businesses, residents and visitors about humane solutions to
human-wildlife conflicts through its hotline services.
Other Highlights of the
Evening
Known to many residents of Cape Cod through his long-running
"Bird Watcher's Report" radio show, author and naturalist Peter
Trull served as the master of ceremonies for the evening. Trull
is the author of A Guide to the Common Birds of Cape Cod,
Billie's Bird-Day, and Coyotes in the Neighborhood.
Formerly the education director of the Center for Coastal
Studies in Provincetown, he has worked for several naturalist
organizations on Cape Cod, and has spent years studying roseate
terns and eastern coyotes.
The HSUS's Dr. John Grandy paid tribute to the memory of Dr.
John F. Kullberg and his enduring efforts on behalf of
preserving wildlife habitat through his aptly named
"Sanctuaries Without Walls." Kullberg had been a strong
supporter of both the Cape Wildlife Center and the Orenda
Wildlife Land Trust.
Grandy was presented with an award of his own at the event:
dedication of an Orenda Wildlife Land Trust property, The
Cedars wildlife sanctuary, in his name.
The gala was attended by numerous board members, business
leaders, and legislators, including Senators Edward Kennedy
(D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA) and Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA).
The evening featured jazz music by Lou Columbo; a casino
night; a silent auction that included works of art,
wildlife-themed crafts, and trips; and food catered by the
Casual Gourmet.
Despite the different backgrounds of its many participants,
the gala exemplified the power of collaboration. Gugel summed
up the feeling of cooperation fostered by the event: "It's
refreshing when two non-profit organizations can work together
to raise funds for mutual benefit, especially when they serve
the same population," she said.
