52 To Do

Today I spoke with Lindsey Goodwick, the volunteer coordinator at the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation center. They’ve been rehabilitating wildlife for 28 years, helping between 2,000-3,000 animals each year representing over 130 different species.

Living in Boulder, I see wildlife around everyday from daily deer visits in our yard to squirrels and birds and even a fox that likes to sun itself up on the hill around from my house. In speaking to Lindsey, they work to educate the community and encourage more of a tolerance of living with wildlife. She shared that many animals arrive unnecessarily. They often have baby squirrels who have fallen from nests that will most often be gathered by their mothers or in other cases raccoons which have been displaced and deemed a nuisance. She encourages people to learn more about the wildlife in their area and to understand it’s where they often need to live too.

I have a soft spot for animals and of course it would be wonderful to be able to help take care of critters this cute. Lindsey does remind you these animals are wild and therefore need a healthy distance from domesticity. They try to minimize contact so the animals can be released back into the wild.  There are lots of ways to volunteer. If you are working at the facility with the animals they ask for a 4 hour/week commitment throughout the season. My travel schedule may make that difficult but there are also other ways to help.

They operate a thrift store in Boulder to raise money for supplies, accept donations, animal sponsorships and supplies needed for the animals.

This week I’m being reminded that volunteering can involve more than manpower and hours. Many places also need support in other ways.