VOLUNTEERING AT SQUIRREL REFUGE
Being able to watch an injured animal recover and be successfully released back into the wild is one of the most fulfilling things a person can do.
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Squirrel Refuge began more than a decade ago when a Vancouver-area woman named Jackie Marsden discovered a pink, helpless newborn baby squirrel while mowing her lawn one day. She took the animal in, not having any clue what it was- she first assumed it was a baby possum- and tried to find a place for it to go. She immediately discovered that there wasn't any organization in her area that would take the infant, and that if she wanted the squirrel to survive to maturation, the responsibility was hers.
Two years later, she received her wildlife rehabilitator's license (the only rehabilitator in Clark County) and began to work with all manner of wildlife in the greater Portland area, enlisting the aid of volunteers and assistants in order to make sure that the injured and orphaned animals of Portland would have somewhere to go. Still, the effort has been tremendous. Squirrel Refuge has never had more than a single licensed rehabilitator- Mrs. Marsden, who has made up the difference by enlisting the aid of several volunteers. But Mrs. Marsden works a full-time job in addition to her work with Squirrel Refuge and there are always more orphans to care for. The average number of animals in-care per year is about 600. During the peak seasons, in the spring and fall, Mrs. Marsden alone can be responsible for up to 200 animals at a time. |
wildlife work
constructionBuilding Squirrel Refuge's facilities and the tools of the job- for example, nest boxes for wildlife releases- is an essential part of operations.
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Animal CareCaring for orphaned wildlife is a full-time job that requires highly-specific knowledge about wildlife diets, behavior, and life cycles.
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ReleasesWhen an animal has been successfully rehabilitated, the final step will be to find an ideal site for it to be placed back into its native habitat and release it.
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About Squirrel Refuge
Squirrel Refuge, despite its name, handles many kinds of different wildlife from a wide variety of sources. While there are certain animals that they are not properly equipped to care for, the organization has transfer agreements with other rehabilitators in the area and work rapidly to make sure animals are sent to places with proper facilities.
To compensate for the lack of government funding (the government contributes tax rebates, but little more) for facilities and the lack of funds to pay for staffing, Squirrel Refuge has turned to a distributed network of volunteers and assistants who are willing to care for animals while they mature and prepare them for release. In practice, Squirrel Refuge's main facilities- located out of Jackie Marsden's Vancouver home- operate as a kind of "last-stop" on the way to release for animals; the facilities there include a medical supply depot and outdoor enclosures used to acclimate wildlife to natural conditions before release. While in the enclosures, animals have no human contact in order to help them "wild up" pre-release. This is extremely important, as animals that are accustomed to being fed by humans will be poorly-adjusted for life in the wild.
My main responsibilities at Squirrel Refuge included caring for infant wildlife, construction, and releases. As infants, many smaller mammals require round-the-clock care, and some need to be fed as often as every few hours! As infants, most of the animals Squirrel Refuge receives are small enough to be bottle-fed with specially-modified syringes tipped with rubber nipples. An artificial milk solution is prepared, heated, and distributed. This might seem like a minor task, but when Squirrel Refuge is swamped in Spring and Fall, this can sometimes be several hours of work- and keep in mind, many of these animals need to be fed every few hours! So the labor quickly adds up.
There's nothing more satisfying than a successful release. Many of the animals released are ones that I've seen from the very beginning of their time with Squirrel Refuge, from the moment we receive them, to the long struggle of recovery, and to release. Many have known little else but our care, and it is always thrilling to see them adapt and thrive in the site of release during a routine check-up afterward.
To compensate for the lack of government funding (the government contributes tax rebates, but little more) for facilities and the lack of funds to pay for staffing, Squirrel Refuge has turned to a distributed network of volunteers and assistants who are willing to care for animals while they mature and prepare them for release. In practice, Squirrel Refuge's main facilities- located out of Jackie Marsden's Vancouver home- operate as a kind of "last-stop" on the way to release for animals; the facilities there include a medical supply depot and outdoor enclosures used to acclimate wildlife to natural conditions before release. While in the enclosures, animals have no human contact in order to help them "wild up" pre-release. This is extremely important, as animals that are accustomed to being fed by humans will be poorly-adjusted for life in the wild.
My main responsibilities at Squirrel Refuge included caring for infant wildlife, construction, and releases. As infants, many smaller mammals require round-the-clock care, and some need to be fed as often as every few hours! As infants, most of the animals Squirrel Refuge receives are small enough to be bottle-fed with specially-modified syringes tipped with rubber nipples. An artificial milk solution is prepared, heated, and distributed. This might seem like a minor task, but when Squirrel Refuge is swamped in Spring and Fall, this can sometimes be several hours of work- and keep in mind, many of these animals need to be fed every few hours! So the labor quickly adds up.
There's nothing more satisfying than a successful release. Many of the animals released are ones that I've seen from the very beginning of their time with Squirrel Refuge, from the moment we receive them, to the long struggle of recovery, and to release. Many have known little else but our care, and it is always thrilling to see them adapt and thrive in the site of release during a routine check-up afterward.
How many volunteering organizations will let you experience this?
In summation
Volunteering at Squirrel Refuge is one of the most satisfying things I've personally ever been able to do. The kind of work they do is very important for maintaining the balance of the ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest- most of the animals they work with form the foundation of the food chain that the traditionally more-valued wildlife- eagles, wolves, bears, etc. rely upon for survival. And there's no beating that feeling when receiving an orphaned animal from someone who is just glad that there's someone out there to care for it.
