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| Wildlife rehab center at risk of shutting down WELLINGTON -- The Findley Education Trail winds through nine habitats of native Florida species at the Folke Peterson Wildlife Center, allowing humans an up-close encounter with the true Florida natives of the animal world. But the trail that opened only last year may lead to nowhere if the center doesn’t find more operating cash fast. The five-year old wildlife rehabilitation center off Acme Road faces closing its doors within weeks without help, said Executive Director Heather Landstrom. Like every other non-profit, the center has seen a drastic drop in donations with the economic downturn. "It’s not that we have fewer donors, but the donations are smaller this year," Landstrom said. A grant they hoped would bring in $25,000 only totaled $5,000. People who traditionally sent $200 around Christmas time were sending checks for more like $20, she said. They could turn that around with help from the community, though. The Miami-based Batchelor Foundation has agreed to match all donations made to the center up to $300,000. "This grant means our survival," Landstrom said. "We run a lean, mean operation, but it still costs us a half-million dollars to maintain this place. The Batchelor Foundation was one of the first organizations to put their faith in us, and I don’t want to let them down. The attraction to potential donors is that every dollar becomes two, and we need the whole thing." Since its recent announcement that it faced closing its doors, Folke Peterson has received about $6,000, and many people have called to donate small checks. It all adds up, but the center really needs more like $40,000 before it could get a distribution from the grant, Landstrom said. Five years ago, the center opened on the 30 acres near the southwest corner of Southern Boulevard and State Road 7 where Wallace and Bonnie Findley had rehabbed birds for decades. The Findley’s three peacocks, Peter, Paul and Mary, still roam the property. It was built with a $2 million donation from the late Folke Peterson, a dairy farmer from western Broward County. Each year, the center’s work has grown exponentially. Today, the number of animals the center treats in a year is the same as what it saw in the entire first three years. While the economy has slowed and Florida’s housing market is lethargic, it hasn’t stopped the steady stream of displaced animals, Landstrom said. "Our program is to rescue, rehabilitate and release," she said. "We see better than 5,000 animals in a year, a total of about 15,000 since we opened in 2004." On any given day, Wildlife Care Manager Vered Nograd is operating on emergency cases as volunteers help feed displaced baby animals from droppers and others work with rehabbing birds in the flight cages. Landstrom, who became executive director last year, initiated new community programs, including tours on the Findley Education Trail. There, school-age children and other groups learn about various Florida natives, from wading birds to birds of prey, from reptiles to mammals, in their habitats along the trail. "We also function as an educational organization, and that function is in jeopardy. It’s our job to instill humane values to our young people," she said. The center has about 50 permanent residents along with the animals there to receive care. Those animals – like the tiny screech owl named Smokey who Landstrom has taken to community meetings, or the large Barred owl named Semi because he was hit by one – serve as ambassadors for the center. If the doors close, nobody really wants to talk about what will happen to the animals, she said. "They will have to be euthanized," she said. "Nobody else can afford to feed them." Landstrom is thinking positively, and sharing plans about paving the gravel-based Findley trail so kids in wheelchairs could access it. "If we survive and thrive, we’ll extend the trail to include an outdoor classroom," she said. "The potential of this place is what keeps us going." For more information or to make a donation, contact the Folke Peterson Wildlife Center at (561) 793-2473 or go online to fpwildlife.org. |
