Wild ConnectionsWinter 2014

Those Special DaysBy Emily Bertino, Executive Director

Thinking about the holidays always brings to mind the days during the year that stand out from the rest. Days that are so full of happy moments they seem to last forever. Days that bring a surprise visit from friends, or the completion of a project or make you feel you made a difference in the world - these are always the best days.

This year YWS has had more special days than we can count. After a very bumpy start, 2014 has ended up being more fulfilling, more rewarding and much better for the lives of our animals than we could have imagined.

Getting to where we are now was a whirlwind of activity. I’m sure I can speak for staff and volunteers when I share that there were moments when all the work, projects and challenges seemed overwhelming. We had two major construction projects, continuous repairs to our buildings and significant improvements to every habitat, all with a reduction in staffing levels. Our small team performed incredible acts of persever-ance and dedication.

Through all the changes, one thing kept happening that kept us strong, motivated and determined. We experienced a continuous stream of good will and support from our community. Every day this year we received a call or a letter or a visit from someone who wanted to help us succeed. Every day this year one of us was stopped in town and told we were doing a great job and please keep it up and asked, “What can I do to help?” Those moments were so powerful and touching that we often became emotional in our responses.

It is hard to explain to most people what it means to do “cause” work. Working for a cause differs from any other type of job, as all nonprofit employees will tell you. It is a constant tug of war between elation and exhaustion. It is a daily dose of grueling work and complete joy. For us, the work is always worth it. For us, the joy never goes away.

Even in the darkest moments, we can always watch one of our animals playing in its home, or witness a child’s eyes go wide with excitement at seeing a cer-tain animal for the first time. We know we make those moments happen, but we never take for granted why we are allowed to do it. We are the tools, we have the talent, but it is the constant support of our community that truly makes every special day possible.

So during this holiday season of thanks and celebra-tion, please accept our heartfelt gratitude for taking such good care of YWS, the animals, the staff and the volunteers. Your support allows us to continue to widen the eyes and minds of children of all ages.

YWS TeamAnimal CareTeresa Loya, ManagerTimothy Stephenson Erin Bell

FacilitiesMark FinkenTom Sly

EducationVic Loya, Director

Guest ServicesSue GlockMallori Manson

AdministrationEmily Bertino, Executive DirectorLinda Masters

Board of DirectorsJim Richards, PresidentClare Witcomb, Vice PresidentMark Eder, SecretarySamantha ThomasKim EderJoan GuralnickSusan RobbinsShann Hannon

MissionGiving lifelong sanctuary to non-releaseale native wildlife, and sharing a

message of conservation and education.

Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary

615 2nd St EastRed Lodge, MT 59068

406-446-1133www.yellowstonewildlifesanctuary.org

The Wildlife Connection, our education outreach program, helps students gain an understand-ing and appreciation of Greater Yellowstone wildlife. This year the program has been wildly successful. We visit students of all ages in the classroom and teach the importance of wildlife habitats, identifying animal adaptations, animal classifications, and predator-prey relationships. It only takes a few examples to get students en-gaged in learning and discovery.

We are helping local fifth graders prepare for their Yellowstone Park trip by learning the taxonomy of wildlife, and with our help a third grade stu-dent is presenting his research on coyotes to a kindergarten class.

To complete the circle of the education program, classrooms visit YWS grounds for tours to see the animals up close and observe the behaviors they learned about in school. It has been a very busy season for tours, and we have already hosted over 1,600 kids!

It has been a pleasure to work with the teachers and kids in our area and we have expanded our department to include lesson plans on our website. Check out the Education tab on our website for details or call or write us for more information.

- Vic Loya

EDUCATION: The True Wildlife Connection

New Baby Animalsby Teresa Loya

We are excited to announce two new animals at YWS! We were selected by a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Colorado to receive a one year old male North American Porcupine. We named him Rocky. Our education mission and focus on animals indigenous to the Yellowstone ecosystem is why we were chosen. Rocky loves his new home and enchants our visitors with vocalizations and his backward moon walk.

Our second animal is a five month old female Yellow Bellied Marmot. She was found orphaned in Wyo-ming and was injured with a broken leg. Named Margarita by a volunteer, she was seen by a veteri-narian in Cody and approved by the state wildlife de-partments in both Montana and Wyoming to be placed with us. She is now in good health. Being a true hibernator she is sleeping through the winter in our warm barn. Margi will be greeting visitors in her new enclosure this coming spring.

On Volunteering“Volunteering has brought such joy to my life. After my husband passed away in 2000, I was visiting the sanctuary, then called the Beartooth Nature Center, when I noticed a flower bed with one daffodil in it. I asked if I could plant some flowers in it. That started my 14 year “job” at the Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s been such a joy to be among all of nature’s beauty over the years. I’ve been helped along the way by many people and now each summer the grounds are filled with color. Come visit YWS to see our animals and enjoy Mother Nature’s show.”

- Clare Witcomb

EDUCATION: The True Wildlife Connection ON THE GROUND

One of the greatest things about being located in Mon-tana is the immense p r ide eve r yone has in our natural beauty, our wildlife and the attractions that bring visitors to our state. The state Office of Tourism awarded us a grant in 2013 to improve our grounds, walkways and educational signage. Receiving this grant has allowed us to transform our facility. Being located on a north- facing hill on the old city dump provides endless chal-lenges, but the worst is the year round flooding. Thanks to the grant, we were able to excavate and grade the northwest section of our facility. With the help of many hard working volunteers, we took down old habitats that were rotting in the standing wa-ter, recycled most of the materials into new, larger habitats for the ravens and crows and created a beautiful, safe new picnic area. Thank you State of Montana and everyone who worked on this enormous project!

COMMUNITY

We have been shown this year how privileged and blessed we are to have so many dedicated people in our lives and the lives of our animals. Many fund raising events take place throughout the year, and we are thrilled to share a quick summary of some of them with you here…

Wildlife Jamboree – We had over 700 people on our grounds for our free family fun day. We introduced “Help Feed The Bears” as a fund raiser, had animal presenta-tions, played educational games, and made many new friends! Thank you to everyone who came out and helped raise money for our summer programs and animal care.Red Lodge Community Fun Run – Another fabu-lous and humbling event for YWS, as we came in the top three organizations for money raised by the community! We received over $23,000 dollars from this wonderful event which benefits all nonprofits in our county. Thank you RLACF and all sponsors and donors for choosing YWS and caring about wildlife and education!The Feast for the Beasts – The big one! It was a party, it was dinner, it was auctions, it was costumes, but most of all it was a room full of happy people who care about our mission. New and old friends alike came out to show their support, and because of them, we raised over $28,000 for YWS animals and programs! It was a Happy Hallow-een for sure!

Where Do We Go From Here?We have made lots of progress this year, but there is still much to do. In addition to daily operation costs, our facility still needs many repairs and upgrades to keep the animals safe and healthy. We also hope to expand our education programs to include onsite classes and workshops.

Saying GoodbyeLifelong sanctuary means our animal friends live here until the end, and this summer we had to say

goodbye to our dear friend Charlie the raccoon. His antics and playful spirit will be remembered always.

The Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary Needs Your Help

This Holiday SeasonIt costs over $46,000 per month to feed and care for our

animals. Continual support is necessary to keep the sanctuary going, and you can help. Please consider giving a holiday

donation so YWS can become a strong, sustainable organization able to fulfill our mission for many years to come.

The Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary is a 501(3)(c) non-profit organization. Your gift is tax deductible and always appreciated!

Before

After

PO Box 675 615 2nd St EastRed Lodge, MT 59068

The generosity of the following people and companies make our special events possible. Thank you for all you do.

Bert and Jo Ann Eder MKC Family Clare Witcomb Phillips 66 NorthWestern Energy Walmart Alphagraphics ExxonMobil Grizzly Peak Animal Hospital Altana Credit Union CHS, Inc. Elizabeth Scanlin, Attorney at Law First Interstate Bank Rimrock Subaru Red Lodge Beverages Bank of Red Lodge Terrell’s Office Machines, Inc. FM 99 The Mountain

Our new signs are here! Each habitat will soon have a gorgeous new sign thanks to the State of Montana TIIP Grant. We’d also like to thank all the classrooms who participated in the making of the animal art!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Best wishes to you and yours during this special season.