Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care Open House 2012
A Golden Eagle, baby bobcats and bear cubs seek care at the LTWC.
With so many volunteer opportunities within our community, sometimes it’s a little difficult to chose which one would be the best fit. This summer, I decided to spend some time at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care. For me, it has helped me step outside of my comfort zone and feel like I am contributing some good to the community. Not to mention the beautiful animals we are helping rehabilitate so that they can live happy and healthy lives when they are returned to their natural habitats.
Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care is “an independent, nonprofit volunteer organization whose function is to raise, rehabilitate and release orphaned and injured wild birds and animals.” They rely heavily on volunteers and community support. Depending on the volume of the wildlife center, up to six volunteers a day are needed to cover shifts from 8am to 9pm. That’s not including the full time staff members, Sally, and Tom and Cheryl Millham who run the center 24/7 and have an unwavering devotion to helping these animals.
There is a lot of work to do each day, everyone pitches in. Some of the more unique daily duties include feeding the fledglings every 15 minutes, cleaning the three rooms of the bear enclosures (oftentimes WITH the bears in them), and working with the “Flight Team” in re-training injured eagles for flight. The most beneficial thing about volunteering at LTWC has been the wide variety of animals I have gotten the opportunity to come in contact with. So far this season, I have seen everything; red tail hawks, a baby river otter, bear cubs, bunnies, stellar jays, raccoons and more.
Once a year, LTWC opens its doors to the public, this is how I was originally introduced to LTWC, sparking my interest in volunteering there. It’s a great way for those in the community to learn and experience this unique operation that goes on right here in our back yards. For anyone interested in seeing the facility, getting the facts on the animals or learning about volunteer opportunities, the LTWC open house is this Sunday, August 5 from 10am-4pm. It is located at 1485 Cherry Hills Circle, South Lake Tahoe, CA.
For more information about the LTWC Open House, you can visit their website LTWC.org
Check out the LTWC Facebook page for the most recent updates and to see some great photos of the animals.
~Margo Stoney, Marketing Coordinator
