A
few years ago I had a bunch of short pieces of reclaimed lumber sitting
in the racks
at
my house that I knew I was never going to use. I put an ad on craigslist
giving it away to anyone
who
could use it. I got a call from Val & Mike Marler. She told me they
had a wildlife rehab
and
that they could use it all. So I saved it for them. A couple of days later
they came by.
After
they loaded it up, Val looked around and saw the racks and asked what I
did. I told her
and
she said if we ever had more to call her. I warned her that we always had
more. She wasn't
frightened
in the least. That began a great friendship. I have always loved helping
people
build things in my spare time, so I started going out to the ranch
to
help them build enclosures out of the wood we gave them. I also started
taking
everything we didn't need to them.
Since
that day we have helped build Racoon Alley, Chicken Town, Quail Run,
Bobcat
Blvd, C.A. Fawn Fwy, Terrapin Tollway and Possum Hollow.
Here's
the new Bobcat Pavilion in progress....
. 
The
Wildlife Center takes in animals that have been displaced from their nests
or injured,
rehabs
them and then when they can fend for themselves, release them back into
the wild.
It's
a wonderful thing they do and we're happy to be able to help out.
Val,
Mike and I have begun the planning stage for the expansion of the ranch
into an accredited
educational
facility, the first of it's kind that we know of. Not only will the wildlife
center
operate,
but staff will conduct classes and curriculum to teach others how to rescue
and
rehab animals. Initial classes began this year and more advanced classes
are planned next
year
and in the coming years. The idea is to become a fully accredited college
and
provide
another area of work for those interested in helping the environment.
Classes
will entail every aspect of the operation from building a basic enclosure
to
how
medically treat animals that have been seriously injured.
Hopefully
very soon, the wildlife center will be fully funded and the building
can
begin. We are all very excited about being able to introduce a new area
of opportunity
for
the people of the area to help with the environment. Not only will this
be beneficial to
the
animals, we hope to create career choices for people of all ages.
Visit
their sites below for more information. If you know of anyone who might
like to help
out
volunteering, please pass the link on to them, we can always use help!
In the pic below my wife is
holding
Hoover, a mature bobcat and a permanent resident of the Wildlife Center.
The
Wildlife Center at Crosstimbers Ranch
National
Bobcat Rescue and Research Foundation