Capital Campaign for a New Wildlife Care and Education Center

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1 Capital Campaign for a New Wildlife Care and Education Center Study Prospectus, Winter 2014 Audubon Society of Portland is preparing for a capital campaign to build one of the preeminent wildlife care and education centers in the country. We invite you to review our plans and provide your input. Inspiring people to love and protect nature. For more than eighty years area residents have turned to Audubon Society of Portland for help with injured and orphaned birds and wildlife a Red-tailed Hawk hit by a speeding car, an orphaned River Otter lost without its family, and a Cedar Waxwing that crashed into a sliding glass door. Audubon Society of Portland s Wildlife Care Center has been here for our community, 365 days a year, and has provided over 100,000 birds and animals with a second chance at life in the wild. Located on NW Cornell Road, adjacent to Forest Park, the Wildlife Care Center is an incredible place. Each year its two-person staff and 140 volunteers provide dedicated medical care for about 3,000 bird and wild animals and respond to about 15,000 wildlife-related questions and concerns. We are the region s 911 for wildlife care. Today, the building is old, small and has no space to grow. Built on a shoestring budget when wildlife rehabilitation was still in its infancy, our Center was one of the first of its kind in the country. During a time of growing environmental awareness, the Wildlife Care Center was Audubon s response to the community s call for a place to treat injured and orphaned wildlife. We are now calling on the community for help. Whose heart doesn t soar with a wild bird regaining its freedom? The new Wildlife Care and Education Center will provide the highest quality of care for injured and orphaned wild animals, exceptional teaching and learning opportunities for staff and volunteers, and a place where the community can learn about and be inspired by living with urban wildlife. Meryl Redisch, Executive Director The Wildlife Care Center provides our community with: Rehabilitation: We save wild birds and animals. Education: We teach people how to take care of the natural world. Conservation: We make Oregon a healthy place for people and for wildlife.

2 It s Time for a New Wildlife Care and Education Center Audubon Society of Portland has been a recognized leader in conservation and urban wildlife for the past century. Built in 1987, our current Wildlife Care Center simply isn t equipped to meet the growing demand for wildlife care and education. The region needs a larger, more technologically-advanced Center one that will provide thousands more animals with modern care and treatment. A place where community members can go to learn about local wildlife, and how to live in harmony with it. A new Wildlife Care and Education Center will allow Audubon Society of Portland to remain on the cutting edge of wildlife care, education, research and advocacy. It is vital for protecting the amazing wildlife that surrounds us for decades to come. Inspiring people to love and protect nature since 1902 Our mission is to promote the understanding, enjoyment, and protection of native birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. We focus on our local community and the Pacific Northwest. Local students were startled when a juvenile Cooper s Hawk flew through their classroom window. They watched as he flew around the room, hit another window, and fell to the floor stunned. Surviving the classroom misadventure with a head and neck injury, the bird was brought to the Wildlife Care Center for treatment. After several days of medical care, the bird recovered and was released, in front of scores of students, to return to life in the wild. Window strikes kill up to a billion birds each year in the United States. Our Wildlife Care Center takes in victims of window strikes annually. Audubon Society of Portland is working to reduce that number. In 2012, with a grant from the US Department of Fish and Wildlife, we launched a new Resource Guide for Bird-friendly Building and Lights-Out Portland Program to help make both new and existing buildings friendlier to birds, protecting the wildlife that lives in or passes through our city. Audubon Society of Portland At-a-Glance: More than 13,000 members, one of largest chapters in the country Over 110 years old $2.7 million annual budget 30 staff 400 volunteers 20,000 people participate in educational programs and events every year Our Visionary Goals Thriving native bird populations Inspiring Audubon centers Engaged people Inclusive community Popular brand Robust organization Strategic management

3 The New Center Will Allow Audubon Society of Portland to: Save more birds and wildlife by providing more and better care for birds and animals that become orphaned or injured so they can be released back to the wild Strengthen advocacy for conservation by applying what we ve learned from years of wildlife care to inform the community about manmade hazards in the urban environment, and advocating for local and statewide policies to reduce threats to birds, other wildlife, and in some instances, humans Grow the next generation of conservation leaders by increasing and enhancing personal interactions with birds and wildlife through expanded care facilities, internships and volunteer opportunities, and educational programs like Jr. Wildlife Vet Educate and inspire the public to live with urban wildlife by responding to thousands more inquiries regarding orphaned or injured wildlife, and offering Living with Urban Wildlife programs, public releases of birds and raptors, and bird education presentations to people of all backgrounds throughout the region Our History Audubon Society of Portland has been a pioneer in conservation since We played a critical role in establishing the first wildlife refuges in the west at Malheur, Three Arch Rocks and Klamath. We successfully advocated for some of the first bird protection laws in the country with passage of the Oregon Model Bird Act in We led efforts to list the Northern Spotted Owl and Marbled Murrelet under the Endangered Species Act, protecting our ancient forests. Audubon Society of Portland was among the first wildlife conservation organizations to recognize the importance of protecting wildlife and nature close to home on our urban landscapes, and we promoted the creation of the Metropolitan Greenspaces Program and the protection of beloved natural areas like Oaks Bottom and Ross Island. photo courtesy of Michael Durham We were also one of the first organizations in the country to recognize the importance of providing a place to care for injured and orphaned wildlife. Today, we build upon that pioneering spirit through efforts to protect local natural areas like West Hayden Island, Oregon s coastal and marine habitats and breaking ground for a new Wildlife Care and Education Center.

4 Expanding Our Capacity to Care for Urban Wildlife For the past year, Audubon Society of Portland s board has been exploring how to invest in our conservation efforts and the feasibility of establishing a larger Wildlife Care and Education Center, at a new location. While the Care Center is just one of our many services, its replacement is an organizational priority. As part of our due diligence, we retained architecture firm, Portico, to help us develop a two-phase design for a new Wildlife Care and Education Center. Over the past several months, our board, staff, volunteers and community leaders have all been engaged in defining the vision and developing a successful plan for the Center. Phase One focuses on relocating our Cornell Road Center to a larger facility with easier access, more parking and room for growth. The new Wildlife Care and Education Center will greatly expand our capacity to care for orphaned and injured birds and wildlife, engage the community in intimate experiences with urban wildlife, and provide education to help everyone become a conservationist. Phase One Feature Today 2018 Benefits Facility layout 1/4 acre, 2,000 square feet with limited forest outdoor spaces Intake exam, treatment, surgery, housing, and ongoing rehabilitation done in the same general area 6,000 square feet indoors plus outdoor spaces, large flight cages for rehabilitation, nature discovery trails Appropriate separation of intake, triage, surgery and rehab functions to reduce hazards and improve patient recovery Serve more different types of wildlife Increased efficiency and service delivery Able to separate functions and reduce hazards More successful rehabilitations Expected life of facility Care of orphaned and injured birds and wildlife Educational Opportunities Staff and volunteers Operations Very limited current facility currently insufficient to meet needs Provide direct care for 3,000 wild animals each year A community resource for urban wildlife issues; with limited space for classes Staff veterinarian WCC operations manager 140 volunteers donating 21,870 hours annually $174,000 annually, supported by donations and grants 50 years+ Investment provides benefits for generations to come Have capacity to serve up to 5,000 wild animals each year Expanded resources to include Backyard Habitat Certification, urban wildlife issues and classes More opportunities for volunteers, interns, and researchers in wildlife care and education $320,000 supported by donations, grants and endowment More birds and wildlife rehabilitated and returned to the wild Increased understanding, care and appreciation of living with urban wildlife Major regional asset with national presence Provide more visibility, generating more community support for wildlife care and education Building design Built prior to many advances in green building practices Not accessible by mass transit. Very limited wheelchair accessibility Will incorporate best practices for sustainability and building with nature including ecoroofs, sustainable stormwater features, onsite habitat protection and restoration, renewable building materials, high efficiency use of energy, water and other resources, and bird friendly building design. Environmentally friendly building will attract more visitors and increase opportunities to educate and inspire the public to live with urban wildlife Accessible by mass transit Wheelchair accessible

5 Community Outcomes The impact of the new Wildlife Care and Education Center will be far reaching: Everyone in the Portland Metro area will have access to the 911 center for urban wildlife More orphaned and injured birds and wild animals will be rehabilitated and returned back to the wild Children and adults who encounter intimate experiences with wildlife will learn what they can do in their own backyards and increase their awareness of conservation Appreciation and care for Portland s urban wildlife and green environment will increase, positively impacting advocacy efforts to protect it Data collected will inform research into wildlife health and resiliency in urban environments and help improve future practices and policies Portland and Oregon s reputation as a green place to live and work will increase, attracting more conservation-minded individuals and businesses to our state Budget and Timeline Although we are not yet site specific, we are exploring opportunities that meet our criteria. We established a $8 million working budget for the capital project and related planning and fundraising costs. The capital project will be funded through a combination of revenue sources and philanthropic investments, including: Individuals, foundations, and corporations Allocation of estate gifts already received by the Audubon Society of Portland Partnerships with local institutions and public services Ongoing operations will be funded through Audubon Society of Portland s annual budget and supported by contributions, grants, and memberships. Endowment growth over time will help to ensure programming is robust. Our preliminary timeline includes: 2014: Architectural plan and campaign planning studies completed 2014: Board decision regarding how to best move forward, site selection and quiet phase of fundraising : Full fundraising campaign and project planning 2017: Construction begins 2018: Opening of new Wildlife Care and Education Center (Phase One) Our city is home, not just to people but also to hundreds of species of birds and wildlife that live and migrate through our urban landscapes. Audubon works to build healthy urban landscapes for people, birds and wildlife. Our Wildlife Care and Education Center is a critical part of that effort, promoting wildlife stewardship and giving birds and wild animals a second chance when accidents do occur. Bob Sallinger, Conservation Director

6 Audubon Society of Portland is the only place in Portland that provides care for injured and orphaned wildlife. We need a new Wildlife Care and Education Center to protect the amazing wildlife that surrounds us for decades to come. David Mandell, Board President You Can Help! Audubon Society of Portland retained Collins Group, a division of Campbell & Company, to conduct a capital campaign planning study. Although we are not yet site specific, we are exploring opportunities that meet our criteria. We established an $8M working budget for Phase One of the capital project and related planning and fundraising costs. In addition to philanthropy, we are considering in-kind support, government grants and other partnership opportunities. You are invited to provide your input to help shape the vision and final plans for the new facility. If you have questions about the campaign study or are interested in learning more about giving to Audubon Society of Portland, please contact Ann Takamoto, Development Director, at or atakamoto@audubonportland.org. Audubon Society of Portland is a Four Star rated Charity!