In this issue:
• Thanks to YOU, we met our goals!
• The Eagle has a Name
• A Recap of the Year
• Upcoming Events
|
 Thanks to YOU, we met our goals!
Thank you so much to everyone who made a donation, joined or
renewed their membership, or sponsored a bird since our last
e-newsletter! We met both our challenge grant goal AND our 20th
anniversary goal, and more! A total of $36,000 in contributions! I
cannot express how very appreciative I am for all the support for our
birds - especially to those who made an extra contribution, and
sometimes two, just to help us meet this challenge! Our deep
appreciation also to the long time, very generous donors who created the
challenge. We owe so much of our development to their support and
guidance over the years.
Including grants, admissions and gift shop sales (thanks to everyone
who did some holiday shopping with us!), we had our second best December
ever.
As we start into our 21st year of service to our shared community, we
very much thank you for being the wind beneath our wings, enabling us
to do all that we do: your support contributed 54% of our income last
year. And your belief in what we do keeps us going.
|
 The Eagle has a Name
After receiving over 560 names from nearly 400 people - ranging
from a Marine in Afghanistan to an inmate of a county jail - our naming
committee got to work! In honor of the eagle’s previous name, we
wanted a Native American name but one that was uniquely Oregon.
After a week of winnowing through the submissions, researching meanings,
pronunciation and spellings, we unanimously selected "Celilo"
(suh-LIE-lo). Our sincere thanks to all the participants, to Sue
Matsyzak and Sandy Jenness for help in narrowing the field, and to Joe
and Brenda Brainard, and Pony and Jeanne Gilbert for their guidance and
help in the final selection.
The name Celilo was submitted by Nola Nelson, who remembers visiting
Celilo Falls before the dam was built in the 1950’s. “The name,” said
Nola, “just jumped at me when I saw the photo in the paper. As a child, I
had the privilege of seeing the Falls during the last dip net fishing
season before they were submerged, and I have never forgotten it.”
Ms Nelson will enjoy a personal visit with Celilo and CRC staff for
submitting the chosen name.
The Native American settlement of Celilo has a history that goes back
some 15,000 years. As one of the longest, continuously inhabited
villages in North America, Celilo was a gathering and trading place for
tribes from as far as the Great Plains, Alaska, the coast of California
and all points in between. Celilo Falls was a stretch of the Columbia
River which was a critical salmon fishing area for the local tribes, and
those who came to visit. In 1957, The Dalles Dam, one of a string of
dams along the Columbia built during the 50's, drowned the Falls, the
village, and a way of life. Relocated to higher ground, the
settlement continues and has become a symbol of perseverance and
resilience. So, too, has this eagle been through an injury and
persevered, spending the last 8 years of his life - and now his future -
spreading the word of wildlife conservation to thousands of people.
The Bald Eagle is a much revered bird in most Native American
cultures and the national symbol of the United States. But as a
representative of its own species and all wildlife, Celilo’s name also
aptly reflects the struggle to survive in the face of human-caused
habitat changes and pollutants, such as DDT - the chemical pesticide
responsible for pushing the Bald Eagle to the brink of extinction.
We hope you can all find the time to come visit Celilo sometime this year and welcome our newest resident.
|
 A Recap of the Year
2010 was a challenging year, and we took as many cost-cutting
measures as we could ... but there’s a basic level of need that is
fixed: food for the birds, mortgage payments, utilities, medical
supplies, and the much-less-then-they-deserve salaries for our
hard-working, talented small staff. We didn’t have the funds to
expand our marketing in the last year, but were delighted to see the
numbers of general public visitors climb 30% above 2009. Over 10,000
people visited the center during this last year! Although
field trips and classroom programs are still down, given the state of
school funding, we continue to attract student groups from as far as
Ashland, Newport, John Day, Riddle, Roseburg, Salem and Corvallis, even
Vancouver WA.
Our volunteer pool has grown - and a more committed and skilled group of
people is difficult to imagine. Although we haven’t yet tallied
the total time contributed for the year, it is expected to meet or
surpass 2009's record 20,000 hours. Staff and education team volunteers
have been spending long hours training resident birds, with the goal of
providing stimulus, enrichment and exercise. Birds are flying to
the glove, if able, or between two or more points; if non-flighted, they
are getting exercise through 'target-training' - running and jumping
from place to place for food rewards. And that means visitors are
seeing a lot more birds out of their aviaries, up close and personal -
definitely a win-win for us all!
The cool, wet spring and summer made baby season a bit unusual - with
different species coming in at all different times, rather than in the
previously fairly predictable pattern - and many of them were very
thin. We also missed the usual August lull, with some very late
youngsters coming in even then.
We did without our Assistant Director for five weeks, while she was
working 15 hour days in the steamy Gulf heat washing oiled birds.
We are so proud of her and her contribution to that effort! She
came back with new knowledge and skills and a network of new contacts in
the wildlife rehabilitation field.
The fall and winter of each year is always the most challenging -
financially and emotionally. In the Seasons of Rehab, this is
‘trauma and starvation season.’ Young and/or migrating birds in
unfamiliar territory, taking risks, getting hurt; not having their
hunting skills down. Even adults, of course, can have accidents
and do - like the red-tailed hawk stuck in the grill of a beverage truck
on Christmas eve. Last year we saw 201 patients in the clinic,
down from 2009's record breaking 237, which was something like 40% above
our 19 year average.
And now it’s over and we’re wondering what 2011 holds in store! We are so grateful you are along for the ride!
|
 Upcoming Events
Come visit us at the Good Earth Home Show at
the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene - Friday, Saturday and Sunday,
January 21-23rd. We'll be there with the birds and 'Raptor
Theater'! Admission is free.
| Friday |
6:00 pm |
Whooo's in Your Backyard? All about Owls! |
| Saturday |
12 noon |
Hunters of the Sky |
|
|
|
|
3:00 pm |
Native American Storytelling w/ Pony Gilbert |
|
6:00 pm |
Hunters of the Sky |
|
|
|
| Sunday |
12 noon |
Hunters of the Sky |
|
|
|
|
3:00 pm |
Native American Storytelling w/ Pony Gilbert |
And, of course, lots of arts, crafts, good local food, and sustainable commercial products and services.
And, members: mark your calendar now for our Earth Day Members Event
- Saturday, April 23rd. Plan to come help us celebrate the earth,
air, water, and world we share with wildlife! And feel free to
bring a friend interested in joining our circle of supporters.
Family Nature Discovery Days will again take place
on the last Sunday of May, June, July, August and September. Our
thanks in advance to KVAL for their sponsorship of these fun events.
|
|
