Adirondack Wildlife Refuge to reopen May 7

WILMINGTON | Having lost co-founder Wendy Hall in January, the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge is preparing to celebrate her life with renewal at their nature preserve and education center. The trails reopen May 7 with operations managers Jackie and Kevin Woodcock, who worked with Wendy and husband, co-founder Steve Hall. Early in April, the management team announced seven projects underway as part of Adirondack Wildlife Refuge renovations with facilities to provide safe haven for abandoned or surrendered exotic and farm animals. "The Refuge has been a facility for injured and orphaned wildlife with an emphasis on education that promotes environmental awareness and positive human-animal interactions," Jackie wrote in a news release about reopening day. "We will not be conducting rehabilitation at this time but we have not ruled this out for the future," she said. "We will continue to rescue animals in need." Several farm and exotic animals have been adopted, she said. "They were either in need of a more spacious home or sustained special care injuries at their past facility. When animals are unwanted and abandoned, we will be the sanctuary that cares for them. "Education will remain our main priority and we will continue this mission on our Wilmington campus with educational programs on such topics as Responsible Animal Husbandry, Geology, Biology, Ecosystems, Insects (including pollinator conservation), Reptiles, Mammals, Survival skills and many more interactive subjects for adults and children alike." NATURE IMMERSION Encompassing 50 acres of forest land along the West Branch of the AuSable River, Jackie said AWR offers nature immersion and the ability to experience the healing power of the great outdoors. "It is our hope to be a retreat for inner-city kids to experience mountain life and all of its glory and to be an avenue of healing for (the men and women) who serve our country. We have created a plan for future educational programming that will engage the public in a fun and interactive way." Educational programs to be launched this year include interactive trails, a maze and art walks in sections of the refuge. Among goals for 2022, staff are planning to save over 1000 Monarch butterflies from habitat destruction and plant 30,000 milkweed seeds. They also plan to register as a Monarch Way Station. Insect and native bat habitats are part of the new program, along with classes to help educate the public about their role in nature. Classes planned include "What's The Buzz?" to teach bee basics, identification and biology and "Butterfly Beginnings," which will focus on identification and the life cycle of butterflies. Bird, bee and bat life cycles are part of the outreach repertoire, including a segment on "Snow Birds," teaching how to identify winter birds in the Adirondacks. Ongoing renovations include updates and relocation of the AWR Butterfly Conservation House, Jackie said in the newsletter. Among several innovative projects, AWR will be building an Amazing Wonders Maze to help people and children learn about the importance of pollinators for healthy ecosystems and worldwide food production. "The Maze will feature a Waggle Dance Platform where visitors can direct fellow maze walkers via hand and body movements, simulating the communication between honey bees in a hive," Jackie said. "This will promote physical activity and leadership skills both of which we believe are very important in developing youth." There will also be Bird Observation Tower and Sanctuary. "We plan to remove the enclosure previously used to house the bears as there is no plan to house dangerous animals at this time," the new managers said. The Observation deck will be rebuilt for handicapped access and become a bird watching tower. "The surrounding trees will be fitted with dozens of feeding and perching stations as well as natural snags to attract native birds of all kinds. We plan to display educational plaques of local bird species that may be observed. We will also develop three small bird blinds for amazing photographic opportunities." A Recycled Trail Art installation on the walking trail is also in the works along with an eco-exhibition on permaculture to help people learn more about no waste, closed-loop systems in nature. On-site exhibits will include natural composting, organic agriculture, water harvesting, natural building, energy, natural soil enrichment and waste management systems. REOPENING IN MAY "The Wildlife Refuge will reopen May 7th, and we will celebrate Wendy's life on May 21, scatter her ashes at the Refuge, rename the Welcome Center the Wendy Hall Welcome Center, and reopen with an expanded science program," Jackie said of the upcoming dates in May. Reopening on May 7 is from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Wendy's friends and followers, as well as the general public, are welcome to Wendy's Life Celebration on Saturday, May 21. All are invited to come and meet the new refuge animal family. Adirondack Wildlife Refuge is located at 977 Springfield Road in Wilmington.

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Adirondack Wildlife Refuge to reopen May 7

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