TRACKS FROM

TURTLE RIDGE A nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to the preservation of the environment and peaceful coexistence

with nature.

Wildlife Am·bas·sa·dor noun

A high ranking official representative of the

animal kingdom.

Sometimes even our best efforts aren’t enough

and an injury is so severe the animal can never be

released. These beautiful creatures are allowed to

live out their lives with us at Turtle Ridge as a

wildlife ambassador. Join us for Wildlife Warrior

Weekend (details on page 7) to meet our special

friends!

Turtle Ridge Wildlife

Center provides

injured and

orphaned, native

wild animals a

second chance at life.

Veterinary Advisors

Erica Lipanovich, DVM

Janette Ackermann, DVM

Richard Hillmer, DVM

Don Howard, DVM

‘The Wildlife and Its

Habitat Cannot

Speak…So We Must

and We will…

Theodore Roosevelt

Board of Directors

Debbie Sasser-President

Robyn Baty-Vice President

Stephen Goins-Secretary

Genevieve Sheridan-

Member

Francesca Morrison-

Member

Staff Directors

Jessy Gill-Animal Care

Director, Development

Director, Center Manager

Mary Bliss-Volunteer

Executive Director

Charles Harmansky-

Johnson-Executive Assistant

& Assistant Animal Care

Director

Advisory Board

Brian Bliss

Vickie Stiteler

Fall – Winter 2016

Aztec, golden eagle,

has only one wing

Cawner, American crow Our Mascot, Optimus,

Sulcata Tortoise

Cheyenne, American

Kestrel

Griffin, Turkey Vulture,

enjoying the rain

COMMENTS FROM MARY BLISS, VOLUNTEER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Listening to an interview

recently on NPR, I heard a

statement that really made an

impact. The interviewee

referenced a line from the film

“The Untouchables“ and Sean

Connery’s character responded

to another who was

complaining about the state of

affairs in his community,

“What are you prepared to do

about it?”

Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center

was started in 2005 to fill a gap

in our community – taking care

of wild animals that are

displaced, injured, sick or

orphaned. We are 1 of only 2

Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers

in Western Oregon that take all

species. One is in Corvallis and

we, in Salem, serve Marion,

Polk, Yamhill and all the

counties in and surrounding

Portland. We are permitted for

Birds (including Raptors &

Waterfowl) as well as

Mammals. We saw the

problem in our community –

there was no one for these

animals. So we prepared – with

volunteers, training and a

vision. This year we will finish

with intake of 1,300 individual

animals and suspect this will

continue to steeply grow. Our

mission is very passionate for

us. Simply, we want to end the

suffering. We provide medical

care to those injured or sick and

we raise orphans to healthy

juveniles ready to be on their

own and released back to a safe

and natural environment.

Oregon was the number 1

relocation state for people in

2015. Every year about 35,000

people are moving to

Western/Central Oregon and

this is putting extreme pressure

on our wildlife. Since 2000,

Oregon has lost over 500,000

acres of pristine forest and

600,000 acres of agricultural

land. Much of this is in the

Willamette Valley

(Oregonwild.org). This loss of

habitat has a direct impact on

our beautiful wild animals.

All of us get weary. But never

do we lose our passion. All it

takes is one look in the eyes of a

cold and starving baby or feel

the pain of a broken wing and

we know we can keep doing it

and keep doing it. We are their

only hope.

We are a business like any

other business with utilities and

insurance bills and

maintenance on our equipment,

buildings and grounds. We are

frugal and creative in saving

every dollar we can. Our

budget of $150,000 is low for

what we do – very low. But

you can imagine how hard it is

to raise that every single year

when we don’t charge for our

services. It surprises many to

hear that we receive not a dime

in funding from any federal,

state, county or city sources.

We rely SOLELY on private

donations and a few small

grants.

If you love the beautiful flora

and fauna of our state, can you

help us do our part? Are you

prepared to do something

about it by helping us? We

need you!

“We are their only hope…We need you!”

Newborn Raccoon

Baby Barn Owlets

Chipmunk

Baby Skunks

4 of 10 American

Kestrel hatchlings Cedar Waxwings &

American Robins

Great Horned Owlet

American

Bushtit

Fledgling

Raccoon

Fitness

Circuit!

Green Heron

hatchling

Scrub Jay

fledgling

showing off

his new

feathers

Northern Flying Squirrel

BABY BEAVERS TEAM UP FOR RELEASE

Two of our cutest orphans this

season were a pair of baby

beavers. Justin (as in Bieber) was

found abandoned in the Detroit

Lake area. The rescuer watched

for three hours but no adult

beaver came for the kit, which

quickly became cold and weak.

Because it was becoming

hypothermic, the rescuer

brought him to us. Justin

responded well to treatment and

regular bottle feedings. Once his

immediate medical needs were

met, the next challenge was

making plans for the long term.

Young beavers need a lot of time

to mature and grow strong

enough to survive in the wild.

However, it is difficult to raise a

single orphan in captivity, which

is stressful for them.

We were very fortunate when the

Portland Audubon Society

partnered with us to raise an

orphaned beaver, MoMo, that

came into their care. Both Justin

and MoMo were only a couple

weeks old and still nursing so it

was a perfect match. It was a

challenge to keep baby bottle

nipples on hand, though. We lost

at least one during each feeding

because of their very sharp teeth!

While Justin and MoMo didn’t

bond immediately, they soon

became a force to be reckoned

with! They teamed up well,

practiced swimming together, and

were eventually weaned onto

solid food. A critical release

condition for beavers is the ability

to a build a den and it was with

joy and relief that we watched

them work cooperatively on their

first home.

Justin

the

Bieber

Justin and MoMo

Avoiding Conflict –

We Can Help! Beaver and human

interactions have

increased as we expand

into their habitat. Many

adult beavers are

brought to us with

severe injuries, often

human inflicted. There

are solutions for

humans and beavers to

co-exist without

harming each other.

Please contact us for

more information at

503-540-8664.

Importance of Beavers in Our Ecosystem 85 percent of all native North American fauna rely on wetlands.

Beavers create ponds and wetlands that:

Provide winter habitat for cutthroat trout & Coho salmon

Provide habitat for plants and animals and critical nesting and

foraging areas for game and songbirds

Improve water quality by removing toxins and sediment

Control downstream flooding, and provide buffer zones for

wildfires

Promote vegetative growth to stabilize stream banks

Two streams near Elko, NV: Trout Creek on left and

Cottonwood Ranch on right where beaver live. Ranch owner

planned to kill the beavers until he noticed that they diverted

water into the region. (Photo: courtesy of Sarah Koenigsberg)

WILDLIFE WARRIORS SAVING A LIFE

By Jean Daugherty It was my first time alone at the

center and quite frankly, I was

a little nervous. The phone

rang; Aaron needed directions

as he had an unconscious red

tail hawk in the cab of his truck.

I gave him directions hoping I

was right since I was new to

Salem and could barely find the

place myself. He said he saw

the hawk get hit by a semi on I-

5 by Wilsonville. He pulled

over, braved traffic and secured

the bird in his coat. He had

called several other centers but

no one had answered so he

kept driving until I picked up

the phone at Turtle Ridge.

He arrived about 10 minutes

later just as the hawk was

regaining consciousness,

battling its way out of the coat.

One of the defining features of

a raptor is strong talons, its

means of hunting and survival

that is highly dangerous to a

human attempting to restrain it.

I grabbed my welder gloves

and wrangled the hawk safely

out of the truck; luckily I came

to Turtle Ridge with 10 years’

experience at Cascade Raptor

Center. Since I was alone, I

handed Aaron another pair of

gloves and instructed him on

how to restrain the hawk so I

could do an exam. Aaron’s

eyes were huge as I handed

him the hawk. I covered the

hawk’s eyes with a small towel

and it stopped

fighting; covering

the eyes

significantly lowers

the stress of the

animal and allows

for a less traumatic

experience. I did a

quick exam, gave it

20cc of oral fluids and some

Metacam for pain. Luckily

nothing appeared to be broken

(x rays would be taken later to

confirm) and we put him away

to rest until our center

manager, Jessy, returned and

could do a full exam.

I thanked Aaron for his bravery

in being a Wildlife Warrior and

discussed the possibility of

assisting with release should

the hawk be able to return to

the wild. He enthusiastically

agreed. The hawk suffered a

concussion and some body

bruising but recovered

beautifully with rest, good

food, quiet surroundings and

quality medical care. Three

weeks later I met with Aaron at

a beautiful park in Wilsonville.

We wanted to return the hawk

to the area it came from but

well away from I-5. We walked

through a field to a quiet stand

of oak trees, I pulled the hawk

out of the carrier and handed

him to Aaron who gently

pointed him toward the trees,

gave a gentle lift and push

while releasing his grip on the

legs. The hawk exploded into

flight and landed in the nearest

tree. From there, he surveyed

his surroundings for almost 10

minutes before taking off in full

flight into the blue sky. The

experience was over fairly

quickly but the emotions of

delight, awe, gratitude and

wonder will last a lifetime.

At Turtle Ridge we call the

folks like Aaron Wildlife

Warriors because there is a

battle raging against our

feathered and furred creatures

amid pollution, habitat

destruction and at times,

human arrogance. In my 12

years of wildlife rehabilitation

I’ve experienced many truly

sad tales of our wildlife paying

the price for human comfort;

however, I have also

experienced the Aaron’s of the

world, those people who are

WILLING to be courageous,

caring and don’t hesitate to go

the extra mile to save a

feathered or furred creature.

For all of you Wildlife Warriors

I say THANK YOU!

“Just then I saw a young hawk flying and my soul began to rise. And pretty soon my heart was singing.” Bob Seger

NEW BEGINNINGS It was a captivating moment for

the newlyweds and American

Kestrels. It started with a wedding

and ended with the release of

kestrels that had been raised as

orphans at Turtle Ridge Wildlife

Center. Here is the story told by

Gabriele Keeler of Keeler Estate

Vineyards:

“It was an early August outdoor

wedding. My husband, Craig,

made his favorite trip to Turtle

Ridge to pick up four Canadian

Geese and seven Kestrels for

release. When he returned, the

wedding ceremony was just over

and the reception had just begun.

The young couple wanted to get

away for a few moments

and spend a little quiet

time on our observation

deck. It is the highest

part of our vineyard

with a spectacular view

over the Willamette

Valley to the south and a

magnificent old oak

forest to the north. It is a

special place.

Completely unrehearsed, we

decided to bring the kestrels to

this place and asked the bride and

groom to release them, so the

birds could start a new life as they

were starting their new life. It was

a moving moment for all of us,

but something so special the new

couple will remember the rest of

their lives. Later in the evening,

the Canadian Geese came and

crashed the wedding reception to

the delight of all. It was the very

best day ever.”

The Keelers and Turtle

Ridge partner in providing

safe and appropriate release

sites for wildlife. Craig and

Gabriele share our

commitment to a sustainable

environment and they are

true guardians of the

ecosystem. In 1989 they

bought a rundown 200-acre

farm located in Amity that was

abandoned and overgrown

with blackberry bushes. They

slowly cleared the land and

replanted using Biodynamics,

a holistic, ecological and

ethical approach to agriculture.

It’s very demanding and labor

intensive, but reflects their love

and passion for the environment. Their creation is a natural,

interconnected ecosystem that includes the vineyard, streams, ponds, gardens, fruit trees, avian perches, bees,

and native mushrooms…all intended to promote wildlife.

“You have no idea how much joy you and your precious animals give to us.” Gabriele Keeler

Photos courtesy of Keeler Estate Vineyards. Top: Newlyweds & American Kestrels. Bottom Clockwise

from top left: Observation Deck & vineyard; Butterfly and wildflowers illustrate their Biodynamic

process; Craig & Gabriele releasing ducks; Pond with waterfowl nesting platform.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

An industrious group of 8 to 10-

year old Cub Scouts built and

donated bird nesting boxes to

Turtle Ridge. This was a project at

a Willamette District summer cub

scout day camp and many troops

were involved.

These lovely nesting boxes will

provide the perfect habitat for our

resident Swallows! Last season we

rescued more than 50 Tree and

Violet-Green Swallows and over

30 were soft released on the

property. A soft release happens

when we open their cages and

they can come and go whenever

they want. We continue to

provide food and shelter while

they refine their survival skills

and develop the strength they

need for winter migration. They

make an amazing journey from

Oregon to Central America every

year and true to their nature, our

swallows returned to Turtle Ridge

the following Spring to nest. They

swooped down at our faces as

though greeting us. It was a joy to

see them return looking so

healthy after their long journey.

With an abundance of food and

their new nesting boxes, the

swallows returning next Spring

will thrive as well. We are grateful

for the Cub Scout support.

YOU CAN BE A WILDLIFE WARRIOR! The first Saturday of every month

is Turtle Ridge Wildlife Warrior

Weekend. You can take a tour of

the facilities and see the kind of

work we do here. The tour

includes an hour long educational

program with a slideshow of our

wildlife. You also have the

opportunity to meet our wildlife

Ambassadors:

Crows: Cawner and Ziggy

Sulcata Tortoise: Optimus

Arabian Trumpeter Pigeon:

Radagast

American Kestrel: Cheyenne

Turkey Vulture: Griffin

Golden Eagle: Aztec Doves:

Pillsbury and Doughboy

And a handful of chickens!

The tour is led by Jean

Daugherty who has 15 years

of raptor handling skills. She

is an amazing expert on

raptors and has been at Turtle

Ridge for two years. This is a

great program for the whole

family. The program begins

at 1:00 pm. Please join us. We

ask for a small donation to help

cover costs: $20 for group

(unlimited size); $6 for adults; $3

children. To sign up please call

our center at 503-540-8664.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology observed two Violet-green Swallows assisting a pair of Western

Bluebirds in raising their young. The swallows guarded the nest and cared for the bluebird nestlings.

Fledging survival was greater when the swallows provided active care. Swallows benefit from the

cooperative relationship by inheriting the nest box after the bluebird parents and fledglings leave.

Hungry Swallow Hatchlings Swallows Getting Ready to Fledge

OUR OWN WILDLIFE DREAM TEAM

HITCHIN' A RIDE WITH PAPA FRED

Fred Roes is a faithful Turtle

Ridge volunteer whose work is

critical to our mission. He

provides transport for a rescue

animal when the finder is unable

to bring it to us. Fred will pick up

anything, anywhere! He does it

with loving care and even comes

back the next day to see how the

animal is doing. Caring for

animals creates a lot of trash, and

Fred makes many trips to the

landfill for us. More importantly,

he picks up

food that

Marion-Polk

Food Share is

unable to use.

That amounts

to about 1,100

pounds of

food each

month, which

helps feed

hungry

patients. He

makes a positive connection

with staff and other volunteers,

and enjoys being part of the

team. He is passionate about

our mission and committed to

his work for us. He can’t say no

to any request for help and is

like a dad to Jessy! He feeds the

soul of those he touches. It is

wonderful to know that there

are others out there like us who

will go above and beyond for

wildlife.

Jessy Gill and Charles Harmansky-Johnson are the core

of our team at Turtle Ridge. They are serious,

hardworking individuals bound by an unshakable

passion for saving wildlife. They can take an incredibly

daunting case and work through it step by step to reach

the correct conclusion that will allow an animal to heal

and regain its potential.

They are a great team because they support each other

in every facet of wildlife rehabilitation from bottle

feeding babies to training volunteers to handling

medical issues. Their communication is seamless, almost

as though they can read each other’s mind. In spite of

the pain that comes when a patient cannot be helped,

they balance out the heartache by maintaining a sense of

humor. While the workload is huge and challenging,

they still find the time to make it fun. They each have

unique skills that together get things done: humility,

dedication, hard work, loyalty, and excellence.

GRIFFIN’S NEW HOMEGriffin was brought to us as a

juvenile who had been found

wandering in circles in a field

for several days. Sadly, he can't

be released back in the wild

because of an eye deformity

from an injury in the nest. We

raised him with a lot of social

interaction to help him adjust to

captive life and he has thrived.

He turned two on September

3rd, International Vulture

Awareness Day!

As an educational raptor, he

inspires others with his

amazing ability to adapt to his

vision problems. He serves a

valuable role in teaching us

about the importance that

vultures play in our ecosystem.

Vultures do not hunt live prey.

Instead, they fed on carcasses of

dead animals, which keeps our

ecosystem clean and healthy.

This incredible species is too

often misunderstood by

humans and several types of

vulture are under threat of

extinction. As a Wildlife

Ambassador, he raises

community awareness of their

value.

Once it was clear Turtle Ridge

would be Griffin’s forever

home, he needed a habitat

to meet his special needs.

Our budget is limited, but

longtime volunteer Stan

Perry and his wife, Gail,

stepped in to help! With

their sponsorship in

memory of family

members, Ida

Cherrier and

Bernice Perry,

Griffin now has

beautiful

accommodations.

His enclosure was

designed to provide

direct sunlight on his

yoga stump from sunrise to

mid-afternoon. He has his own

fountain with fresh running

water (vultures love water) and

he’s protected from the harsh

winter rain and wind. Stan

comes out twice a week and

cleans enclosures for Griffin

and the other

raptors.

That’s not all…Stan

put a fresh coat of

paint on all of our

existing and

expansion buildings,

giving them new life!

Now that the

painting is done, he

may be wondering

what’s next. Jessy

says, “don’t worry

Stan, I still have a to-

do list for you and Charles will

make sure the weather

cooperates!”

FOR THE LOVE OF WOLFWe are blessed by the generosity

of Diane and Terry Ostergaard

who provided the resources to

build a wall and door for our

intensive care unit. In addition to

the advantage of sound proofing,

it has made it easier for us to

manage contamination issues and

provide a secure, less stressful

environment for our patients.

When the Ostergaard’s cat, Wolf,

was treated for cancer at the OSU

veterinary clinic, they expressed

their gratitude by making fleece

kennel pads for the hospital beds

to keep the patients warm and

comfortable. Seeing a similar need

at Turtle Ridge, they made us an

amazing stack of custom fleece

cage liners, mammal pouches,

heating pad covers, insert liners

for baby bird nests, and giant

knitted geese and duck nests. The

softness of the fleece allows us to

pad and support the injured area

to facilitate healing and provides

warmth until circulation is fully

restored. In return, we are

dedicating the ICU remodel to

their beloved Wolf.

Griffin on his yoga stump

Stan with

Ambassador

Pillsbury!

Fresh paint & Julie’s Garden

A WINNING SEASON WITH OUR FIRST INTERN We are grateful that Kyla Cain

chose to work with us in our

Internship Program. She

graduated from OSU with a

degree in zoology and joined us

for hands-on experience in

rehabilitating wildlife. Her goal

from the beginning has been to

use what she studied to “make a

difference in

the lives of

animals.”

Kyla is a

kind, caring,

and gentle

spirit who

faced each

day and

every

challenge

with a

radiant smile on her face. She fit

in perfectly with a diverse group

of staff and volunteers and never

complained. According to Center

Manager, Jessy Gill, she knew

when to ask the right questions

and had an amazing ability to

“read” animals and easily grasp

what was needed to help them.

Kyla said she loved the experience

we provided, learned a lot, and

feels that this knowledge will take

her much further in her field. Her

enthusiasm and energy truly

demonstrated how much she

really wanted to be here and

support our mission.

Having an intern during the

busiest season of our year showed

just how much they can

contribute to our future success.

Interns will

enable us to

do our best

work by

relieving

workload

stress,

allowing us

to

concentrate

on animal

care rather

than endless retraining when

volunteers move on, and ensuring

consistency in care that comes

from commitment and invested

interest in this work. The hands-

on experience we provide is

something that they can take back

into the community.

STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART - JESSY GILL, ANIMAL CARE DIRECTOR, CENTER

MANAGER, DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Turtle Ridge is a magical place.

It’s a place where everyday events

turn quickly into miraculous

accomplishments. What we do is

apply an amazing amount of time

and energy to save the lives of

animals. How we do it is a gift

from the incredible people who

live in this very community.

Whether it’s your neighbor who

brought us an injured animal and

expressed heartfelt gratitude for

our services – or a dedicated

volunteer who

comes in every

week to help us

care for the rescued

animals – or a

donor who just

drops in to say, “I

care.” There are simply no words

to describe how much it moves

my heart.

Truly what makes our

organization so special is the

people who want to be

involved. I have the

privilege of connecting

with the most generous

and compassionate people

in our community. I am

humbled and it heals me

each time I see the

teamwork that goes into saving

wildlife. The beauty that comes

from our work is what makes it

worthwhile. I am so grateful for

every caring individual who

supports our mission and makes

us amazing and magical!

Interns need a comfortable, private place to live during their internship and we can’t

offer that at this time due to limited funds. We would be grateful if you have time,

money, or supplies to help meet this need. Please let us know!

HEARTFELT THANKS TO OUR

PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS

Special thanks for your grants, supplies, and

services that made it possible for us to

accomplish our mission!

Grant for wildlife

food and supplies

Wildlife Support

Charitable Trust Karen Schroth Foundation

Grant for operational costs Grant for wildlife medical supplies

Grant for wildlife

food and supplies Grant for wildlife food

We appreciate your help

with projects that would be

impossible without you.

We are grateful for your weekly

food boxes and bag refunds.

Very special

thanks to Marion-

Polk Food Share

for generosity: a

freezer full of meat

& baby food that

simplified weaning

baby mammals.

Special thanks to Matt at

South Salem Ace

Hardware for generously

providing supplies at a

discount.

A Big thank you to Carlton Plants in

Dayton, OR for the generous

donation of 40 trees and 30 shrubs!

Thank you for the knitted

nests to keep our baby

songbirds snug & warm. Thank you, Don for your

technical expertise and work

on our building projects.

Montgomery Construction

(503) 581-6468

Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center

PO Box 768

Salem, OR 97308

UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROJECTS

Eagle Scout Project – November 2016

Alec Nordlund with Salem Boy Scout Troop 19 is planning a service project

for his Eagle Scout designation. He has plans to build an outdoor covered

area that will allow us to expand our educational programs and

accommodate tours and field trips, rain or shine. He will organize the labor

of other scouts and raise funds through community support. If you can

help with materials, please contact Alec at 503-798-1512.

Nature Walk and Run – Spring 2017

This will be a fun event for the whole family. Walkers (the Tortoises) can

follow a path with stops featuring activities to learn more about wildlife.

Runners (the Hares) can challenge themselves on an all-terrain course that

will include official timing for those looking for a competitive event and

wish to measure their progress. Sign up includes a small registration fee that

goes directly to the care of our patients.

See our website for “Ways You Can Help Us”

http://www.turtleridgewildlifecenter.org/WP/how-to-help/

Mission Statement

To provide treatment &

necessary care to sick,

injured, or orphaned

wildlife and return

them to their natural

habitat.

To enhance awareness

of and appreciation for

the environment, foster

a connection between

humans and Oregon’s

wildlife through

education programs

and referrals.

To give people an

avenue through which

they can express their

value of life and the

natural environment by

providing humane

skilled care to wild

animals.

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