Imagine...
A young family rests on the lawn after a hard week full of work and school activities, their stomachs satisfyingly full after a boxed picnic lunch from the café. Soon, a volunteer wanders over, looking for anyone interested in a game of horseshoes. A crowd of kids gather around her as she explains the game and everyone gets a couple of practice throws. Parents relax within easy eyesight, glad their children finally have the chance to improve their eye-hand coordination and their social skills somewhere instead of in front of a computer!
An elderly woman in a wheelchair sits on the sun-warmed patio in the butterfly garden. She smiles with delight as these jewels of the air waft from flower to flower, one even pausing to land on her knee! There are gardens in the place she calls home today, but here the happy laughter of children at play form a backdrop, as she realizes that even though much has changed in the world in her lifetime, the games these children are playing outdoors are really the same as the ones she played as a child.
A youth on a field trip with his class pauses at the double doors of the barn. The smell of the hay and the animals is unfamiliar, but not entirely unpleasant. He is surprised at the velvet touch of a horse’s nose, the rough tangles of the sheep’s wool , the silkiness of a baby chick. He laughs at the antics of the piglets, endlessly racing here and there. He realizes there are worlds he has never seen, actually reachable from the concrete one that he lives in. A counselor, recognizing his interest, encourages him to apply for a summer camp where he will actually become a part of the team that cares for these animals.
A runner pauses on his way back to his car after a vigorous trot around the grounds, where he stopped at each fitness station along the way. A pleasant physical tiredness offsets the mental stress he finds at work each day. The entrance to the wildlife center looks inviting, so he decides to stroll through it on his cool down. At the lynx enclosure, he’s struck by the description of the extreme reliance of the lynx on the availability of snowshoe hare, and the relationship of the snowshoe hare with its environment. He realizes that this same delicate balance, on a larger scale, exists between humans and the Earth. The keeper suggests several actions that he can take now to help ensure the health of this intricate bond.
Are these true stories? Not yet. But at Wolves, Woods, and Wildlife, we think we can turn these visions into realities.
Our vision includes:
This is an overview of our long-range plan. We know it’s ambitious, and we know we’re not going to get there overnight. We also know that success is possible because we believe strongly in our mission and have a solid foundation to build on. We’re creating an organization of enthusiastic individuals who have a passion for the environment and people, and lots of energy, imagination, and creativity. And with your help, we can take the next step to realizing our mission of creating a bond between people and nature, to the benefit of both.
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