This is a busy weekend for some important causes. This morning is the Orange County Aids Walk which I did not participate in. I did years ago, it's almost shameful that I have not done so recently. They've raised just over three hundred thousand dollars this year.
Our cause today will be The Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center Baby Shower. I learned about this even when I attended the Orange County League of Conservation Voters Annual Awards Dinner Thursday night. What an inspiring and hopeful evening about what small groups of people can do to help save our environment and the animals that are harmed by human intervention.
The Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center received an award for being an outstanding local environmental group. They presented an amazing slide show of the animals they help save and the reason why the started up in the first place.
The Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center grew out of a great environmental tragedy that took place in Huntington Beach in 1990. It is know as the American Trader Incident where 400,000 of oil were unleashed on the Southern California Beach.
American Trader incident, Huntington Beach, California, February 1990
On February 7, 1990, a tanker named American Trader spilled approximately 400,000 gallons of Alaska North Slope crude oil into the Pacific Ocean off of Huntington Beach, California. The vessel's anchor punctured two holes in the starboard cargo tank due to a combination of ocean swells and inadequate water depth during an attempted mooring at the sea berth.
The subsequent oil spil affected 60 square miles of ocean and washed ashore along approximately 14 miles of beaches, affecting sealife and recreational use of beaches.
It was eight years later when the The Wetlands & Wildlife Center opened it doors after years of fund raising and fighting to build this amazing place to save animals harmed by oil spills. Thankfully only a small percentage of their saves are from oil spills but sadly there are plenty others needing saving.
The mission of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center is to educate the public about man's impact on the environment, especially fragile coastal wetlands, and mitigate that impact through care and rehabilitation of native wildlife.
Currently there has been a string of heinous attacks on the local brown Pelican.
Eleven California Brown Pelicans,that have been found washed up on Bolsa Chica State Beach between September 15th and September 17th with severe wing injuries. Seven of the Pelicans were found dead by lifeguards. Four surviving birds were transferred to the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, CA. These Pelicans were young females; three juveniles and one sub-adult. Of these four birds, one is alive with a hopeful prognosis. With the exception of the surviving bird, all the Pelicans had compound fractures of the radius and ulna. "The breaks were horrific; the wings were snapped backward, and the last bird that came into the Wildlife Center had 3-4" of bone projecting from both wings" says Lisa Birkle, Assistant Wildlife Director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, "In my opinion, these injuries appear to be intentional. This does not naturally happen to eleven birds in the span of three days. We have never had this many similar injuries in this short an amount of time, 11 on the same beach".
And not only do they care for sea birds but local mammals, mostly Opossum and raccoons that find their way to the center for various reasons, either encroachment or outright abuse by humanbeings.
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT!!
WETLANDS & WILDLIFE CARE CENTER IS HAVING...
A "BABY " SHOWER!!!
PLEASE JOIN US FOR A SHOWER HONORING
CALIFORNIA’S NATIVE WILDLIFE
HOSTED BY WETLANDS & WILDLIFE CARE CENTER
MAY 16th 2009 1-4 pm
Held at:
Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center
21900 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, Ca 92646
RSVP BY May 5th 2009 (714)321-7516
This event is free to the public but we ask that you bring a baby gift that can be used to care for orphan animals under our care.
Needs list: Baby blankets, fleece, sheets pillow cases and towels
Bleach, dry laundry detergent, scrub brushes, scrub sponges, liquid dish detergent, antibacterial hand soap, paper towels, 39 gallon (or more) plastic trash bags.
We also need cash donations as the formula we purchase is custom blended for each species and is very expensive.
Feed 1 clutch of songbirds: $10
Feed 1 Mallard duckling: $25
Feed 1 Cottontail rabbit: $35
Feed 1 Squirrel: $ 50
Feed 1 Opossum: $75
Feed 1 Raccoon: $100
100 % of your donation goes directly to the care of the animals!
So Charlotte and I will hit our local Target and pick up some baby items and bring the to today's "shower". I know she's going to love meeting all the rescues and enjoy the opportunity to learn about how we can help animals in need. The center works mainly on a volunteer basis and we could learn to help rehabilitate these animals ourselves.
Tomorrow? Two more big events for me and I will have to chose one again. My health hasn't been so great and I've been told to watch what I do. Even without a job I've been overdoing it from time to time and the price I pay is steep. Unfortunately the meds I'm taking to help my RA isn't making me feel so hot either. Right now I've been in constant naseau.
So it seems appropriate that tomorrow is the
2009 Orange County Arthritis Walk. Even if I don't walk, I'm sure I will go and cheer on my fellow supporters and sufferers. It's another important cause and I have no excuse not to participate. I think we might bring Kona too!
Walk With The OC This Spring
Once again we are asking you to join us in raising money and awareness to support the Arthritis Foundation in its efforts to fund research and provide programs and services that benefit local Orange County residents affected by arthritis. For the 2008 Walk, the Orange County Arthritis Walk® was the number one Arthritis Walk ®in the Nation, raising $360,000! We have become an inspiration for all other Arthritis Walks, but we still have a long way to go. We are envisioning a million dollar walk within 5 years. More than ever, we want you to tell your story and make the "ask" for support. Using the email function on your Homepage makes it easy to ask on a large scale with minimal effort. Our goal is $450,000!
For the 09 Walk, we are asking everyone to personalize their team and personal pages with a photo and a story about why you are participating. The stories are important, as they serve as an inspiration for potential donors and set a good example for others to follow. Information on how to do this is on the left pane of this page. Don’t worry if you get stuck or need help, just call the office and we’ll walk you through it.
By registering for the 2009 Arthritis Walk, you are also becoming a part of Let's Move Together®, a nationwide movement led by the Arthritis Foundation. Let's Move Together® encourages people to move to prevent or treat arthritis.
At the Event...
* The kids will enjoy the "Kids Zone" with fun and activities for children of all ages
* Enjoy live music in the festival area from "Knight Ryder", LA’s and Orange County’s favorite 80’s band!
* Live entertainment all along the Walk route
* Choose from a three-mile or one-mile walk route
* Write an inspirational message on the Wall of Heroes
* Wear a blue "hero" hat if you have arthritis
* Enjoy the fun, festivities and free health information
Faces of Arthritis
Year after year, we feature the "Faces of Arthritis" on the left of this page and along the Walk route. You’ll notice that arthritis affects people without regard to ethnicity, gender, or age. Yes children get arthritis too, often the most serious types. If you have arthritis, or have a friend or loved one with the disease, please send us a picture so we can post it. Include the type of arthritis, age, city, and age of diagnosis so we can add it to the page on the left.
Your participation is important to us. Please call us with any questions, no matter how small. Contact Marie Gingras (714) 436-1623
I should have know about this sooner and I'm sure I did and ignored the emails in the haze of the last couple of months. It's not too late to participate in your local walk by showing up and cheering on those who are doing something to help this devastating disease.
And our other event? Well it's of a completely different nature.
I hope you will join us at the first ever Orange County Rally for Darfur this Sunday. This walk is being sponsored by Jewish World Watch and numerous Orange County Synagogues.
When:
Sunday, May 17th at 2:30p
Where:
Mile Square Regional Park
16400 Brookhurst St.
Fountain Valley 92708
* meeting behind the Rec center (turn in on Heil)
Come with your pets, friends and family. Click here for more information. See you Sunday.
Anshul Mittal
Orange County for Darfur
http://ocfordarfur.org
PS: To see a graphic-friendly version of this update, visit http://ocfordarfur.wordpress.com/...
This is another organization that I've been blessed to be touched by. The dedication of OC for Darfur is astounding, they've done so much to raise awareness locally to the genocide taking place right as I type. It's a travesty that not enough has been done to help the people of Darfur as their very families and communities are being torn apart. And I literally mean blessed, I met Anshul and Barbara during Gary's campaign and was blown away by the dedication and passion for this cause. So it looks like Kona, Charlotte and I will be busy this weekend but all for very good causes.
What's happening in your community?