Members of the Coalition’s Wetlands Committee donned hard hats and neon vests on August 11, for a delightful tour of WildCare’s under-construction facilities on Albert Park Lane in San Rafael. The gorgeous new center is slated for completion and opening this Fall. Executive Director Ellyn Weisel, Education Director Eileen Jones, Director of Advancement Nicole Trautsch, and Director of Marketing & Communications Crystal Beasly shared rich history and background on WildCare and this complex redevelopment project, which was years in the planning. The new facility will help WildCare realize its mission as a world-class wildlife medicine teaching hospital, wildlife advocacy organization, and environmental education center.
WildCare has a decades-long history of treating sick and injured wild animals and releasing them back into nature whenever possible. Over the years, they’ve played an important role in rescuing and rehabilitating marine life following regional oil spills. WildCare also helps the community navigate the challenges of living alongside wild animal habitats, educates the public, and advocates for policies that support our local wildlife and environment. WildCare treats about 3,500 critters a year. Roughly 14,000 students take part each year, through school outreach programs, camps, and hikes at WildCare and key Marin sites.
Visitors will be wowed by the architectural signature and educational heart of the new center: a restored 1879 building that was originally the parish hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown San Rafael. In the 1950’s, it was moved to Albert Park Lane, adjacent to San Rafael Creek, where it served as a children’s natural history museum called the Marin Junior Museum. Over time, as it grew its wildlife hospital function and added other programs and services, structures were built and expanded in a patchwork fashion.
After many years of operating in a deteriorating facility with no insulation, no temperature controls, leaking roofs, flooding, and free-ranging rodents, it was time to rebuild. A $24 million capital campaign was launched to cover the cost of a new hospital, administration offices, caging areas, and the restoration of the historic original building. Wetlands Committee members were awed as we entered the historic building. Many months of loving and painstaking craftsmanship have gone into restoring and reconstructing the old-growth redwood interiors in this breathtakingly-beautiful example of Carpenter Gothic architecture. It will serve as the new Learning Center with interactive displays and exhibits.
At the onset of the project in 2025, the old building was carefully moved to a temporary location while modifications were made to the new site. Since the site sits on a flood plain, 64 deep-foundation piers were installed. The project scope also included the revitalization of the creek area by the center, so invasive plant species such as giant reeds and palms are being removed to make way for coffeeberry, snowberry, and other native plants that will provide food and cover for local wildlife.
Eileen Jones said the proximity of the creek creates a wonderful opportunity to educate the public on wetlands habitats. As visitors cross the new bridge over San Rafael Creek, they’ll see signage explaining the importance of wetlands and the challenges that these habitats are facing.
Outside of the Learning Center is the Ambassador Courtyard. We learned that “Ambassadors” are animals that are unable to be moved back to the wild. These are the animals that are taken on school visits and other educational events because, as Eileen emphasized, they have lessons to teach us about how we interact with nature.
Specific enclosures are being constructed for the Ambassadors that will mimic their natural habitats. The ground floor will also house the administrative area, the Living with Wildlife Hotline, which receives thousands of calls every year, a large kitchen to feed the many patients, and laundry machines. On the second floor, a new wildlife hospital has been constructed complete with a raptor aviary (since roughly two thirds of the patients are birds.) The third floor will host additional hospital caging, and a roof covered with solar panels. The three levels are connected by a massive freight elevator that is ready to transport animals, cages, branches, and other large habitat components.
As the tour was concluded, Nicole stated WildCare’s motto, “Live Well with Wildlife,” and it became clear that this organization shares the values and goals of the Wetlands Committee. We discussed opportunities for future partnership, such as a larger tour of the completed facility for community members and participating in future WildCare fundraising events.
WildCare is in the home stretch of their capital campaign. We learned that any contributions made to the campaign until September 30will be doubled. Many of us were also interested in their upcoming event: Elevate Every Step Hike-A-Thon scheduled for August 29 at China Camp as another way to support WildCare’s mission.
Members of the Wetlands Committee who participated in the tour were delighted and inspired by this project. As Ellyn stated, “WildCare, with its deep roots in the history of San Rafael, has presented the city, Marin County, and the North Bay with a beautiful building that is open to the public and free of charge to educate the next generation of environmental stewards.”
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WildCare is almost 98% of the way toward reaching the goal of the capital campaign and funding this extraordinary new state-of-the-art wildlife hospital and environmental education center. If you’d like to help WildCare make it across the finish line, please consider donating: https://elevatewildcare.donorsupport.co/page/FUNYYABNADG