Think Wild is seeking capital funding to develop the necessary safety, accessibility, and capacity-building features, including ADA-accessible indoor education space, pathways, and restroom facilities, in order to allow for the continued growth of our onsite volunteer and education programs. Your investment in these much needed capital projects for Think Wild will make a difference for Central Oregon wildlife, youth, and habitat for generations to come.
* Please note that while these improvements will allow us to conduct specific, scheduled activities such as education programs, private tours, and volunteer workshops, we will not fully open to the public to safeguard the wildlife in our care and prevent habituation and stress.
Invest in Think Wild's Wildlife Hospital and Conservation Center
We have no onsite indoor space to host volunteer trainings, staff meetings, or education programs.
These capital projects will prevent stress and habituation for our wild patients.
Think Wild serves over 7,000 people per year through wildlife rescue, habitat services, and youth education programs, including the wildlife hotline, summer camps, nest box installations, classroom programming, and events.
But currently, our campus does not have the infrastructure or accessibility features necessary for our growing volunteer and education programs. It is already straining under our 150 active volunteers, who perform animal care, landscape work, habitat restoration, and construction and repair projects. We have no indoor space to host volunteer training, staff meetings, or education programs aside from the hospital, where our sensitive patients are receiving care.
We want to update our conditional use permit through Deschutes County to allow semi-public access and to offer pre-scheduled, safe and accessible onsite education programming and opportunities to increasingly diverse members of our community, including private tours, education programs, teacher workshops, and more.
To expand our capacity and fulfill necessary requirements from the county, we are seeking funding for these capital updates:
- ADA-accessible 24’ yurt or indoor space for year-round indoor programming
- ADA-accessible paved trail system among public access facilities (parking, bathroom, yurt)
- ADA-accessible restroom facility, which will require a new septic system
- Permits, fees, and project management associated with making these updates.
Drawings and Budget
Donate here, call Sally at (541) 933-5437 or email [email protected] for more information or to pledge your support.
Gifts of $1,000+ will receive permanent onsite recognition.
Draft ADA Yurt/Indoor Space
ADA Bathroom
Draft Site Plan with ADA Pathway
Project Status and Areas of Greatest Need
Think Wild already has a completed updated site plan, stamped engineering and building plans for the bathroom and yurt, funding for the yurt materials and part of the pathways, and volunteers to support construction. We just completed our project to fence in the entire property thanks to funding from The HEDCO Foundation. An investment in these projects is an opportunity for you to make a significant difference on behalf of Central Oregon wildlife, students, habitat and the community at large for years to come.
The total estimated budget for this project is $237,715.
- $30,000 for the site preparation (excavation, utilities, new septic)
- $50,000 for the ADA yurt/indoor space, decking, equipment and outfitting
- $44,000 for the required ADA paved pathways, parking space, interpretive signage, and native landscaping
- $40,000 for the required ADA bathroom
- $40,000 in project management, engineering, architectural, and land use consultant fees
- $10,000 for Permit application and county fees
- $7,500 in plumbing, electrician, and septic professional fees
The total that Think Wild has raised to fund projects so far is $116,463:
- $88,800 from the HEDCO Foundation
- $5,000 in-kind from LRS Architects
- $10,000 in-kind from Schwabe, Williamson, & Wyatt
- $2,000 from Pacific Power Foundation
- $7,500 from the Papé Foundation
- $2,000 from Tom and Trina Laidlaw
- $1,163 from the Think Wild Board of Directors
Checks can be brought in person or mailed to 62410 Erickson Road. You can also call Sally at (541) 933-5437 or email [email protected] for more information or to pledge your support. We are more than happy to publicly and permanently recognize investors in these projects or keep gifts anonymous. Donations are tax deductible, and Think Wild's Tax ID is 46-236-0867.
Make an Impact for Wildlife
Your support of these projects will allow Think Wild to achieve the following goals:
- Build necessary infrastructure to offer safe and accessible wildlife education programs, tours, lessons, and events to a diverse group of visitors, students, and volunteers
- Host events and programs indoors during inclement weather, increasing accessibility and year-round community engagement in wildlife conservation
- Obtain an updated conditional use permit through Deschutes County to allow for semi-public access
- Rehabilitate native wildlife with protection from traffic noise and separation from human activity on campus, improving rehabilitation outcomes for our patients
- Fulfill our mission to protect and care for native wildlife through education, conservation, and rescue/rehabilitation!