Founder and longtime volunteer Kelly VandenHeuvel provides educational programming with Denali, the red-tailed hawk. PWC’s education team does work with animal ambassadors, who are unable to be released back into the wild. These educational programs reach over 5,000 schoolchildren and community members, sharing important information and fostering a deeper understanding of wildlife conservation. Photo courtesy of PWC
A local non-profit dedicated to the rehabilitation of sick and injured wildlife and educational outreach is looking to move to state-of-the-art digs in a more central location.
The non-profit Pacific Wildlife Care is San Luis Obispo County’s only licensed rehabilitation center that cares for injured birds, mammals, and reptiles. It is one of just a handful of wildlife organizations licensed by State Fish & Wildlife to respond to oil spills to rescue oiled birds.
PWC plans to move from its Morro Bay location since 2007 to a donated piece of land and a yet-to-be built facility on 10 acres at Buckley Road and Esperanza in San Luis Obispo. The new Kim and Derrel Ridenour Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is expected to break ground in early 2025.
A rendering of the Kim and Derrel Ridenour Wildlife Rehabilitation Center that will house Pacific Wildlife Care in San Luis Obispo.
Photo courtesy of PWC
The goal of raising $11.5 million will secure funding the new facility and create a sustainable future.
“The community has rallied behind us, and we’ve already hit 86% of our goal—about $5.8 million for acquiring and developing the property, plus over $4 million in legacy gifts for sustainability,” PWC Executive Director Kristin Howland told Estero Bay News. “It’s awesome to see everyone coming together for such a crucial cause. But we still have a long way to go, and we definitely need our community’s help to reach that final goal. Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a big difference as we work toward securing our new home.”
A site plan shows the interior space design of the planned facility.
Photo courtesy of PWC
PWC, celebrating 40 years in SLO County, began as a grassroots effort with a small, dedicated group of people committed to rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife. Since 1984, the non-profit grew to include a rehabilitation center, a full-time wildlife veterinarian, a small paid staff, and nearly 200 volunteers.
More animals, more people and time have resulted in the organization outgrowing their current location. Each year, PWC treats 2,500 to 3,000 wildlife patients. The large number of animals they serve each year requires that staff and volunteers be knowledgeable about species-specific diets, housing, and enrichment for nearly 200 different species.
“From March to August, our patient intake shot up over 20% compared to last year, and we’ve already exceeded our average of 2,700 animals,” Howland said adding that the current facility in Morro Bay is on property that’s uncertain for the future since it was bought by Vistra.”
Benefits to the non-profit’s new location, 16,000 sq.-ft facility with 8,100 sq.-ft. of external animal enclosures, include:
• Centralized location in San Luis Obispo County allows for quicker response times and increased accessibility.
• Floor plan minimizes occurrence of human interaction and imprinting on wildlife for best chances of successful release after care.
• Designed to adequately separate prey and predator species to minimize stress for best chances of rehabilitation.
• Flexible spaces accommodate seasonal influxes in wildlife populations and support our ability to respond to natural or man-made disasters.
• Increased capacity and updated facilities improve operational efficiency and create safer working conditions for staff and volunteers.
“We’re actually anticipating an increase in animal intakes with our move to San Luis Obispo,” Howland said. “Being closer to a larger population means more exposure, which will drive more people to our center. It’s tough to watch, but our little county is growing, and with urban sprawl and climate change impacting wildlife, we expect our intake numbers to rise.
“This new facility will allow us to expand our efforts significantly and serve more patients. We’ll have the space and resources to provide better care, which is what we’re all about. It’s a crucial step forward in meeting the growing needs of both the wildlife and our community.”
PWC has been operating at the former power plant in Morro Bay, now owned by Vistra Energy, and is the possible site of a Battery Energy Storage System or BESS facility.
“We really need a permanent home in a central location in San Luis Obispo County to keep doing what we do—rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing injured and orphaned wildlife,” Howland said. “A new place will give us the space we need to grow and help even more animals.
“Our time in Morro Bay has been amazing; the community has been incredibly supportive and tremendously helpful throughout our journey. While we’re certainly sad to leave Morro Bay, we’re also really excited about the opportunity to grow our facility and operations in a new home that we can truly call our own.”
Pacific Wildlife Care provides care for everything from songbirds and raptors to raccoons, opossums, squirrels, reptiles, and bats. To report sick or injured animals, the hotline can be reached at 805-543-9453 (WILD). Volunteer rescuers will respond to assess the situation. For more information or to donate, go to pacificwildlifecare.org.
