CROW resumes tours, launches program

By TIFFANY REPECKI trepecki@breezenewspapers com

MN: How dare you ignore the instructions you got from me I’m Mother Nature and I determine what is best for mankind My goal was to shake humans up before they fully destroy the planet I’ve preserved for thousands of years You forget that it is I who created you and all the other hurricanes Your assignment was to gently remind mankind that if it didn’t respect the centuries old climate I helped to create on planet earth, then it had only itself to blame for destroying the planet Who gave you the right to defy my methods?

Ian: Mother Nature, you must realize by now that there is a mutiny on your hands We who are your very own creations cannot ignore how kind and gentle you have been to mankind since you taught your first ape to make fire by rubbing two stones together So what did mankind do with that breakthrough? They created cigarettes on their own and tried killing themselves Then they invented smokestacks, discovered oil and coal, and soon the clean atmosphere above them was reeking with poison As a result, the glaciers in the North and South Poles began to melt, the oceans got warmer, and we hurricanes benefited from that. We allowed ourselves to get stronger to shake those doubting humans up

MN: All of those things are true, but I chose a different course I chose not to intervene and allow mankind to set its own near destruction Once it realized how close they would come to annihilation I would alter the course of history and return Planet Earth to the pristine garden of Eden it once was You and your fellow hurricanes have no right or authority to interfere with that plan

Ian: Yes, but I took the law of nature into my own hands because you weren’t doing your job I focused on Sanibel, a wealthy community which has supported the tender loving care of the environment just to teach a lesson If Sanibel could go down, then mankind would learn a lesson and cease and desist Don’t you think mankind has learned its lesson by now?

MN: All you have really done is erode Sanibel tourism for a brief time They will rebuild, tourists will order their blackened fish again and she will sell seashells by the seashore as always The people who live on Sanibel are strong willed They are not to be tampered with All you did is destroy some buildings and homes but not their resolve.

Ian: You may punish me, Mother Nature, take away my healthcare plan, turn me into a wisp of my former self but others will follow in my wind stream You will see Our fury will endure unless mankind stops messing with you There’s no other way I will bear my punishment

See MOTHER NATURE, page 21

S t i l l c o n t i n u i n g t o r e c o v e r n e a r l y a y e a r a f t e r Hurricane Ian, the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel is open and again offering programming to educate and engage visitors

A teaching hospital dedicated to saving sick, injured and orphaned native and migratory wildlife in Southwest Florida and beyond, it resumed its CROW Campus Tours earlier this month, which provide participants with an insider's look into the care and rehabilitation that staff provide to their patients

In addition, CROW recently launched a new story and snack time program for youths that aims to foster a love for literature and animals, while also sharing its mission Additionally, three days a week, CROW hosts a Program of the Week covering a range of topics related to wildlife and patient care

CROW Campus Tour

Taking place on Wednesdays through Fridays at about noon after the Program of the Week, the CROW Campus Tour gives participants an in-depth look into what patients experience from intake to release, including the inner workings of the hospital and treatment process Added post-storm, visitors will also get a look into CROW's rebuilding efforts

“ O u r t o u r s , e v e n p r eHurricane Ian, gave people an insight into the hospital a n d h o w i t w o r k s , ” Executive Director Alison Charney Hussey said “How our patient care is accomplished, how animals are rehabilitated once they are strong enough to be out of the hospital but prior to their release ”

N o w , t h e t o u r s a l s o i n c o r p o r a t e h o w C R O W p r e p a r e d a n d r e c o v e r e d from the storm.

“ A n d w h a t o u r f u t u r e plans are for rebuilding,” she said

On the guided tour, participants are taken to the hospital

“They get to walk through the lower level of the hospital,” Hussey said “As well as get a peek into the upper level of the hospital as far as treatments and intakes, if they're happening at that time, even a potential surgery if it's happening at the time of the tour ”

Next, participants are taken over to CROW's Animal Ambassador Enclosures, where they will meet Mina a great horned owl and Talon a red-tailed hawk up close and hear about their stories

The tour lasts for about 45 minutes to one hour

“The majority of the tour is outside, so we encourage our participants to be hydrated, to bring water bottles, especially in the summer heat in Florida,” she said

Each tour is limited to 12 people and participants must be age 10 or older

“What we do is sometimes very emotional, for even our staff,” Hussey said “Taking care of wildlife injuries, there can be the potential to see patients that have substantial injuries So we just want to make sure it's age appropriate ”

She noted that photographs are not permitted

“Our permits do not allow us to have the general public take photographs of the patients in care,” Hussey said.

The tour costs $25 per person, and advanced registration and payment is required

To register, contact 239-472-3644, ext 229 or reservations@crowclinic org

Stor y Time

A free program focused on conservation education and community engagement, Story Time is scheduled for Tuesdays at 2 p m at the Visitor Education Center from now until Aug 8 The interactive five-week program is aimed at educating and engaging children on the region's native wildlife

“Children are the future caregivers of our wildlife, so it's important to foster their love of animals and learning at an early age,” Hussey said, adding that staff is excited to welcome back visiting youths

“Their happy faces and interesting questions lift our hearts and love of learning,” she said.

During the program, a staff member narrates a conservation story for attendees Covering a variety of topics, each week will feature a different story showcasing a local author The remaining ones are:

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife recently launched Story Time on Tuesdays See CROW, page 21

Winner Sarah Jacobson accepts her duck stamp prize from David Lowden, of Bank of the Islands

New duck stamps available for sale

The “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge reported that the 2023-24 Federal Duck Stamps are available for purchase at the Refuge Nature Store It f e a t u r e s t i n n e r J o e Hautman, who will be a featured artist at the J N “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge's Art in the Wild on Oct 21-22 Hautman will be joined by his legendary contest-winning brothers, Bob who took third place in