The
June 12, 2013
Countryy Editor
Volume 1 Number 9
North
Just good reading
The truth
Golden
about the
eagle heals
free pony
from injury
Psychological benefits of giving
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Back to the Wild by Kelly Gates After more than 20 years of working in the world of finance, Mona Rutger’s deep interest in nature called her to the great outdoors and she began creating a wildlife refuge for native animals in her spare time. She planted 2,500 trees and bushes on a piece of property in Castalia, Ohio, researching each variety first to ensure that it would provide ample habitat for a wide array of animals. Occasionally, people who knew of her expansive preserve began bringing in owls, squirrels and other animals that had been injured, hoping she could help. “Just about every injured animal that was brought in had human-related injuries. They were covered in oil or caught in fishing line or suffocating from plastic soda rings that were caught around their necks,” Rutger told The Country Editor. “In order to take them in and care for them, I needed permits and licenses, so I got those and started doing whatever I could to help.” In the early years, she tended to
Mona Rutger, founder of Back to the Wild, releases a bald eagle back into nature.
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Long Pond by Jamie Aloi Six o’clock in the morning, the sun is already up, the water on the pond is as smooth as glass and there is a slight chill to the air. A loon calls out from the opposite end of the pond. About 20 college-aged kids are making their way out of their cabins to gather on the porch. This is the second morning of staff training for the staff of Oswegatchie Educational Center summer camp in the Adirondacks. Today our morning starts off with the annual hike around Long Pond. We are all tired from staying up talking way too late the night before. Our hike begins by taking the road to the Loons trailhead and starts with a steep, rocky uphill that is difficult for most vehicles to overcome. As our group
spread out, the lead would stop to wait for the back to catch up, much like an accordion. On our way we pass the path to the only campsite that the campers have to canoe in to get there. We pass some clearings in the trees while other parts are fairly dark at this time in the morning. The path winds and weaves as we make our way. There are even a few obstacles in the form of puddles we have to get around. We eventually make it to the dirt road and make our way to the south end of the pond. Once we get to the public entrance beach we take a break to admire the view of the pond with the sun reflecting off the water. We hang out here for a bit and then decide we are getting hungry so we wish to continue on. This leg of the hike is the boring part. We are on a winding dirt road for a decent
around 20 to 30 animals annually. But as word spread of her small but effective sanctuary, Back to the Wild Wildlife and Nature Education Center, more and more injured creatures poured in until the total reached the astounding figure of nearly 3,000 per year. Mona used a small section of a barn she and her husband Bill had built to house their cars as a makeshift rehabilitation space. Before long, the entire building was repurposed for Back to the Wild patients. “I started with a little table in the barn with a space for medicine and a freezer for mice and other food for the animals. There wasn’t even electricity, so I used to wear a miner’s hat with a lamp on it to see at night,” noted Rutger. “But in order to meet regulations once I officially started the center, I had to have state- and federallyapproved facilities and ensure that I honored all codes.” Some donation come in to help Back to the Wild with minor expenses, but nearly all of the major projects — like
amount of time. The trail back to camp is hidden fairly well and we decide to build a pile of stones so when we bring campers on bike trips we are able to find the path easily instead of riding an extra few miles. The trail back into the woods
See Wild page 3 is over glacial till that created a ridge where we were now walking. There is a large dip in the ridge because the loggers once dug it out to allow easier flotation of the logs down the river. Once we cross this dip and con-
See HIke page 4
Looking out over Long Pond, the water is as smooth as glass. Photo by Jamie Aloi