Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS) 2013 Annual Report

7/28/2019 Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS) 2013 Annual Report

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MOUNTAINAIRE AVIAN

RESCUE SOCIETYHelping Wildlife RecoverPrepared by: 6817 Headquarters Road

Warren Warttig, RPBio Courtenay, BC

President Canada V9J 1N2

Tel: 1-250.337.2021 1-250-337-2021

www.wingtips.org [email protected]

2013

Annual Report
http://www.wingtips.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.wingtips.org/


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2Cover Photo of a Short Eared Owl taken by Warren Warttig, President of Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society.

BC Gaming Branch
http://www.safeway.ca/default.asphttp://www2.canada.com/courierislander/


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MOUNTAINAIRE

AVIAN RESCUE

SOCIETYHelping Wildlife Recover

2013 Annual Report

The Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS)

would like to thank all of our contributors for

helping us continue wildlife rehabilitation and

conservation efforts in 2012/13. The generous

contributions allowed for this years programs to

proceed.

We appreciate the support of the MARS board of

directors and our many volunteers. Without you

this could not have been possible.

SPECIAL TH ANKS:We wish to acknowledgthe financial assistance of the Province of BritishColumbia. The Province of BC was our single greatescontributor and supported the majority of our 2012/education program on wildlife protection andconservation awareness.

BC Hydro and Comox and Strathcona Regional Distrand the City of Campbell River also continue to bestrong supporters of MARS along with Shell, the

Vancouver Foundation, and Nyrstar Myra Falls MineOther contributors include Bayside CCTV for our necamera installation, My Tech Guys Inc. by hosting ou

web site and providing tech support. Funding was alreceived from: Aviva, Capital Power, CumberlandRotary, Campbell River Salmon Foundation, CampbeRiver Logger Sports, Ginger 9 Studios, Carhi School

youth action program, Water Pure and Simple, CoasCommunity Credit Union Spirit Fund, Scotia Bank(Comox branch) Oyster River Garden Society, Bees a

Blooms Nursery and the Olympic CharitableFoundation. Photo Tech-foto source, Heavenly GoodQuality Foods, Sparkling Graphics & Design, SharonLennox, Mike Yip, Bruce and Judy Wing, Blue/WateBait & Cold Star Freight Systems, Superstore, DominPizza and Thrifty Foods all contributed to MARS evethrough the year. Lots of free publicity came from 97eagle FM, Comox Valley Record, Campbell River MirCampbell River Courier Islander, CTV News and CheNews. The Wickaninnish Inn/Point Restaurant, Com

Valley Kayaks, Harbour Hideout B&B, SeaSmoke WhWatching, Zita Kenny and Stubbs Island WhaleWatching contributed to our raffles. Pacific CoastalAirlines and Harbour Air donated transport of injurewildlife, and BC Ferries gave free passage for wildliferescue.

The Whistle Stop Pub and Mex Pub hosted fundraisevents for us, and we currently sell coffee for RoystoRoasting Company.

Support for MARS and care provided by our localVeterinarian Clinics was amazing (as usual) andincluded Vancouver Island, Campbell River, Sunrise(thanks Stacey!), Shamrock and Puntledge Vet Clini

Food and other items donated for the direct care ofinjured wildlife came from Courtenay Petland, WoofPet Foods and especially the Hornby Eagle GroupProjects Society, and several other anonymous donoSteve Harding of Timberwolf Tree Service was alwaystandby to scale a tree to rescue an injured bird for uThe Youth Jobs Wage Subsidy Program also allowedMARS to hire a student assist during the summermonths.

We apologize if we inadvertently missed any donorsByron Deal photo

Jo-Anne Johnson photo


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Osprey

Robin Chicks

Great Blue Heron Chick

Pat Wagar Photos


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Photos by Pat Wagar


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PRESIDENTS REPORTMountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS) officiallyopened its doors in 1995 and recorded a wildlife caseload of 102; since that time we have averaged almost300 cases per year. The number of wildlife goingthrough our facility has remained relatively consistentsince 2001 averaging a little over 400 cases, with 476in 2012 (table 1) with a total of 110 different species. Forreasons unknown, we are experiencing a highernumber of large raptors like the Bald Eagle in recentyears.

Of the 476 cases, 161 cases were released back to thewild (34% release rate) (tables 2 and 3), whichmatches our highest success rate in 2002. While thismay not seem to be a high release rate, the base case

level includes animals received DOA, patients thatsuccumbed to injuries shortly after we received them,and animals that sustained injuries that renderedthem unable to survive in the wild. From 1995 to theend of 2012/13, MARS has released 1764 animals backto the wild.

This year we had an incident where approximately1350 Vaux Swifts flew down a chimney of which only 4survived. These birds mistake chimneys during theirmigration for tree cavities (a safe place to rest). Thistype of mishap is all too common to the point it isaffecting their population. Fortunately this can beprevented by maintaining coarse mesh over the outlet of a chimney..so spread the word.

One of the many important functions that MARS accomplishes is our contribution to recovery ofspecies of interest (yellow listed) species at risk (blue listed) and endangered species (red listed).In 2012/13 we received 44 (yellow listed) Bald Eagles. Blue and red listed species that we receivedin 2012/13 included 5 Great Blue Herons, 3 Short-eared Owls, 2 Barn Owls, 2 Northern Saw-WhetOwls, 1 Long-tailed Duck, 1 Tundra Swan, 1 Northern Pygmy Owl, and 1 Marbled Murrelet. Tolearn more about red and blue listed species and ecosystems on coastal British Columbia, check

out the fact sheets on:http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/factsheets/

In 2012/13 MARS staff included Maj Birch as general manager and Reg Wescott, responsible foranimal care and public outreach. Despite two staff and several volunteers contributing (on manylevels) to animal care, our case level and our other conservation initiatives are still difficult tohandle. More volunteers (and/or additional staff) and funding were needed, especially duringour more difficult months of May and June (baby animal season). To help accommodate thework load, Pat Wagar was hired part time under contract to help with administration duties. Pathas been instrumental in keeping up with social media and updating of our web-site.

Table 1 Cases per Year

Table 2 Releases per Year

Table 3 % Releases/ Year
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/factsheets/http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/factsheets/http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/factsheets/http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/factsheets/


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Our intern program continues to be successful and in 2012/13 we had 10 intern volunteers.Volunteers are the foundation of MARS. Some of the volunteers (and I dont see all of them) thatreally stood out for me were Pat Wagar for her time spent keeping Facebook current, PearlMcKenzie for her tireless efforts at fundraising and people management, Kristie Persinger andJulie Hunt for their involvement in many of the MARS Committees, John Turner for his

involvement and his down-to-earth management style, and Laurie Ulm for her board work andanimal care. Kristi Meier held the position of Treasurer for many years; and on 2012/13 MaureenWoodruff took over the position; Maureen has taken on the position with a passion. In 2012/13we re-evaluated how we track our accounts, and with the help of Valerie Berry and Pat Wagar, anew accounts system was developed. The board especially appreciates the new monthlystatement format. Betty Robertson, Dianne Pollock, Molly and Gordon Richardson, LyndaHodgkinson and Paul Jackman were heavily involved in special events and fundraising. Jacki andSandy Royer are strong volunteers at MARS. Unfortunately Gordon Bleakley (our undisputednumber one seller of raffle tickets) moved back east last summer.

Concentrated efforts were made throughout 2012/13 by volunteers to continue to modernize andrevamp our website (www.wingtips.org) and make a presence on Facebook in order to increasepublic awareness of our activities both for education and fundraising. One of our popularfundraising initiatives has been to sponsor and attend the release of a rehabilitated animal. Mostpeople that have taken advantage of this offer (either directly or through a gift) find this to be arewarding and sometimes emotional event. As president of MARS I have been on severalreleases and the experience is both rewarding and emotional.

Sandy Fairfields newspaper columns have continued to be a popular educational tool, as are herprograms with the schools. Local veterinarians have continued to donate a lot of their time andexpertise. Our Board of Directors, fund raising and special events committees have shown an

incredible team effort that is not often seen in volunteer organizations. Our adopted educationalbirds are popular at many public events that we attend. The dedication and the quality of workof our volunteers and staff, and participation of local veterinarian clinics are inspiring.

From Facebook we received donations from people all over the world; many of the donationswere small, but the sheer number cumulated to a substantial total. We now find ourselves in arelatively comfortable position for day-to-day activities (hand-to-mouth). Potentially we mayeven be able to work towards long-term planning. This is essential if MARS is to remain apermanent fixture.

Warren War t t i g, RPBioPresident
http://www.wingtips.org/http://www.wingtips.org/http://www.wingtips.org/http://www.wingtips.org/


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CONSTITUTION1. The name of the Society is Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS)2. The purpose of the Society is:

a. To rescue, transport, rehabilitate, and release ill, injured, orphaned, or oiled wildlife.b. To educate the general public about wildlife issues through lectures, displays, workshops, reports and

publications.c. To contribute to the knowledge and understanding of wildlife by participating in research, and sharing that

information with wildlife organizations and the general public through meetings, seminars, conferences,reports and publications.

d. To conserve and protect wildlife and promote conservation of wildlife habitat.3. Upon winding up or dissolution of the Society, the ordinary resolution authorizing such winding up shall

specify that any remaining assets belonging to the Society shall be distributed to a registered society havingobjectives similar to those of the Society, after all debts have been paid, or a provision for payment made. Thisprovision is unalterable.

MISSIONTo conserve and protect native wildlife and its natural habitat through education and rehabilitation.

GOALSTo reduce suffering of wildlife, often affected by human influences and educate the public about their effect onnature and how to reduce that impact.

OBJECTIVESProvide a safe, stress-free environment for wildlife to recover. To contribute to the knowledge and understanding of

wildlife by participating in research and sharing information with wildlife and professional organizations and thegeneral public through meetings, lectures, displays, workshops, seminars, conferences, reports and publications.

PHILOSOPHYWe are a non-profit organization. Our energy is totally directed towards rehabilitation and education, and the

funding for those endeavors. We abide by all governing laws and regulations under which we operate. MARS holdspermits from federal and provincial governments that allow us to rescue, keep in captivity and care for wildlife.

The intensive care unit (ICU) at the centre and outdoors pens are off-limits to the public due to permit restrictionsand because wildlife become stressed around people. We endeavor to maintain high standards of care and ethicsand to work cooperatively with many related organizations.

We strongly advise against keeping any wildlife species as pets and make every effort to ensure that all wildlifepatients remain wild. We work closely with several local area veterinarians and receive many referrals from theSPCA. Before admitting any case, every effort must be made to resolve the situation (e.g. reunite fledglings withtheir parents). We are not a relocation service for nuisance animals.

We are primarily concerned with treating those animals which are in distress due to human related activities (e.g.car, cat, oil). Human intervention (picking up fledglings off the ground) is discouraged and return to the parentshould be immediate. Where it can be determined, we will not interfere with animals in distress due to a naturalprocess (e.g. natural predator/prey interactions).

The responsibility of care of domestic animals falls under the jurisdiction of the Veterinarian Act. Therefore, wecannot accept or attempt to diagnose problems concerning domestic animals, accept them for treatment, housing,or try to find homes for them. This includes chickens, peacocks, domestic ducks and pigeons.


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BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2012/13Warren Warttig President

[email protected]

Registered Professional Biologist (RPBio)

International Forest Products (Interfor)

3811 Mitlenatch Drive

Campbell River, BC V9H 1J7Home 250-926-0001 Work 250-286-5168

Maureen Woodruff - Treasurer

Bookkeeper, Pateman & Company

1137 Sand Pines Crescent,

Comox, B.C. V9M 3V3

[email protected]

Home 250-339-4752

Pearl McKenzie Vice President

[email protected]

Consultant

8685 Beach Crescent

Black Creek, BC V9J 1K1

Home 250- 337-1934

Julie Hunt - Secretary [email protected]

Resource Consultant

158 Manor Drive

Comox, BC V9M 1C7

Home 250 339-0980 (fax the same)

Cell 250-218-4960

Laurie Ulm Vice [email protected]

Retired

P.O. Box 252, 8030 Memory LaneMerville, BC, V0R 2M0

Home 250-337-5281

Kristie Persinger [email protected]

2045B Robb Avenue

Comox, BC V9M 1M2

Home: 250-339-9885Work: 250-703-4110

John Turner [email protected]

Retired

926 Stewart Ave

Courtenay, BC V9N 3H2

Home 250-334-3319

Full time Staff: Maj Birch and Reg WescottPart Time Contract: Pat Wagar

Brian Jones photo

Free Ferber photo
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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REHABILITATION REPORTAnimal Care Statistics

WILDLIFE PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION AWARENESS REPORTEducation is an integral part of our work; staff, interns and

volunteers learn by doing under the supervision of staffand pass on to others what they have learned. We rescue,care for and rehabilitate raptors (eagles, owls, hawks,ospreys); song birds, waterfowl, mammals (bats, raccoons,mink). These injured or sick animals and birds arerescued from all over the northern part of VancouverIsland (from Courtenay to Gold River to Port Hardy andAlert Bay and beyond) as well as the northern Gulf Islands.The people in these areas who call us to request a rescuefrequently stay connected with us to determine the

outcome and learn more about how they can supportwildlife in their area; they also frequently request apresentation in their community.

We provide information and education about VancouverIsland wildlife and their habitat, describing how humanactivities can cause animals and birds to become injuredor orphaned and need our care and how this damage can be prevented or mitigated. We raiseawareness about the need to conserve habitat and explain how each of us can make a

Passerines 203Raptors 88Waterfowl 46

Terrestrial Mammal 31Marine Mammal 14Shorebirds 5Game Birds 0Amphibian/Reptile 1Other 88

Total: 476

Total Species 110

DispositionReleased 126

Transferred/Released 35Deceased/ Euthanized/DOA 315

TOTAL: 476

Educational Ambassadors: 3

Viktor Davare photo

Photo by Pat Wagar


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contribution to this conservation. In sharing what we have learned, we provide opportunitiesfor people to ask questions and talk about their own experiences. We reach more than 25,000people every year with our newspaper columns, educational materials, classroom and smallgroup presentations and at public events with our ambassador birds.

During the spring, summer and early fall of 2012, MARS staff, educational birds and volunteers

attended 66 venues, accompanied by our ambassadors (educational birds), to makepresentations to students, community groups and people attending public events. Thesepresentations took place throughout northern Vancouver Island and nearby Gulf Islands,including Campbell River, Courtenay, Comox, Miracle Beach Park, Royston, Fanny Bay,Cumberland, Black Creek, Denman Island, Quadra Island and Powell River. We estimate totaloverall attendance at these events to be more than 20,000 people.

The leading cause of injury for our patients is vehicle or window collision. Next leading cause isorphaned animals, then cat attacks, trauma/unknown, fall from nests, entrapment and humaninterference.


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Likely due to our location and familiarity of local residents with MARS, the majority of ourpatients come from Courtenay, followed by Campbell River, Comox, Black Creek area, QuadraCortes, Cumberland area, North Island, Denman/Hornby and South Island.

Of the 476 patients 245 were adults, 194 juveniles and 37 sub-adults. We also received 1350 deadVaux Swifts, and due to the extent if the incident, did not include them in our survival statistics.

Of the 110 different species we received, the following are just some of our species: 46 were BaldEagles, 36 owls (15 Barred, 3 Northern Saw-Whet, 1 Long-Eared, 3 Short-Eared, 2 Barn,1 NorthernPygmy and 7 Snowy Owls), 25 deer, 16 ravens, 14 Gull species, 5 Great Blue Herons, 12 HarbourSeals, 12 Mallard Ducks, 1 Muskrat, 13 Raccoons, 1 River Otter, 18 Northern Flicker woodpeckers,

13 Red-Breasted Sap Sucker woodpeckers, 1 Marbled Murrelet Auklet, 2 Rhinoceros Auklets, 2Little Brown Bats and 2 Big Brown Bats (Yesthats their official names), 14 RufusHummingbirds, 7 Swans (Tundra and Trumpeter), 4 Turkey Vultures, 1 Turtle, 1 snake and 1Brown Pelican.

Maj Bi rch- Manager


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WILDLIFE FACILITY MANAGERS REPORTI want to thank our great vets who contribute many hours of their valuable time and expertise tohelp our injured wildlife. Sunrise Vet Clinic, Van Isle Vet Hospital, Shamrock Veterinary clinic,Puntledge Vet Hospital, North Island Vet Hospital and Island Vet Hospital. Thanks as well to theCity of Campbell River and the Comox Valley Regional District and Strathcona Regional Districtfor their support. Thanks to Wendy and her YER group, Nature Comox Valley and SHAW Cablefor their support in 2012/13 for our Gary Oakproject.

The following is a summary of significant eventsover the last year:

March 2012: MARS hosted the Wildlife Rescue

Network BC (WRNBC) meeting on March 9, 10

& 11 with foods donated by local businesses

Heavenly Goodies & Little Orca Bakery. A big

windstorm followed with lots of trees blowing

down at Headquarters Townsite Park a new

Regional District park we will be maintaining.

West Coast Tree services cut trees for us. A

donation was provided by Marine Harvest for

the rescue of a Great Horned Owl that was injured near the community of Klemtu on the central

coast of BC. A Bambi Bungalow is built to house injured and orphaned/kidnapped fawns with

donations from the Olympia Foundation. An educational presentation was put on by Reg

Wescott, Pat Wagar and Warren Warttig at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino.

April 2012: MARS celebrated National

Wildlife Week with our Open House in

early April followed by our first ever Walk

for Wildlife event at the Courtenay

Airpark in recognition of Earth day.

During the Walk for Wildlife event, an

Osprey was rescued after an eagle attack.

The Osprey was treated for injury to her

crop. There was some excitement atMARS on April 16th when approximately

200 Sandhill Cranes flew over Merville.

On the same day, we released Quin, a bald

eagle rescued from the Quinsam River area. The arrival of our first interns of the year coincided

with the BC Wildlife Federation conference. We were involved in our first voting challenge

Shell Fuelling Change for a GB Heron study.

Photo by Pat Wagar

Photo by Pat Wagar


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May 2012: The Osprey rescued during the Walk for Wildlife event was transferred to OWL for

flight and feather conditioning then

released. Pat organized a fundraiser chorus

at the Sid Williams theatre on May 9th.

The next day 1350 Vaux swifts were found

dead or dying in a chimney after a cold

front moved in. There was a dramatic

rescue of an Eagle caught up in some kite

string and hanging from a tree by Steve

Harding of TimberWolf tree services. The

MARS AGM was held at Merville Hall

where our Mission statement is re-defined

and we voted to add (MARS) to our official name. We attended the River Never Sleeps festival

on Rosewall Creek, the Boys & Girls Club (an after school group), Timberline School, and the

ever-popular Kitty Coleman event for 3 days selling raffle tickets. The first interns Sarah, Hannah

and Elena begin their duties. The first Bambis started to arrive before the end of May; which is

earlier than normal.

June 2012: Interns arrive to help with the many baby birds received into our care, along with

some new volunteers, Elizabeth, Emily and Marielle. Marielle arrive with previous animal care

experience, so was put in charge of caring for mammals, including raccoons. A baby Eaglet is

sent to Owl for foster care. As expected, lots of baby birds came through the Wildlife Centre in

June. Valerie and Pat worked on updating and

refining the accounting programs and

bookkeeping methods.

July 2012: Interns Tim and Bryony arrived to

work at MARS Marielle stayed on to help with

many fawns. Market Days event was big with

lots of raffle ticket sales. An educational

presentation was given to the Sunrise Rotary

Club. Seal pup season begins along with recues

of baby Merlins and many bats. Turkey

Vultures have surgery and then long term care.

August 2012: Intern Jorden joined MARS as we rescue seals, more eagles from North Island and

care for baby squirrels. Interns assisted with the care of a Marbled Murrelet which was

successfully releasednear Mitlenatch Island. Volunteers sold raffle tickets at Nautical days

during the August long weekend. The next weekend we were the official timers at Loggers

sports in Campbell River. At the end of the month we participated in the Comox Valley Fall Fair

raising funds for MARS.

Photo by Pat Wagar


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September 2012: Intern Haley assisted Marielle with treatment of a Hawk and a young bat. The

Kitty Coleman event still is a big fundraiser for MARS, and Raffle tickets are sold out thanks to

Gordon Bleakley. Ginger 9 Studio raised funds for MARS and Quadra Island and Black Creek

held their Fall Fairs. Pub night auction at the Whistle Stop was a successful 2 night fundraising

event. Shakey, the eagle was rescued by Stubbs Island Whalewatching. Shell Fueling Change

and Aviva voting challenges had MARS Face Book friends and members voting every day.

October 2012: Wendy Kotillas youth group and members of Nature Comox Valley helped with

our Parks maintenance project by removing scotch broom (an invasive plant) and then planting

Garry Oaks at HQ Townsite. Brinley, a beautiful Great Horned Owl joined our ambassadors,

and was an immediate show stealer. We received several Short-Eared Owls as they begin their

migration. MARS held a volunteer thank you party at Allisons place. Great food! Marielle stayed

around to help with animal care after a brief holiday.

November 2012: More bald eagles are rescued and Snowy

Owls are brought in from Hornby and North Island.Cumberland Rotary Club provided a donated after one of our

educational presentations. Our great volunteers worked at the

Christmas Craft Fair in Merville, followed by a very successful

Open House with over 200 attending! Brinley does her best to

look ferocious (she is a little ill tempered). Swan Counts began

with Maj and Ernie out most Tuesdays. Oscar the Snowy Owl

captures the hearts of many as he struggles to survive.

December2012: MARS entered winter with lots of patients: 7

Snowy owls, bald eagles, Great Blue Herons and even a BrownPelican (Tuffy) that was injured near Tofino. Winter Wings at Whytes Art Show raised funds for

MARS. Maj went on Holidays and was gone for 3 weeks (first time away without worry). Pat, Reg

and Marielle handled all issues at the wildlife centre. Voting

challenges with BC Hydro ended with MARS successful

winner!

January2013: Successful eagle releases are popular on

Facebook. Artist poses Brinley for original painting in

Campbell River which raised funds for MARS. More owls,including this Saw-Whet Owl came into MARS for care.

Eagle Festival preparations geared up for this big event

hosted in Campbell River. MARS Strategic Planning process

began after grants were approved from Vancouver

Foundation and Coastal Community Credit Union; this

includes a new website and a social media plan.Photo by Pat Wagar

Photo by Pat Wagar


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Unsung Hero award given to Janis MacDougall (left),

Denise Yarjau (centre) and Jim MacDougall and

Sharne Dewing (absent) by Warren Warttig, President

of MARS (right) for heroically building a replacement

Eagle nest when a neighbor cut down the tree with

their original nest.

February 2013: BC Hydro delivered a cheque to

MARS for the 8th annual CR Bald Eagle Festival.

This years theme celebrated unsung heroes who

went out of their way to help wildlife or the

environment. BC Hydro funds were used to help

with our educational displays and new cameras in

our wildlife enclosures. Harrison, a mascot (on

loan from the Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival)

was constantly surrounded by admirers. Snowy

owls were finally released to the wild to find their

way back north. Another busy season begins

with MARS purchase of new binoculars and

spotting scopes to begin the Great Blue Heron

Study thanks to Shell Fueling Change.

Maj Bi rch- Manager

EDUCATION (SCHOOLS)REPORTThanks to the continued support from our local and Campbell River schools MARS completed

another successful year taking our educational program into the schools. A total of eighteen

schools were visited by me. Maj and Reg also went out to the classrooms during my three month

absence. A huge thank you to the Campbell River schools, Sandowne, Penfield, EBlend, and

Phoenix. A special thanks to Southgate for their amazing fundraising efforts. The Comox Valleyschools included, Arden, Aspen, Huband, Lake Trail, Queneesh, Brooklyn, Royston, Oyster River

and Cumberland. A total of $4,000.00 was

raised by the students for MARS of which

$2,876.00 was from a talent show staged by

Southgate. Other schools had bake sales,

bottle drives and auctioned owl art work.

Once again my thanks to Pat wager for all her

help updating the power point programs and

creating a video that won us 1

st

place in a B.C.Hydro sponsorship challenge.

The kids introduction to MARS and Owls

continue to be the most popular programs.

Other programs include eagles, habitats and

any other topics that fit in with the

curriculum.

Brinley

Photo by Pat Wagar

Photo by Pat Wagar


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This year saw more interest from the middle schools and they certainly are very much in tune

with what is happening in the environment. Our ambassador birds continue to be in high

demand, unfortunately for us our little Screech Owl (Otus) is now in Prince George in a captive

breeding program in hopes he will successfully mate and produce offspring that will eventually

be released into the wild to boost dwindling Screech Owl populations; he is certainly missed by

us and the students. Otus was replaced with a beautiful Great-Horned Owl named Brinley.

It looks like the rest of this year will continue to be busy with school visits already scheduled for

Cortez, Quadra and Hornby Islands. We are always on the lookout for retired educators who

would be interested in being a part of the program especially for the grade 7-12 level.

A final thank you to Mark Allen and Alistair Taylor who continue to run MARS Moments in the

newspapers, the articles seem to have made the public more aware of our local wildlife. Through

continued education in the schools the future generation will understand how we can live

together respecting each others environment.

Sandy Fair f i eld

FUNDRAISING AND SPECIAL EVENTS COMMITTEE REPORTThe members of the Fundraising and Special Events Committee thank our amazing communityfor your support. During the past year you demonstrated commitment to wildlife andconservation of habitat in many ways, including some of the following examples:

Donations: Once again, MARSs supporters contributed generously during the 2012/13 year:donating a total of $74,500 through direct giving and Canada Helps. In addition to this

impressive amount, donations in-kind of goods and services amounted to $11,125 and schoolchildren raised almost $3,500 for MARS.

Until recently, most donations to our organization came from people living in our service area ofthe mid and north Island and the nearby northern Gulf Islands. But, increasingly, contributionsare coming from all over the world as people learn about MARS through social media. We thankour creative volunteer who, with photographs and stories of wildlife that come into our care,connects with supporters on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

MARS Moment s:A regular column in the Comox Valley Record and the Campbell River Mirror

newspapers, written by another volunteer, continues to capture the heart and imagination ofreaders and generate local support for wildlife, especially among those of us who have not yet

embraced the use of social media.

Gaming Funds: The 2012 year began with good news when we learned that the Province of BChad granted us Gaming funds. We received $25,000 for our rescue and rehabilitation programand an additional $25,000 to support educational and outreach activities. This financialcontribution was very encouraging and provided a solid foundation from which to do our work.


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Public Events: Our educational (ambassador) birds and their handlers work hard at communityevents to provide public information about wildlife and the need for conservation. Members ofthe MARS Fundraising and Special Events Committee are also busy at these events selling raffletickets as well as merchandise and goodies. Altogether, retail sales brought in $6,000 this year tohelp us care for wildlife and raffle ticket sales earned another $15,000.

You may want to attend a spring or summer event at Kitty Coleman Gardens, Canada Day,Nautical Days or one of the market days. While there, look for the MARS booth and treat

yourself to a chocolate eagle head from Hot Chocolates or one of the ever popular Heavenly

Goodies eagle cookies and buy some raffle tickets with great prizes from local artists and

businesses.

Gift of Time:Volunteers work hard in otherways to bring in funds for MARS. For example;local residents, interns and staff maintain trailsin Tsolum Spirit and Headquarters Town Site

parks, earning $2600 under contract with theComox Valley Regional District. Volunteers arealso reimbursed for acting as timekeepers atCampbell River Logger Sports in August everyyear.

MARS supporters recently voted by thehundreds in three different online social mediacompetitions: Shell, Aviva and BC Hydro. And,we won! Since the funds will be received, andspent, in the next fiscal year, we will be reportingin more detail in the 2013/14 annual report.

MARS Fundraising and Educational Events: The 2012/13 calendar was once again full offundraising and educational events beginning with an evening at the Mex Pub organized by Judyand Bruce Wing and a performance by a local singer/songwriter Jack Sigurdson, who chose ourgroup to receive the proceeds from the evening. A Whistle Stop Pub Night during two nights inSeptember successfully raised $3,200.These evenings are always a treat for MARS membersbecause they involve a minimum of fundraising work and a lot of good music!

In April, there was a Walk for Wildlife around the Courtenay AirPark. This new event, which we

hope to turn into an annual celebration of wildlife, was a lot of fun and brought in more than$2500. Later in the spring, a choir music event Take Flight with MARS was held at Sid Williams

Theatre with excellent performances and a profitable evening for MARS, raising $2,600.

Near the end of our fiscal year (on February 23rd, 2013) our 8th annual Eagle Festivalat theMaritime Museum in Campbell River had 750 people attend this one day event, including 250children, to learn more about how to be a wildlife hero. This popular annual event has beensponsored by BC Hydro since 2006 and this year earned over $6,000 for MARS.

Photo by Pat Wagar


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Examples of Contributions and Grants

BC Hydro sponsors EagleFestival and also contributedoperating funds for rescue andrehabilitation work this year fora total amount of $10,000.

Nystar Mining (Myra Falls)made a generous donation of$7000 at Christmas time.

Strathcona Regional District,Area D, showed support forwildlife with a $4,500 grant inaid.

The Comox Valley RegionalDistrict (Areas A, B, C)contributed a total of $2500.

The Olympia Foundationdonated $3,000 to help buildBambi bungalows

A supporter held a MurderMystery fundraiser to bring in$200 for MARS.

Membership of the CumberlandRotary made a $500.00contribution.

The Youth Action Committeefrom Carihi School in Campbell

River chose MARS to be a recipient of their fundraising. The Hornby Island Eagle group purchased $900 worth of merchandise. Employees of the Scotia Bank raised $150 from a potluck dinner The Royston Roasting Company is allowing us to sell coffee beans with the MARS logo.

Each bag that is sold brings in a profit of $4.

My Tech Guys sponsor and look after our website, an example of the in kindcontributions that do so much to enhance and support our work.

There were many other contributors, acts of creative fundraising and gifts of time. Space doesnot allow us to include them all. But please know we very much appreciate your support. I

would especially like to thank all of the children and young people who donated their birthdaymoney or otherwise raised funds for MARS. Every penny you give to us goes to help wildlife.

Your donations encourage and inspire us. Thank you.

Pear l M cKenzie, for the Fundraising and Special Events Committee

Photo by Pat Wagar


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MARSSOCIAL MEDIA, WEBSITE AND FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIESIn the past two years we have been developing the Facebook and YouTube pages for MARS and

they have grown tremendously. People seem to like to connect with each other and be able to

view photos and videos that show what kind of activities and animals were involved with. We

believe that this has impacted our donations and public support very positively and has become

a very effective tool for promoting events and fundraising. Major fundraising is changing; insteadof awarding grants based on applications for funding, they are moving towards voting

challenges. The internet is now a necessary tool to solicit votes. We were involved in about four

such contests within the last year: Shell Fueling Change ($10,000 received), Aviva Community

Fund (we missed getting $5,000 by 36 votes), the BC Hydro Video challenge, which won us

$10,000 and the Share the Bounty contest where we received third place and $5,000.

When we began to administrate Facebook two years ago we had less than 400 followers (Likes)

and the page has now grown to more than 3500 Likes, with some posts being viewed by

thousands of people. It has been a great tool for soliciting votes for the contests weve been in,and for raising awareness of our organization and funding needs. Keeping the content current

and relevant seems to be the best strategy and stories with happy endings and adventure attract

the most attention. Facebook is also useful for putting out information about respecting wildlife,

instructions about cleaning bird feeders and warnings to leave babies alone.

Our YouTube following has also grown exponentially in the last two years, from less than 10,000

views on the site to more than 82,000 views. We began with only 11 direct subscribers and now

have 214 these people are notified every time a new video has been posted. There are currently

131 videos on the site, with the most popular video being watched over 6,800 times. This site is a

great tool for showing the work we do, our professionalism, and personalizing the patients.Video engages people far more than a static picture and is an especially great venue for showing

releases.

The website, too, has been under development; however we have recently switched to a

completely different design as the old website no longer suited our needs. The site was designed

by three students from North Island College as their term project for a website design course. It

still needs information added to it and will be a work in progress for a while, but this will also be

part of the work of the new social media team, led by myself. The team will be working to

advance our online presence and develop our brand and following across the existing platformsand through several new ones. We have added Google+, Pinterest, Flickr and we will be working

on improving and expanding our Twitter usage in order to cover the web with our organizations

message.

Pat Wagar, Contract Administrative Assistant and Volunteer


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FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNOTICE TO READER


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DIRECTIONS

TO MARS

Area where most

of MARS patients

are from


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Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS) 2013 Annual Report

Documents

Transcript of Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS) 2013 Annual Report