A Transition from Wildlife to Trees...

Well, my job as the Director of Education at the California Wildlife Center is over... the Annenberg Foundation grant that has funded CWC's Education Program for the past 2 years is ending in September, and with it my position at CWC. Last Wednesday, August 30, was my last day working at the center. I submitted grants to other foundations, which CWC should hear from in the near future and I am hopeful that the center will receive a grant to continue the Wildlife Education Program at that time.

It's a bittersweet situation for me to be departing from the center for a new job-- I'm both excited for what's to come, and sad to be leaving a place that has had a very special place in my heart for the last 2 years. The friendships that I have made, the animals we've helped, the people we have reached with our message of co-existence...

I'll never forget carrying an emaciated, orphaned harbor seal for 30 minutes to the CWC rescue truck at Point Dume...
...going to 126 classrooms throughout Los Angeles and seeing kids' faces light up when I taught them about the variety of wildlife that thrive just minutes from their doorsteps...
...feeding a tiny baby hummingbird in the hospital who's mom had been killed by a cat...
...working with volunteers and staff to build a new outdoor enclosure for the animals...
...helping to save a sea lion on the beach in Malibu that had fishing line caught around his neck...
...releasing a Red Tail Hawk that had been hit by a car, after 3 months of rehabilitation and giving him a second chance...

I'm pretty choked up about leaving the center... I mean, I've had lots of changes and transitions in my life, but for some reason this one is really affecting me!! I had a thoughtful send-off this week from the staff and volunteers, and have had kind words from everyone at CWC, but those things all make it even harder to go! I cannot fully leave the center and be happy, so I plan to continue at CWC as a volunteer in any way that is needed.

The good news is that I will be continuing my career in the environmental education community with a new job at the non-profit, TreePeople. I start the day after Labor Day, and am excited about my project there and who I'll be working with. I'm still not sure what my long-term career goals are, if they're in the non-profit world or with a more stable, lucrative profession... but in the meantime all I know is I want to help my community in some capacity.