Megan Mosby
Executive Director
So how do you “raise” a volunteer?
The blooming of a volunteer at Liberty Wildlife is a thing of beauty. Over the years, there has been a definite evolution of our volunteer program. From the earliest of days there was just one type of volunteer, and we each did what we could in the time we had between work and families. But it quickly grew to the point where there needed to be a permanent staff. At first small but mighty, we have grown to what you see now, with about 9 FTE employees. However, the basic fiber of this animal is its volunteer staff – over 300 strong!
The Superheroes
Recently we started a new group of volunteers who are barely finished teething. They are the youngest of our heroes….the Superheroes! They are two groups between 5 and 12 years of age. 
The Superheroes meet at Liberty once a month, with moms or dads included, and they all learn about important basics of nature. Early engagement is the key to the best volunteers – and the best citizens of the planet for that matter.
These young children are filled with passion to engage with nature, and they learn the essentials of protecting the world in which they will grow up. They attend a group get-together one Saturday a month and are introduced to a new topic each meeting. At-home activities are then suggested for the following month, which each Superhero diligently records in their personal Nature Journal. This both memorializes their activities and becomes a record from which they share their accomplishments with the rest of the group.
In every session the Superheroes are also introduced to one of the Liberty Wildlife Ambassadors and an Education Handler who tells them all about that particular animal…they get a really close encounter with some very cool creatures. Other hands-on activities are designed to pique their interests. That leads to the next step (which will begin next fall), when the young naturalists are encouraged to explore the Education Trail and choose one of the Ambassadors to “sponsor”. As a “sponsor” they are challenged to learn all about that particular animal, its individual story, its species, its place in the habitat, and other important things about its world.
Next Steps
The Superheroes are the first stage of volunteerism at Liberty Wildlife. The Teen Club is the 
next step in the process and is designed to take the young naturalist farther. This group of super achievers train to handle the reptiles and present natural history to our guests during open hours and at select booth settings in the community. Perhaps you’ve seen them tending the tables outside the Interactive Room on a recent visit—dissecting owl pellets, explaining the differences in various sample animal skulls, or waxing poetic about the attributes of various wildlife.
Following the Teen Club experience these youth can strive to become a Liberty Wildlife Volunteer starting in the “husbandry” activities of the daily care of the animals we are rehabilitating. After a six-month period of time they are encouraged to branch out if they have a further interest in learning the medical services side of the organization or the educational side. After that, opportunity usually goes to those we know…and as a side note…most of the staff members at Liberty Wildlife also started as volunteers!
Enough said.
The Superhero Club meets September through May. If you would like more information or wish to join our waitlist to enroll in the program please contact Carol Suits, carols@libertywildlife.org.
Getting involved pays off in many, many ways….Come see.
This Week @ Liberty – February 28, 2023
It seems time slips by quicker these days. The sun is rising sooner, setting later, and much too soon that summer heat is going to be here and we’ll miss these rainy, cold days we’ve been having. Not the wind, though; I won’t miss that at all (and I can’t say the birds will, either!).
Mid-March will be here just as quickly, and with it, the orphans who fall from their nests because of weather or simply from ‘jumping’ too soon. Orphan Care will be starting to take care of those orphans, and our Daily Care volunteers (among many others) are getting ready for that busy season to hit.
And even then, we aren’t slowing down. With a past event in February and many more to come, alongside new volunteers learning to handle Animal Ambassadors and talk to the public, Liberty Wildlife is happy to see new faces and meet all the new ones, too.
Pellets and Broken Wings
The Endangered Species act of 1973 was designed to protect critically endangered species and to help them recover to a point where that protection was no longer needed. Fun fact: feathers from these birds are legally protected, meaning if you find an eagle feather (or the like) somewhere, you cannot legally own said feather. It even covers eggs and skeletons of these animals.
It also means it’s illegal to shoot them, too.
The unfortunate reality is, we see this more often than we’d like. Intake 23-460 not only had a pellet go through her wing (her radius/ulna just above the elbow), but that pellet is now currently lodged in the area around her knee. After an assessment by our volunteer veterinarians, the wing has been wrapped to help heal the fracture, and the pellet is being left alone as they were unable to palpitate to remove it (essentially the pellet has been there long enough there is no longer a wound to remove said pellet).
It almost seems crazy that these days we need laws like this one to protect our wildlife; we’ve shared this world with them since the beginning. And while they’ve adapted well to city life, it’s easy to forget they didn’t have a choice in the matter. They’ve had to adapt in order to survive; it seems prudent we give them that space to continue doing so, if not for the sake of humanity.
Events on Campus (Past and Future)
It seems like it’s been a minute since we’ve had events on-site. 2020 brought around an unprecedented time, and it cycled into 2021 and a bit of 2022. Now, three years after Covid hit and most of us have had to change the way we handle travel and grocery shopping and everything else that comes with being around people, it seems the world is ready to get back to it.
Two Sundays ago we held the first of three Sippin’ the Spirit of the Southwest events! From 1pm-4pm, party goers were able to walk the education trail and not only meet our volunteers but several of our Animal Ambassadors as well. Complete with a traditional Navajo taco stand and a beer garden (for those of us 21 and over), the Great Arizona Puppet Theater presented a wonderful show about rattlesnakes, California condors and bats.
Remember when I said this is the first of three? If you happened to miss this one, you can join us for the rest; April 16th and November 19th (date subject to change), both from 1pm-4pm (keep an eye out for those tickets!).
Of course, if you’re looking to get here a little sooner, we have an event coming up on Sunday, March 19th. Held during public hours, you can come and help Arizona’s orphaned wildlife by joining us for our Spring Celebration and Youth Art Exhibit. From 10am-1pm, you’ll see art made by young, local artists, enjoy games and other activities, as well as mingle with your favorite Animal Ambassadors. Plus, if you bring something from our wishlist, you can get in for free! (otherwise it’s normal price).
If you know of any local artists who would be interested in participating, download the form here.
As always, we look forward to seeing you! Good lock on all that artwork!
Moving On Up (Rio + Willow)
If you’ve been coming to Liberty Wildlife for a while, I’m sure you’re noticed a few birds have been moved. Sometimes it’s to make way for new Animal Ambassadors, and sometimes it’s simply because we built some new ‘digs.’ Needless to say, we knew the perfect pair to inhabit this new enclosure.
Rio and Willow, both Zone-Tailed Hawks, have found their new setting at the wetlands to be a spectacular decision on our part. Often, in the morning when I get here, they’re perched low to see the water and the lilies and trees surrounding them. Their calls are loud, too, echoing around the wetlands like they’ve been right there since the start.
And if you know anything about Zone-Tails, you know this is a perfect spot for them. While they can be found anywhere from riparian woodlands to humid forests to semiarid deserts, they’re usually found in areas with tall trees near streams. They aren’t common hawks to see, either; you’ll only find them here in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, and only for a part of the year. During October-March (sometimes April) they’ll be found primarily in South America and Mexico. If you’re looking to spot these birds, you’ll have some good luck during the late spring and summer months.
For now, you can come see them here. I know Rio and Willow won’t mind!
Notable Mentions
Alas, here we meet again. Another blog in the books, and another week gone. March is here, along with spring, and with both, all those babies I’ve been promising you for weeks now. Soon, Orphan Care will be in full-swing, and I imagine all these pictures will be of those little orphans coming through our doors.
So, without further ado, here are this week’s notable mentions:
Cardi B drops by for a quick hello in the aviary (1 picture)
New volunteers practice partner to learn about our animal ambassadors and how to handle them (1 picture)
A Great Egret stops by the wetlands for a quick hello (2 pictures)
Teeny tiny baby hummingbirds are getting round the clock care (1 picture)
A memory care group tours the campus and says hello to a few of the birds (1 picture)
Animal Ambassador Darwin fostering her first (and Liberty’s first) of the year baby! (1 picture)
Remember, Public Hours happen Wednesday, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-1pm; keep an eye out for those summer hours, though, they’re fast approaching!
Until next time!
Posted by Acacia Parker
Public Outreach Coordinator
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