NEEDED
Hoo Haven is in need of volunteers every day of the week, but right now the most needed days are Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Must be 14 years old, good listening skills, have a Tetanus shot within 5 years, love animals and want to help.
We have people of all ages and gender. Become part of our team.
Sharon "a Hoo Volunteer" is preparing a special Thanksgiving dinner for the Squirrls
COMMUNITY HOURS
Please remember Hoo Haven does Community Service hours for adults and kids.
Church, school, scouts and more.
Do you want to have fun, learn, get your community service hours. Hoo Haven is your place.
Scouts or Youth
Hoo is looking for 4-6 scouts or youth 15 years of age and above to help for 3-4 hours on a Saturday or Sunday. Our Bird of Prey pens need Ag lime and if you tag team it makes it go well. Please call 815-629-2212 and leave a message for Karen.
Volunteers
I am grateful for the response to our need volunteers. We are doing better but not quite there yet. We still need help Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. You will be here from 9-1pm. Wear old clothes, the layered look. Bring your good listening skills, ask lots of questions and get excited to learn many things you never knew.
Be one of the doers. Please call we need you.
The next two articles were written by one of our volunteers you can see her enthusiasm in every word.
Kristin Drew,
8 December 2016
“Hoo” Haven Feature Story
71 eagles from four states, 16 pelicans, two African tortoises, a snowy owl and countless
squirrels, rabbits and opossums. These are only some of the animals that have been rehabilitated
at “Hoo” Haven, a refuge for injured wildlife in Durand, Illinois.
Karen and Steven Herdklotz started “Hoo” Haven 36 years ago, but Karen says she
doesn’t remember what type of animal triggered the creation of the rehabilitation center that now
fills their backyard. “It was probably either a squirrel, a rabbit or a raccoon,” Karen said.
Though Karen and Steven have been rehabbing animals for 36 years, they didn’t
officially establish “Hoo” Haven until 2000 with the arrival of a visually impaired owl named
Jessie. Jessie has a torn retina in one eye and a cataract in the other, so like many of “Hoo”
Haven’s other residents, she can never be released back into the wild.
Karen and Steven trained her to be an educational bird, and with that, “Hoo” Haven and
it’s educational programs quickly became an integral part of the northern Illinois community.
Since then, “Hoo” Haven has acquired many interesting animals including Licorice, a
silver fox who was rescued from a fox fur farm, and Captain Jack, an educational eagle who was
left with only one eye after sustaining a severe injury.
Digger, a red fox, has a neurological condition that impairs her balance. She’s become a
permanent resident of “Hoo” Haven and will serve as a surrogate mother for baby foxes,
teaching them how to do basic fox tasks like hiding their food.
Broccoli, one of “Hoo” Haven’s three resident pelicans, was found frozen in the
Mississippi River after she failed to migrate south with her flock. She lost the webbing on her
feet as a result, and is now in training to become an educational bird.
“Hoo” Haven’s unique animals are just one part of what makes them so special, though.
The animals are the easiest to see, but perhaps the most intriguing thing about “Hoo” Haven is
the fact that they’re completely volunteer and donation driven, fueled by support and enthusiasm
from the local community.
“We really rely on a core group of about 12 to 14 volunteers,” Karen said. She explained
that “Hoo” Haven takes animals in based on how many volunteers they have available, so the
volunteers are one of the most important factors in allowing “Hoo” Haven to rehabilitate and
save as many animals as they can. “We could not do the quantity of saves and rehabs that we do
if it weren’t for the volunteers,” she said.
In addition to volunteers, the local community supplies support in other ways, too. “A lot
of the food we feed our animals, like the meat and fish for the birds, is all donated by local
grocery stores,” Kim Genthner, a 10 year “Hoo” Haven volunteer, said. Genthner also said that
all of the animal housing units were built by local Eagle Scouts as their final projects.
“Hoo” Haven also receives a great deal of monetary support from Exelon’s Nuclear
Generating Station in Byron, Illinois. “Exelon really puts a premium emphasis on giving back to
the community where their plants are located,” said Dorothy Wallheimer, Exelon’s Community
Manager for their Byron station.
“We’ve chosen to support Hoo Haven a number of times because of the unique outreach
and services provided by this Northern Illinois wildlife rehabilitation and education center. It’s a
well-run nonprofit group that does a great job with wildlife rescue,” she said.
Through donations from Exelon, “Hoo” Haven was able to construct their aquatic
rehabilitation center for birds like the pelicans they’ve rescued. Exelon’s donations also made it
possible for “Hoo” Haven to purchase a van to assist in picking up and transporting injured
animals.
“Hoo” Haven is also driven by community interest and enthusiasm for the organization
and their wildlife. “People love to come to our programs, and they all say it’s because we’re so
passionate about what we do at “Hoo” Haven,” Karen said. When Karen saw how much their
programs impacted people, she got the idea to turn education into a legacy.
“We have a lot of things in place to make sure “Hoo” Haven can continue, even after
Steven and I are gone,” Karen said. She explained that the knowledge they share at their
educational programs is something that will create a legacy in itself. “If we can teach kids
starting at five years old not to litter, to turn off water when they’re not using it, that even dead
trees have a use, and that everything in this world has a purpose, we can raise generations that
have a greater respect and appreciation for our Earth,” she said.
“Hoo” Haven also hopes to educate people about what they do when they find an injured
animal. “We always want people to know exactly what to do with an animal that’s hurt so that we
can help it the best we can,” Karen explained. “With birds, for example, it’s important to get
them to us as soon as possible if you think they have a broken wing. Since their bones are
hollow, broken bones start to repair themselves almost immediately. If it repairs itself wrong, that
could be very bad for the bird.”
“I thought it was interesting to hear about how injured animals can be rescued,” said
Sherri Drew, a visitor to “Hoo” Haven. “Normally when you see an injured animal, it makes you
sad, but you just think ‘That’s nature,’ so it was really helpful to hear what you can do to help
them,” she said.
Whether you visit “Hoo” Haven or go to an educational program, one thing is clear: the
organization cares deeply about every animal they take in. “It’s so wonderful that two people
care so much about wildlife in the area to dedicate so much time to those animals,” said Diana
Lewis, who also visited “Hoo” Haven.
“Saving as many animals as we can is a top priority,” Karen said. “I just think every day,
if I can save one more life, and educate one more person, I’ll be a happy camper.
Kristin Drew, 4 December 2016
Marshmellow Profile Story
When people think of typical Illinois wildlife, they tend to think of animals they see every day. Squirrels, rabbits and small birds like finches or robins probably come to mind. If they think just a little harder, they’ll think of raccoons, opossums and birds of prey like hawks and eagles.
“Hoo” Haven, a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Durand, Illinois, rehabilitates of most of
these animals in addition to some less common animals like barn owls, falcons and foxes. Some
of “Hoo” Haven’s most prized residents, though, are their white pelicans.
Many people don’t think of pelicans as being typical Illinois animals because they’ve
never called Illinois home until recently. Before 2005, it was rare to see a white pelican
anywhere in Illinois, but for the last few years, flocks of pelicans have been spotted in many
northern Illinois towns, like Streator, Dixon, Oregon, and Byron.
“When Hurricane Katrina came through, it was such a big storm that it threw off their
migratory path,” said Kim Genthner, a volunteer at “Hoo” Haven. Genthner explained that while
the pelicans used to migrate to Canada for the summer through the middle plains states,
Hurricane Katrina shifted their migration patterns to the east, so it’s much more common to see
white pelicans in northern Illinois now.
With more pelicans, though, comes more potential pelican injuries.
That’s where “Hoo”
Haven comes in.
So far, “Hoo” Haven has rescued 16 white pelicans in the northern Illinois area, and they
currently have three resident pelicans who weren’t able to be released back into the wild.
Marshmellow was the third pelican “Hoo” Haven recovered, but he was the first to stay
there permanently.
The 7-year-old pelican was found near Streator, Illinois, after he flew into a cell phone
tower guide wire, an accident that severed one of his wings.
“He was flying with his flock and someone saw him go down, so they went to find him
and contacted a vet in the area,” Genthner said. After the veterinarian took care of
Marshmellow’s injuries, they contacted Karen and Steven Herdklotz, the directors and founders
of “Hoo” Haven.
“Right when we met him, he had such a personality,” Karen said, “He was so friendly.”
Because Marshmallow is unable to fly, he can never be released back into the wild, so
“Hoo” Haven has become his permanent home.
Now, Marshmellow works as an educational
pelican and travels all around Illinois with volunteers and the Herdklotzes. He’s the star of
programs they put on that aim to spread the word about “Hoo” Haven, and teach people the
importance of treating nature and wildlife with respect.
“Hoo” Haven’s programs featuring Marshmellow have become an important part of the
organization. Karen explained that having Marshmellow as an educational bird and allowing
people to see and interact with him teaches people to accept their flaws. “Everybody has a flaw
that they’re self-conscious of,” Karen said. “Marshmellow only has one wing, but he’s still as
happy as can be.”
Hearing the stories of the animals like Marshmellow also serves as an inspiration.
“They’re just so amazing,” said Kaitlyn Drew, an 11-year-old who went to a “Hoo” Haven
program in Byron, Illinois. “Marshmellow and the other animals just keep going strong, even
after the awful things they’ve been through,” she said.
Marshmellow doesn’t just educate people, though. He also serves as an educational pelican for other pelicans, teaching them about how to live at “Hoo” Haven. “A lot of the time, we feed our pelicans fish that’s donated from local grocery stores, and normally, when wild pelicans eat fish, they eat it head first. When we feed them the fish chunks that we get, they don’t know what to do with it,” Genthner said. After Marshmellow learned how to eat the chunks of fish, it became his job to show the other pelicans they’ve rescued how to eat them. He teaches the new pelicans that the fish is okay to eat, even though it doesn’t look like the fish they’re used to.
Two other pelicans, Broccoli and Snapper, are also permanently housed at “Hoo” Haven.
Broccoli is currently being trained to be an educational pelican like Marshmellow. “Hoo” Haven
hopes that she and Marshmellow can work together in future programs to inspire and educate
people for years to come.
Click the picture .
to see Peyton's .
final project video .
VolunteersAs school starts many of our youth volunteers are back in class and we have a void. We are in need of Monday thru Friday volunteers. Call 815-629-2212 and leave a number where Karen can call you back at 6PM. |
Two Volunteers having a good time. Whether washing food bowls or feding we all help each other.
Volunteers
It amazes me the number of animals and birds that we do every year. It is 500-800 with the number of volunteers that we have. People ask me if we need volunteers. The answer to that question is YES. The volunteers we have are dedicated.
We are always looking for youth, retired and everyone in the middle and our particular need is Monday thru Friday. We ask for 3 hours a week but many give more. You must be willing to get dirty, wear old clothes, have a good time and LOVE animals. Many of our volunteers work and then have a day off in the week, or after training will come in the evening after work. As long as you have had the training and know what to do that is fine.
Call 815-629-2212 and leave a number where I can reach you either 7AM or 7PM. I am looking forward to seeing new faces.
Karen
Director
PICK UPS AND VOLUNTEERS
"Hoo" Haven does very few pick ups any more let us explain.
Because of the number of mammals and birds we care for, treatment, feeding, cleaning and running Hoo Haven and also in consideration of our full time jobs and our volunteers' full time jobs, it is not feasible to do pick ups any longer.
We do have volunteers to the west who pick up birds of prey and animals for Hoo and transport them. They are called Transport Volunteers We would be glad to teach individuals how to do this if anyone is interested.
At "Hoo" there are all different kinds of volunteers because we are solely run by volunteers and supported by the generous donations of the People, Who Believe In What We Are Doing.
Please do not punish an animal or bird and do nothing because we do not pick up. We will walk you thru it and you will feel good at the end. No one person or facility can do it all. If we all work together we can make Rockford and all Mother Earth a better place to live for all future generations. It is not everyone else's job, it is everyone's job to help.
It truly saddens me when individuals get angry on the phone.
Thank you
Karen, RN,WLR
Director