On March 19, about 150 supporters of the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network (SBWCN) gathered for its annual Benefit for Wildlife luncheon at the Biltmore. Funds raised support the SBWCN’s mission of rescuing and rehabilitating injured and orphaned birds, small mammals, and reptiles in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Neither the City of Santa Barbara nor the County rehabilitates these creatures so the work of this organization is critically important.
Guests mingled over the extensive silent auction offerings before being seated in the Loggia Room for lunch. Board President Roland Bryan welcomed the guests and explained how the SBWCN began in 1988 as a network of volunteers providing in-home care for rescued wildlife. In 2004, a capital campaign was launched and in 2012, the network opened its current facility, a 1.8 acre wildlife rehabilitation center on North Fairview Avenue in Goleta.
Guest speaker Santa Barbara Zoo CEO Rich Block lauded the mission and work of SBWCN. He discussed the importance and complexity of conservation and how SBWCN, the Santa Barbara Zoo, and others each play an integral role. Block discussed the zoo’s work with island foxes, California condors, sea otters, snowy plovers, and red-legged frogs. Ojai Raptor Center Director Kim Stroud, with an owl perched beside her, also talked about the community of organizations working so well together here, with her organization taking in about 1,000 birds each year.