Future Facility

Philosophy Behind Facility

One of IWC's core values is to be sensitive and "friendly" to Earth, the community, our wild patients and the people who work at the facility. We'll incorporate a conservation ethic in our establishment and management of both our facility and the land. The photos on this page show some of the components of a wildlife rehabilitation and education facilities across the nation that we are considering, such as wildlife exhibit (The Raptor Trust, New Jersey), surgery room (North Island Wildlife Recovery Association, British Columbia), pre-release conditioning rooms (Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, Delaware) and heated pools (also Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research). 

The Green Model Facility- It will take a lot of resources to build and run this medical clinic, hospital and education center. We will use green building concepts in the design and construction of the Center and carefully plan our use and reuse of energy. That's good for all of us and it will help IWC reduce operating costs in the long run.

·         The site we have selected was once the site of a hog confinement that never got off the ground because of a local grassroots move to stop the company -- only foundations remain. We won't be harming threatened or endangered plants or animals or prairies or wetlands in the construction of the facility. In fact, we will be creating prairies and wetlands and restoring the savanna!

·         To build the facility, we will seek design and construction companies that have a thorough understanding of green building concepts -- from keeping building material waste to a minimum to 

selecting durable materials that have been produced with minimum impact and energy.

·         We will use pervious pavement or porous surface for trails and parking areas and explore the use of material found on site, such as clay and wood. We will use existing building foundations for pre-release conditioning cages.  

·         Rehabilitation facilities use copious amounts of water to clean cages and provide animals ample fresh water to drink or swim in. We will pay special attention to our wastewater, grey water and rainwater by incorporating systems, such as dual-flush toilets, that allow us to minimize water use, reuse what we can and keep water on the site. 

·         Power will be in high demand to run equipment and keep appropriate light, humidity and temperature regimes for individual patient needs. Energy will likely be supplied largely by a combination of wind, geothermal and solar and Midland Power Cooperative, IWC's power supplier, is eager to work with us on our alternative energy projects.

Yes, we will be using resources as we construct the facility, but the plan must be in balance with our environmental ethic.     

Photo Credit: Marlene Ehresman/IWC