Three decades ago, Mary Jane Birch — known as Maj — started helping hurt birds.
That simple goal has transformed over the years into what we now know as the MARS Wildlife Rescue centre. To celebrate the three decades since Birch and her husband Keith first received permits to rehabilitate wildlife, MARS will be holding an open house of their facility — also celebrating an anniversary this year — including a look inside the Wildlife Hospital and a chance to meet the centre's famed Ambassador birds.
MARS' 11-acre property was purchased in 2015, and is located just off Williams Beach Road in Merville. Over the past decade, the volunteers and staff have transformed it into a gift shop and visitor centre, they have built and then expanded their wildlife hospital, and built rehabilitation and Ambassador facilities. They have also been restoring the rest of the property to its natural state, planting local plants and building wetlands, among many other small, yet impactful improvements.
"Part of our mission is not just to conserve and protect the native species, but also their natural habitat," said Pearl McKenzie, vice president of MARS.
The visitor's centre is home to a gift shop, with local producers given priority, and an education centre. Here, kids get to go through the process of caring for an animal as though it were brought into MARS. The room is also full of mounted animals and informative displays, all of which give people a chance to get up close and examine what many of these wild birds and other creatures look like.
Outside of the visitor centre is a recently reclaimed wetland, which only a few years ago was a field of broom and blackberry. Visitors peeking through the blind may get lucky enough to see some animals hiding in the ecosystem. Behind the wetland is the animal hospital, where MARS' most important work takes place. Here, they welcome native species of all kinds, except black bears and cougars. Those get sent to other facilities on the Island.
"All of these critters kind of balance one another. You can't take one out of the ecosystem without disrupting the whole chain," McKenzie said. "Every one of these native species is a vital link in the ecosystem."
Since they opened, McKenzie estimates they've helped 17,360 wildlife patients.
"If you spot an eagle flying overhead, you very well may be seeing a recently rehabilitated bird or the offspring of a previous patient," she said.
Despite their best efforts, some animals come in that won't be able to return to the wild. However, they are given a second chance at life by becoming ambassadors. Right now, there are seven Ambassadors. They are barred owl Marlowe, western screech owl Lanei, red-tailed hawk Horus, bald eagles Humpty and Hyacinth, and albino American crows Nimpkish and Kokish. These permanent residents help other animals with their rehabilitation, and help teach visitors about their species, their stories and the importance of conservation and wildlife protection.
"Our main mission is to get these birds back out into the wild," said Aaron Schmidt, volunteer and education coordinator. "But sometimes they have a permanent injury or some other issue that prevents us from doing that. So, if they can live a happy, stress-free life here at MARS, they will be hosted here, but in exchange for having them live here, they have to provide education and inspiration to the public."
There are staff bunkies on site as well, since MARS often gets students to work with them through the summer months. The organization maintains a staff of seven, who, along with an army of volunteers, make the whole thing work.
Back in the early 1990s, the Birches didn't do any of this for money. It wasn't their job, it was something they loved. They loved the animals, and they loved to volunteer. Now, three decades in, that love of volunteering has continued to permeate MARS.
"We're only here because of all the volunteers over the years," McKenzie said. "I mean, it's volunteers who founded MARS and it's volunteers who have kept it going all this time ... I counted patients, and got something like 17,500. I thought of trying to count the volunteers, but I couldn't. It would be so many people.
"We really want to acknowledge that contribution."
The open house will be held on April 26 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Parking will be available at the Merville Hall, with a shuttle running back and forth between MARS and the hall. Accessible parking is available right at the visitors centre. MARS staff ask that no dogs come to the event, even in cars, as dogs can be distressing for animals in recovery. The event will also feature live music, kids' activities, a 50/50 raffle and more. Visit marswildliferescue.com for more information.
