...WideAwake Rescue...

The Big Build (sent-05 Jun 06)

     
Rescuing the animals from Wisconsin, who were temporarily housed at a Humane Society in Minnesota, we have chosen to call the “Wide Awake” Rescue. We believe this is appropriate due to the generosity of our friends, who own property in the Colorado mountains, which used to be a small prospecting town called “Wide Awake”. These folks have not only gone above and beyond in allowing us to use their property for the rescue site, but also were instrumental in helping to build the enclosures. Although the new site is located approximately 100 miles from the Sanctuary, it will additionally provide an excellent location for an emergency evacuation site once the “Wide Awake” animals are all placed in appropriate facilities.

As reported in our original alert, we received the final word from the Humane Society in MN on Friday afternoon. Everything exploded from there. Poles, chain link and door panels all had to be picked up in Denver and delivered to the site. Hog rings, staples, tools, etc. all had to be collected for a Saturday morning departure to the new site. Volunteers had to be contacted to provide the labor for the build and accommodations for those who would stay overnight, for the build, must be found. The logistics involved with this type of rapid response seemed impossible -- how was all of this going to come together? In addition, how would we fund such a large operation? Everyone had their assignments and the wheels started to spin, the phones dialed, the emails hit cyber space and the gofers, went.

Saturday morning arrived and Frank hit the build site by mid morning to layout the enclosures. The site was beautiful and presented the option of making the enclosures somewhat larger than had originally been planned. They also allowed for a small creek to run through all of the enclosures. He laid out 12 enclosures that would each be approximately 22’ by 60’. By early afternoon, volunteers were arriving and holes were being drilled for posts. Posts were being set and the build was on. The volunteers continued until dark -- about 9:00 pm and then staggered off to the home of a Wolf supporter, who opened his home for the troops. Dinner had been prepared, was eaten, washed down with a beer and everyone hit their sleeping bags.

Sunday morning the volunteers were up by 6:00 am, ate breakfast and were at the site working by 7:00 am. Holes were being drilled faster than poles could be set. Concerns were surfacing about how the stream could traverse the enclosures and still make the enclosures secure. It was becoming apparent that Frank may have been thinking more about the well-being of the animals, but forgetting that the humans had to build all of this by Tuesday or Wednesday. By dark everyone was more than a little concerned as to whether or not we would be able to accomplish the task and the weather seemed to echo this concern and it began to snow. Again off to the temporary sleeping quarters for dinner, a beer and to bed.

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