Our litigation to try to stop clear cutting of the easement at Fellow Mortals ended with the judge not granting our request.
We want you to know that your gift to help with legal fees to fight to Save the Sanctuary was not wasted.
Our Attorneys built a case that had never before been argued--one that focussed on what was best for wild animals in rehabilitation! Without any legal precedents, they argued a case unique to most attorneys' experience and they did it well.
Along with keeping people engaged with the issue on Facebook and our web site, over 105,000 people signed an online petition, 1,200 more signed paper petitions, people in local communities who read the newspaper or saw a television clip were educated about easements, learned about wildlife rehabilitation and found hope in seeing that people are still willing to stand up for what they believe.
Hope is a powerful force. Never lose hope.
All of us are disappointed with the Judge's ruling, but we believe he was constrained by the rules of law to decide as he did. Please do not blame him for this outcome. The outcome is the result of the easement that was written long ago-not the result of the Judge's interpretation of that easement.
Some of you may be angry. We are not. We are disappointed, but not discouraged. This defeat will not change who we are or what we do.
In practical matters--
First priority: We are making a plan to be able to move as many animals as possible inside the hospital for the time the clear cutting is scheduled. We understand that ATC will give us enough notice to do this. Former interns and staff and friends in the rehabilitation community will help when the time comes and can also provide temporary housing if necessary.
Second priority: We need to raise funds for wildlife care and operating expenses for the coming months. All of our fundraising efforts this year have been for legal fees and we are in debt to our suppliers. Cash donations are quite desperately needed at this time: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/fellow-mortals-wildlife-hospital/
Third priority: Finding a way to replace the privacy, security and noise buffering of the mature spruce and walnuts and other small trees and vegetation that are removed from the easement area.
1. The use of the inside areas at Fellow Mortals-the hospital, critical care areas and waterfowl habitats are not affected by the clear cutting. We can continue to provide critical care on site.
2. The use of the outdoor habitats at Fellow Mortals--pre-flights, mammal habitats, deer habitat, etc. is affected. We will be discussing various options after we get past the clear cutting.
Once we have a plan for the outdoor habitats, we can tell you whether there is a way for you to help make this possible.
If you are interested in helping to restore habitat in the coming months and year, you can send an e-mail to yvonne@fellowmortals.org.
Thank you so much for the part you played in bringing an important issue to the attention of people worldwide.
