Bird Rescue Center welcomes visitors as it confronts uncertain future

The Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County opened its doors to the public Saturday, delighting avian enthusiasts of all ages with its resident raptors.

The monthly open house comes amid an uncertain future for the nonprofit, which has for almost 40 years operated rent-free on county land off Chanate Road. The center’s license agreement to use the northeast Santa Rosa facilities expires ?Feb. 15, and the county is moving forward once again with the sale of the former health services campus where the center sits.

That means the rescue center, which cares for up to 3,000 injured birds each year, may need to relocate. County officials and nonprofit board members say it’s not clear when that move might take place, or what will happen after the license agreement expires.

“I can’t predict the actions we’ll take,” said General Services Director Caroline Judy. “We are certainly working with and continuing to meet with the bird rescue.”

A previous deal to sell the land to housing developer Bill Gallaher was called off after a lengthy legal battle brought by neighbors.

Judy said the county has worked to help the center find a new home for about two years. County staff are encouraging the nonprofit’s board of directors to consider working with the Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue, which rehabilitates adult birds and other animals outside Petaluma.

Members of the nonprofit’s board of directors say those facilities won’t adequately accommodate their operations, and are meeting with local officials and private landowners to find a new location, chairman Jeremy Nichols said. He hopes to strike a deal with the county to stay on the campus, where the nonprofit’s bird hospital, aviaries and other programs take up multiple buildings.

Costs for relocation range from $500,000 to $1 million, and the nonprofit would begin fundraising after a location is selected, Nichols said.

Board treasurer Crystal Norris described the center as a critical resource for caring for the county’s diverse avian population and teaching children and adults about the importance of birds and the larger ecosystem. The center is the only place in Sonoma County that rehabilitates baby birds, she said.

“We educate well over 10,000 kids through community events,” Norris said. “There’s no other facility in the county that can handle this level of birds.”

Undeterred by the rain Saturday, ?4-year-old Liam Bean scurried eagerly around the center with a birding field guide in tow, marveling at the owls and falcons perched on the arms of volunteers. The Petaluma resident often goes on walks in the city’s wetlands to observe birds with his grandmother, Patty Jepson, and seeing them up close was a treat for them both.

“We can’t lose a resource like the Bird Rescue,” Jepson said. “It’s also important to have a place where kids can come and watch the birds and their behavior.”

Oliver Grimwood, 11, was enthralled by the peregrine falcon and red-tailed hawk, and left with aspirations to become a large bird handler.

“I liked the really cool birds and getting really close to them,” said Grimwood, visiting from San Francisco.

Racquel Nevers, a Santa Rosa resident who went to the open house Saturday to complete a bucket list of 30 new activities before her ?30th birthday, said the experience was “amazing.” She said the center is a “unique” resource for educating the community.

“That was one of my favorite parts - seeing the impact it had on the kids,” she said. “It’s about being able to get out there and learn about this and see this. That’s what makes people engaged and interested in conservation.”