POSSUMWOOD ACRES WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
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Mission Statement
Possumwood Acres is a wildlife treatment center providing rehabilitation and care, serves as a training center, and provides environmental education programs. Located on 16 acres in coastal NC, we are home to many non-releasable birds and animals that serve as education ambassadors and are brought to schools for wildlife presentations. Over 1100 injured and orphaned wild animals and birds are admitted for medical treatment annually, and over 100 wildlife programs are provided to children in the area. We teach several college level continuing education classes on wildlife care and treatment, provide extensive training internships, host Alternative Break students from all over the US, and serve as an outdoor classroom for STEAM activities for the public county school system. Possumwood Acres is staffed with many volunteer families from the local military bases, including Camp Lejeune, Camp Johnson, Cherry Point, and the New River Air Station. Job training is provided for the related animal services fields.
About This Cause
Our Mission Statement: A. To educate the public about local wildlife and provide a wild animal facility for the rescue, treatment, and release of sick, injured, and orphaned native wildlife. B. To provide a location for students to study nature in an outdoor classroom setting using STEM skills through field observations, experiments, outdoor activities, problem solving, reading comprehension, physical exercise, and teamwork. C. To provide a location for military personnel and dependents to help overcome isolation and social exclusion while regaining a sense of community through the unique capacity of nature to restore and improve mental and physical health using the principles of eco-therapy in our Come Find Your CENTER (Caring, Eco-therapy, Nature, Tranquility, Environment, Raptors) Project. D. To provide an outdoor environment and location for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to follow an ABA approved and individualized therapy plan in learning situations that will be fun and allow parents to participate. E. To provide a site for the therapeutic foster children program participation with bio-parents and foster parents working together to bond effectively through animal handling therapy activities. F. To provide job training for adults and high school students interested in the animal care services fields and related careers. Our goals are to save the native wildlife through medical care and public education about preserving habitats, conserving our natural resources, and preventing harm to birds and animals. We focus our programs to reach children and teach them what they can do to make a difference in their community and the impact they can have on local wildlife. Our Discovery/Exercise projects are designed to encourage children to explore the outdoors and learn more about nature through hands-on activities specific for their age/grade level. We concentrate on using scientific practices and equipment to make learning fun as well as educational. Girls are encouraged to recognize their abilities in the different fields of science. All students are encouraged to participate in physical exercise in the sunshine and fresh air as a method to improve health and well-being. We use our education animals to demonstrate what happens if improper nutritional choices are made and the resulting ill-effects or diseases that can result from obesity and dietary insufficiency. This portion of NC is home to many military installations, and unfortunately there is a high incidence of military personnel suffering from PTSD, TBI, depression, stress, anger, and anxiety. The suicide rate for our county is higher than the national average. There are also many military dependents with ASD and the number of children with autism is highest in this part of the state. Children in the county therapeutic foster care program may suffer from PTSD and may also have ASD. Our role is to provide the location, trained staff, supervision, and education animals that can be used in animal handling therapy services. Our manned raptors (hawks and owls) are used in holistic and sensory biofeedback activities for military personnel with PTSD. Project participants will receive behavioral, physical, and mental health benefits from these activities. These health benefits have been extensively studied and are well documented. There are both scientific testing and medical research results that prove the effectiveness of these techniques. The available research information and documented test results are overwhelmingly positive, supportive, and in favor of animal and eco-therapy. Physical benefits include reductions in anger, depression, anxiety, stress, and high blood pressure. Mental well-being benefits include increases in positive moods, self-confidence, acceptance, sense of community, and decreases in suicidal thoughts. Possumwood Acres strives to combine all aspects of our Mission Statement with our goals and projects, and serve as a community resource in order to benefit both the county residents as well as the native wildlife. The desired result from our work: Improvement in the physical, behavioral, and mental health of our military personnel suffering from PTSD and TBI. We wish to see autistic or foster children relate to and interact with our animals and become more interactive, communicative, and focused as a result. ABA therapy will be combined with eco-therapy to provide the setting where each child can take better advantage of opportunities available to typically developing children and also allow for parents to participate in these activities. Our vision is for Possumwood Acres to become the premiere eco-therapy center for coastal NC, and be utilized as a place for children and adults to come to interact with our wildlife ambassadors. We wish to develop working relationships and partnerships with the mental health agencies in Onslow County and Camp Lejeune, and be able to accept referrals from them for their patients and clients. Our goals are to: aid in recovery and help reduce stress levels, anxiety, anger, and depression. These health issues are crippling too many people and reducing their potential to become an integrated part of our community. We would like to make the difference that allows these adults to become productive members of society and rejoin the work force by improving mental health and providing job training. Autistic children can develop basic skills and move on to complex skills such as language, play skills, and social interaction. Possumwood Acres can become the training facility where students and interns come from all over the United States to learn how to use wildlife ambassadors in animal, nature-based, environmental, and eco-therapy activities. Ideally we would like to partner with the area colleges and create certification courses and educational programs that utilize our location and trained employees. Our expanded capacity and services will be instrumental in contributing to help correct some of the health issues in Onslow and benefit our county residents. We can help improve opportunities for employment and financial stability by providing on-the-job training in a new career to medically discharged military personnel, prepare high school students for secondary education, and assist college students in gaining the job experiences they will need in their chosen career fields. Since we began in 2004, Possumwood Acres has reached out to thousands of community residents and assisted with their wildlife problems. Our programs are sought after by the military base and county public schools each year. We provide educational programs to civic groups, libraries, summer camps, etc. and the impact on wildlife is immeasurable. Over 12,650 birds and animals have received care and treatment throughout the years and the majority have been released on the sanctuary grounds. Our Facebook page - Tails of Possumwood - is viewed by thousands of animal lovers who care about wildlife, and is a fantastic educational tool to reach viewers who want to make a difference!