Gourd Results

Who We Are:

    The Moraine Ridge Wildlife Rehab. Center is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of native wildlife. Our home is located on the grounds of a 25-acre dedicated state wildlife preserve northeast of Valparaiso and southeast of Chesterton in Porter County, Indiana. Originally formed in the mid-1990's as the Coffee Creek Life Center, we changed our name and building site in 2003, but our original mission is the same. That mission includes rehabilitation and release of injured and orphaned wildlife, public education and programming on wildlife issues, visitor programs, and a work partnership in which we hope one day to offer employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
 

(Our new building!  We had an Open House in Early November of

2008.    More pictures and information HERE.

Our Vision:

• To become a premiere wildlife rehabilitation facility, providing high-quality care to native injured or orphaned wildlife and offering up-to-date training and network opportunities for wildlife rehabbers throughout northern Indiana and the Midwest
• To foster a public understanding that wild animals belong in the wild and that wildlife need ample habitat for survival
• To increase people's awareness of how they and their domesticated pets can coexist humanely and safely with their wildlife "neighbors"
• To partner resources and ideas with other nature-loving groups
• To provide work opportunities for the special needs population
• To promote research and study on wildlife issues through publications and symposiums

The Need For A Rehab Center:

    Wildlife rehabilitation is already taking place throughout Porter County. Several Porter County veterinarians are licensed wildlife rehabbers who voluntarily treat injured wildlife brought to them or reported to them by the public. They also train volunteers who help with the rehabilitation. Because most veterinarians lack adequate space to house the large number of wildlife taken in at their clinics, many volunteer rehabbers take the animals under their care to their own farms, pole barns, garages, and even homes.

    Our goal is a more coordinated approach. While some rehabbers will undoubtedly continue to take in animals themselves, our facility would give them another option. They will have access to supplies they might be lacking on their own. Through our workshops, they will gain up-to-date information on animal care. They will be able to network with other rehabbers to share ideas, concerns, and resources.

    Because one component of our mission is public education, we hope to increase awareness about wildlife issues, among them, habitat needs, identification of diseased animals, and ways to avoid human/wildlife conflicts.

Contact Information

•• Postal address:

Moraine Ridge Wildlife Rehab. Center

570 North 450 East

Valparaiso, IN 46383

 

• Electronic mail

Educational Program Information: edu-programs@mrwildliferehab.org
Wildlife Questions/Tips: mr-wildlife@mrwildliferehab.org 
Member Info/Support: membership@mrwildlife.org 
Webmaster: webmaster@mrwildliferehab.org