Share This Campaign:
UPDATE: MARCH 22, 2013:
180 DONORS
$16,225 RAISED
WOW.
Thank you to everyone who supported this campaign and believed in this project. We will be posting a formal "thank you" on our blog next week at birdrescue.org, as well as provide you with updates once this project gets underway. Stay tuned to our website for updates. If you'd like to sign up to our email list for pertinent news and updates, please visit birdrescue.org and click on "email sign up."
Thank you,
Team International Bird Rescue
________________________________________________________________
Previous updates:
February 28, 2013:
Thanks so much for all of your support! As of February 28, we have reached our initial target of $15,000 — and we’re still going strong! Pardon the gratuitous exclamation points in this message, but we are truly, truly thrilled! THANK YOU. We’ll be in touch in the near future to give you the very latest on our renovations of the pelican aviary that you have helped to build. And you can always follow all news and views from International Bird Rescue at birdrescue.org.
For the remainder of the time that International Bird Rescue is featured on Indiegogo, we’re going to graduate to a “Fill the Bill” campaign to raise money for the astronomical fish bills we receive when the center is full of pelicans.
Last year at our San Francisco Bay center alone, we treated 350 sick and/or injured brown pelicans for about 9,800 collective days (or an average of 28 days per pelican).
The fish bill for capelin plus vitamins (known as SeaTabs) amounts to about $4.60 per day per recuperating pelican–this cost fluctuates, and the cost of other types of fish used to feed these birds can vary as well. Add the cost of medication and rehab supplies, and we estimate the cost to be about $10 per pelican a day. You can help directly support their care with a donation today.
If you haven't yet gotten the chance to support this campaign, or if you already have but would like to pass this campaign on to other bird lovers, we of course welcome your support. Every single donation from here on out will help us feed those ravenous pelicans that are sure to fill our centers this summer.
Best of all, we still have plenty of premium gifts to give out for Fill the Bill donations.
With deepest gratitude,
Team International Bird Rescue
PS-For those who chose thank-you gifts with their donations, we’re sending those out full steam! Keep an eye on your mailbox.
Pelican watercolor by David Scheirer
Here's the original campaign pitch:
Do you love birds? Do you care about wildlife? Then you’ll love this campaign.
Hello, and thanks for visiting our page! We’re International Bird Rescue, and we’ve been helping save wild birds in need for over 40 years. Our non-profit 501(c)(3) organization is at the forefront of care for injured pelicans, loons, herons, albatrosses, ducklings — the list goes on and on!
You may have seen our work in the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill, where we helped to rehabilitate thousands of birds affected by the country’s worst environmental disaster on record. Today, we care for about 5,000 birds annually and operate two world-class rehabilitation centers in California. Our avian veterinarian and rehabilitation staff treat many animals hurt by human activity and cruelty.
PELICANS NEED OUR PROTECTION
In recent years, we’ve seen an alarming increase in the amount of sick, emaciated and injured pelicans brought to our centers. Some literally fall out of the sky because of a neurotoxin caused by algae blooms. Others are found mysteriously dead on the beaches, or disoriented and wandering in urban areas (including this bird found in a traffic lane on the Golden Gate Bridge).
In 2012, International Bird Rescue received nearly 1,000 sick and injured pelicans at our centers — and we rehabilitated a significant percentage of them. Because we are one of the few organizations equipped to handle these large birds, our facilities and budget are significantly strained as a result.
A MUCH-NEEDED RENOVATION PROJECT
Several years ago, we built a large aviary for rehabilitating injured species such as brown pelicans at our San Francisco Bay Area wildlife care center.
The enclosure was constructed to the highest standards possible with the funding we had at the time. But with the ever-increasing number of pelicans coming to us, we need to do some major renovations.
So far, we have secured state and local government grants to help us cover some of the costs of these renovations, which total more than $41,000. This generosity comprises more than $16,000 from the Solano County Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund and an additional grant of $10,000 from the Oiled Wildlife Care Network. We’re asking you to help us raise the final $15,000 for the project.
WHERE YOUR MONEY WILL GO
The main expenditure for this project involves a new concrete foundation for the 100-foot by 20-foot aviary, as the previous gravel substrate does not allow for proper draining and poses a health threat to recovering birds.
In short, our renovation will necessitate:
—Removing the existing gravel
—Dismantling and removing the aviary pool
—Pouring a new foundation that is graded and sloped to allow for proper drainage
—Installing new pools with updated drains and higher/wider overflows for improved water quality
Our goal? The best aviary possible for injured pelicans and other wonderful seabirds of Northern California, such as terns, gulls and cormorants.
BE A PART OF THIS "OLD-FASHIONED AVIARY RAISING!"
We have always depended on the kindness of strangers for donations both large and small. And we are very excited to reach out to the Indiegogo community for your vital help in giving pelicans another chance.
We’ve got a great list of perks for your donation in the column to the right, starting at just $5. As a new donor, you’ll also get updates on our project and the amazing birds treated by our center.
Donations of $500 and above will get you a private pelican release (to take place near our San Francisco Bay Area center or at our Los Angeles center). Take a gander at our list for other awesome perks that fit your giving level.
A new perk! BirdProject soap for a $75 donation.
Perks! Clockwise from top left: An Alex & Ani pelican bangle, an International Bird Rescue ballcap, a David Scheirer seabird watercolor print and an International Bird Rescue T-shirt.
IMAGINE — A PELICAN AVIARY WITH YOUR NAME ON IT!
For a gift of $1,000, you’ll be featured on our Pelican Circle plaque to be placed on the renovated aviary. And with your donation, we’ll give you and up to three guests a VIP tour of the center as well as a special pelican release.
For a gift of $5,000, you'll be honored on the Pelican Patron lead donor plaque as well as a VIP tour of the center for you and up to five guests. In addition to your donation, you will receive an invite to dine with an International Bird Rescue board member in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle. You will also receive complimentary tickets to any future IBR event.
CHIRP THIS CAMPAIGN OUT TO THE WORLD!
Ok, pelicans don’t chirp (they do sort of grunt and huff a little). But they need your help in getting this campaign in front of as many animal lovers as possible. Please share our fundraiser with the world if you care about these amazing animals and other wonderful seabirds.
Together, let’s protect our pelicans!
