Four Lakes Wildlife Center

This partnership between the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and Four Lakes Wildlife Center was coordinated and designed by Ben Koch (B.S.E. student in Civil and Environmental Engineering) as part of a unique new course Community Engagement through Film.

COMMUNITY PARTNER:
Four Lakes Wildlife Center strives to "provide responsible care for the ill, injured, and orphaned wildlife of south central Wisconsin and to promote education and awareness of the crucial role of wildlife in our community." They have been operating since 2002 and already this year have rehabbed over 1,100 animals.

Four Lakes runs almost entirely on the efforts of its volunteers. It has only one full-time staff member, Brooke Lewis, who coordinates the volunteers, as well as one summer intern. Otherwise, everything that Four Lakes does is completed by dedicated volunteers and companies who donate time and resources. Four Lakes's goals for the film festival are to increase the community's awareness of the importance of healthy wildlife-human interactions and to show people how they can be involved with this issue. They want people to know about their facility and how they are working to save, rehabilitate and release animals -- preserving the wild in Madison.

PARTNERING FILMS:
Wild New York (Saturday, November 7, 11 am, UW Cinematheque)

Wild New York is a movie about wild red-tail hawks living in New York City.  It follows the birds through their lives, showing both the successes and the struggles of these birds to live with and adapt to humans and the people who risk their lives to protect these birds.  We have a "Wild Madison" right here in our own city; the same struggle happens here every day -- bunnies, birds, and more, all hurt by their interactions with humans.  In Madison, the one group which is doing anything it can to protect, rehabilitate and save the wildlife is Four Lakes Wildlife Center. 

The Adventures of Chico (Sunday, November 8, 2 pm, UW Cinematheque)

The Adventures of Chico tells the story of a young boy who saves several baby roadrunners and the impact that this experience has on him.  Life-changing experiences of interacting with wildlife happen everywhere, and many of those amazing stories are told by the people who work with these animals everyday in Madison at Four Lakes

FILM-RELATED EVENTS:

Creature Needs

Who'd believe that Madison's wildlife need paper towels, dish soap, and unscented Kleenex? But they do! Please help out the Four Lakes Wildlife Center by bringing those items to donate at movies all weekend long.

Wild Madison

Stay after our 2 pm acreening of The Adventures of Chico for Wild Madison: local stories "wild, harrowing, and romantic" about Madison's own wildlife and the people who have saved, rehabilitated, and set them free through the Four Lakes Wildlife Center. Sunday, November 8, UW Cinematheque.

WHAT ELSE YOU CAN DO:
Become involved and be aware of the importance of wildlife in your community. For starters, see a film at Tales from Planet Earth on the theme of "In the Company of Animals," to learn more about the many ways that wildlife effect humans all over the world. Consider supporting Four Lakes directly as a volunteer or with financial support. We especially need help in the building of an "Educational Pen" that would provide more space for rehabilitating birds and allow Four Lakes to engage in more public education and awareness.

SOCIAL MEDIA @ WORK:
Four Lakes Wildlife Center now has a blog at http://fourlakeswildlifecenter.blogspot.com/ and a Twitter account at http://twitter.com/fourlakeswc.

CONTACTS:
For all events, contact Benjamin Koch, bikoch@wisc.edu, 715-212-5856.