Annual fundraiser helps feed more than 1,000 inhabitants at Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center Download this article: AdobeMountain-EO-0110.pdf

The Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center Auxiliary invites you to join us for the 5^th annual Bikers Soar For Wildlife motorcycle run Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010. This is a great opportunity to ride some beautiful country and support the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center. At the end of the ride, participants are greeted by a large number of the animals who benefit from the generosity of the riders. Eagles, hawks, falcons, large and small owls, vultures, reptiles and more are on display.

There is also lunch, live music, prizes and more.  The motorcycle run has enjoyed steady support from the community. For the first three years, the weather was sunny and clear. Almost 600 riders participated in the 2008 event. Our fourth year was more of endurance run than a pleasant ride through the desert, but close to 200 of our hardiest supporters showed up to face the freezing temperatures, rain and hail storms.

For those who might not have heard of the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center, here is a brief history of the Center and its mission.

The Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center was dedicated in May 1983 by Governor Bruce Babbitt as an extension of The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s education branch. AZGFD was the first government agency to include a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation program to its agenda. The Center’s mission is to rescue and rehabilitate Arizona wildlife and educate the public on the diverse animals who call our state home. The Center is located just west of I-17 on Pinnacle Peak Road and is adjacent to the Adobe Mountain Juvenile Institution.

Why would you put a wildlife rescue center behind locked gates and razor wire you might ask?  When the Center was conceived, the founders realized the positive benefits that working with animals can have on at-risk youth.

Along with the Center director and AZGFD volunteers, the wards and staff from the Adobe Mountain Juvenile Institution were partners in working with the wildlife and building the facilities. Wards who met specific standards assisted the volunteers in cleaning, building and maintaining the Center. Unfortunately, budget cuts and other factors forced the program to be cancelled several years later.

But the work at Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center continues today. Annually, more than 1,000 sick, injured or orphaned animals are brought to Adobe.  Some animals recover in a matter of days, others may need help for many months or become permanent residents. To meet this challenge, the Center has one full-time AZGFD employee, Sandy Cate.

When the budget allows, there is also be a part-time intern who is usually a college student working on a degree in biology, wildlife management or another related field of study. All other work is done by volunteers.  These volunteers annually invest an average of 5,000 hours in education and 15,000 hours in caring for the animals and maintaining the facility.