New raptor house coming to Willowbrook Wildlife Center
Retired music teacher Donna "Ginger" Jelf lived a simple life but never wavered in her pursuit of her three passions: music, travel and animals.
"She loved wildlife, and she loved taking walks on the trails in the preserves," her niece, Jackie Miller, said.
Jelf, who died in November 2016, donated $225,124 to the Friends of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County for construction of a new raptor dorm at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn.
The dorm will house Willowbrook's eight education raptors, permanently disabled birds that are part of the raptor outreach program. The raptor house will feature 12 enclosures and a weathering area to provide the resident hawks, falcons and owls with enriching and visually stimulating experiences beneficial to their mental and physical well-being.
Construction is expected to begin in summer 2018 and finish by spring 2019.
"It was really important to my aunt to provide shelter and food to animals," Miller said. "She would be so pleased to know that her donation went to build a permanent structure for these birds."
ComEd and other individuals also have donated to the raptor dorm project as part of Willowbrook's 60th anniversary campaign in 2016.
"We are very grateful for these donations that make it possible for us to proceed with this project," forest preserve President Joe Cantore said. "It shows that one person can, indeed, make a difference."
Developed by Nancy Pierson 30 years ago, the raptor outreach program uses live raptors in programming to enhance the effectiveness of its wildlife educational programs and encourage personal bonds between interpreters, birds and the audience. The program creates a lasting impression about the relationship between humans and wildlife in the community.
Over the course of 30 years, Willowbrook has presented more than 2,400 raptor programs to DuPage County children and adults. Willowbrook also reaches more than 2,100 students and 400 adults through three formal raptor programs each year.
Willowbrook takes in more than 10,000 birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians annually. It is the only publicly funded wildlife rehabilitation facility in DuPage and one of the few in northeastern Illinois equipped to treat native and migratory birds.
In addition to caring for native wildlife, Willowbrook welcomes more than 120,000 annual visitors who enjoy self-guided tours of its exhibits, nature trail and butterfly garden, and attend nature-based educational programs for children, adults and groups.
Several native animals with permanent disabilities live in enclosures along the center's outdoor exhibit trail, including bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, a turkey vulture, owls, red foxes, a bobcat, a groundhog, raccoons and opossums.
Willowbrook also is home to two state-threatened sandhill cranes, who live in an enclosed wetland bird habitat.
The Friends is a nonprofit group that advances the vision of the district through philanthropic endeavors. For more information about the Friends, call (630) 933-7097 or email fundraising@dupageforest.org.