On December 20th the Staff, Board, supporters and builders from the Wildlife In Need Center and UW-Waukesha gathered for what is known as a "Topping Out" Ceremony. This signifies a milestone because it is when the topmost portions of the buildings framing is put into place.

Although the weather outside... isn't balmy, everyone was willing to tolerate it long enough for the celebration!

Even some of the canine invites helped us send good wishes into the rafters of our new facility!

Alterra Coffee and Hot Chocolate from Black Canyon Coffee, paired with some delicious cookies made it even better!

Wayne Grandy, the Vice President of the WINC Board and also the Committe Chair for the Capital Campaign Committee as well as John Rodell, the Board President for WINC, have had a big hand in making this project a reality. Thank You!

Another milestone...

... was reached when the WINC staff and Board, members of the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha and key people in the construction and funding of the new facility came together on Monday, December 20^th for a “Topping Out” ceremony.  The event is a tradition in the building trade to signify the milestone of placing the highest point of the building.  For us, that is the rafter-peak and everyone got the chance to leave their signature, along with their hopes and dreams for the new building.  

Although the temperature was a little cold, the hot chocolate, coffee and cookies afterward helped warm all who attended.  With the rafters going up this week, we are only a week behind our scheduled timeline.  Not bad considering the delays we had in starting and the weather we’ve had so far this season.

The builders have assured us that they will continue to work throughout the winter and we will be in our new home by the start of WINC’s 2011 busy season. 

Until the next update, on behalf all of us at the Wildlife in Need Center want to wish you and you family a happy holiday season, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  As one of our board members said, it is looking like a really great New Year for WINC!

Excitement and Progress



Framing has begun!



Well the weather held off just long enough for us to stay on track and schedule. The cement slab was poured and the framing has begun as of the end of November. With the building at this stage work should be able to continue throughout the winter, which is a huge relief to all of us involved.

It also means that we can start to turn our attention to the physical move scheduled for April of 2011. There is no question that this will take a lot of planning, cleaning, organizing and logistics. The off-season this year is probably going to be our busiest ever. This, of course, will put a strain on the staff, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getter brighter and we are all excited about the end result.

Also during this time, we will start working with UW-Waukesha to fine tune, and implement some of the collaborative strategies we’ve talked about over the last year and a half. For so long we’ve been focused on a new facility. But, turning our attention to the collaboration and the opportunities the new facility now presents raises the level of excitement to new heights all around. While the facility represents a new benchmark in the growth of the Wildlife in Need Center, the collaboration represents a new chapter in the Center’s long-term vision.  It’s exciting times at the center and I hope all of you are as thrilled with our growth and progress as we are.  



Smooth-textured and tinted cement will make up the floors in much of the clinic areas.





The view of the structure from the NE (back of the building with the Gertrude Sherman Building to the east)

Guest Blogger M.G.

December Snows...

... Bring progress and excitement! We are all greatful to the builders and our supporters, and most of all to Mother Nature, for getting us to the point we needed to be at before winter came upon us! Work continued through November getting the frost walls poured, the well dug, the plumbing installed and the flooring cement poured as well!

As these snowflakes fall they are drifting upon the framing which began going up this week. Watch next week as we get you caught up this aspect of the building process!

Have a warm and safe day!

Things We Are Thankful for...



Proper Site Preparation...



Digging Holes!

Safety First, Proper Signage...

And Footings!

This collection of photos were all shot as work progressed throughout October and into November. Watch in the coming weeks as we keep you posted as the new WINC facility gets framed and becomes a real building!

Although ground was broken in May, major construction began at the site in September. Below you will see some photos of the site just before construction began which will be really fun to look at once there is a building where there was once a field!

The west side of the Gertrude Sherman Building

Looking East toward the west side of the Gertrude Sherman Building

The area where the new WINC facility is being born!

 Keep watching as we keep you up to date on progress!

After two and a half years...

...the Wildlife in Need Center (WINC) has begun construction of it's new home in Ottawa!

Through a collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha (UW-W), WINC will relocate it's operation to a new, nearly 6000 sq.ft. facility. The new facility is being built at the Field Station managed by UW-W and will become an addition to an existing structure, the Gertrude Sherman building. The Gertrude Sherman building was built in 2000 and houses a classroom and pottery studio. While the current building will remain and the use of the building will stay the same, both the new addition as well as the existing building will provide for expanded learning opportunities for both UW-W students as well as for WINC.  

Construction officially started in October of 2010 and we anticipate a completion date sometime in May 2011 - just in time for our busiest season. WINC currently treats approx. 2100-2500 animals a year.  In the new location, WINC will be able to provide care for a small number of additional patients as well as provide a much more efficient facility for our volunteers helping us care for them. In addition, the facility will allow WINC to expand it's educational programming allowing for on-site education programing, something the center has been unable to do at it's current location. 

Although WINC and UW-W will remain seperate entities, through this collaboration we will be able to enhance many aspects of each other's missions. The recently added research component of our mission will also see added benefits. Proposed research projects will consist primarily of diet research, rehabilitation impact studies on various species and other field research projects both on and off-site. The intern program at the center will also be expanded to include year round learning opportunities in animal care, community outreach, education and research.

Not only will the new center provide an enhanced experience for the wildlife patients and volunteers of the organization, it will also be a showcase for various green building applications, from an advanced storm water recyling program featuring a complete water reclamation system to advanced energy saving design features. In addition, the center will feature a number of unique habitat restoration projects in conjunction with UW-W.

Michael Guzniczak, Executive Director of WINC says "This represents one of the most significant milestones in the organization's 16 year history. [By moving to the UW-Waukesha Field Station] Not only are we able to construct the new state of the art, energy efficient facility, which has been in our plans for nearly 6 years, but we also have a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with UW-W and the rest of the UW System. That collaboration will yield significant success in both our mission and programing as well as the mission of UW-W. [Speaking for WINC] the entire organization could't be more excited."

We hope you're excited to and stay tuned to watch our progress!



Trees being thinned out, relocated and removed at the UW-W Field Station site



Site Clearing began as early as this past summer while actual construction began just last month

Guest Blogger M.G.

Breaking Ground





The Gertrude Sherman building at the University of Wisconsin - Waukesha Field Station. The new home of the Wildlife In Need Center will be added on the this existing structure which provides 2 classroom spaces used by UW-Waukesha



Members of the Board, long-time supporters, and Capital Campaign Committee Members, Wayne Grandy, Mary and Tom Roberts help celebrate the first shovel-full



Shovel's In! Work on the long-waited for NEW Wildlife In Need Center facility has begun! We hope you'll join us as we Move Ground and Soar to new Heights