I started volunteering with the NMMC in early 2013 upon moving to the beautiful Northcoast. As a veterinary technician, I was more than excited to work with the mysterious creatures of the Pacific. The NMMC has given me a sense of accomplishment by helping rehabilitate so many injured/sick animals, as well as educate the public on the importance of marine mammals in our ecosystem. We are a very small, hard-working "family" of about 12 volunteers doing everything from rescue, animal care, medical care, gift shop, fundraising, office work, and even maintenance! We run completely on the generous donations from the public due to lack of government grants in the past few years. The NMMC has given me more than I could have imagined and I love to share about it to hopefully get others involved with our organization, spreading awareness of who we are! Looking forward to many more years with our great group of folks doing what we love, helping these sick or injured animals.
Amazing volunteer effort, with very little money, to rehabilitate and release injured seals and sea lions.
When my daughter and I took my grand-daughters to Crescent City last year, we looked for opportunities to educate the girls about the area. We found Northcoast Marine Mammal Center almost by accident. When we got there, we were greeted warmly by one of the staff (Stevin) who proceeded to tell us about the center, their goals and objectives. We chatted about how he came to be involved with the center. He told us the stories of the animals who were currently in their care and, much to our surprise and delight, we were able to watch as they fed them.
We used the opportunity to reinforce the importance of volunteering in a community. When the organization and the people who volunteer to help it do such a good job, it leaves an impression. My grand-daughters still talk about the center. We plan to return next year.
The Northcoast Marine Mammal Center has a low-profile in the Crescent City Harbor area, but fulfills a large mission. When I retired from the USAF I began surfing at local beaches and the seals became my friends in the line-up. They filled my days with so much joy that when I discovered the Center I decided to volunteer to give back to their community. Initially I thought I would only work in the Gift Store, but on learning of the need for animal care I also became qualified to work rescue missions, rehabilitating animals, and releasing them. I have learned and experienced a tremendous amount in the last year as a volunteer. The training program is one on one and animal care is priority number one. Many shifts are long. Sometimes you are tired and cold. Sometimes you feel overjoyed with an animals progress, still sometimes you feel exasperated that an animal doesn't respond to care. I've come to realize I am volunteering in a unique animal hospital. Our seals are patients. Their care and privacy are legally guaranteed by NOAA and the Marine Mammal Act . When the animals are released into the ocean, healed, it makes all the hard work worthwhile.