Today is #GivingTuesday—a global day dedicated to generosity and giving back. This is your chance to invest in something truly meaningful: supporting the nonprofits that strengthen our community and transform lives.
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In this feature, Noozhawk spoke with Ruth Dover, Managing Director at Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute, to learn more about the nonprofit’s ocean conservation efforts along the central coast.
Let’s celebrate the spirit of giving and take action today!
Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI)
Question: What is the name of your nonprofit, and what is its mission?
Answer: Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI, pronounced “sim-wee”) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to positively impacting conservation through marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, research, and education to promote ocean and human health.
CIMWI’s core work is the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured, malnourished, orphaned, entangled, and oiled marine mammals. In addition to stranded animal response and rehabilitation, CIMWI provides education and outreach programs as well as participates in marine mammal and conservation research.
CIMWI is an integral part of the West Coast Stranding Network and an active contributing member of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network and the West Coast Large Whale Entanglement Response Program. CIMWI’s efforts are part of a broader conservation strategy to preserve marine biodiversity.
Q: How long has your organization been serving the community, and who founded it?
A: CIMWI is the only organization in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties authorized by NOAA Fisheries to respond to live and dead pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), live and dead sea turtles and live cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) as well as rehabilitate live pinnipeds and triage live cetaceans and sea turtles.
CIMWI’s jurisdiction encompasses 155 miles of coastline (from the San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara County line south to the Ventura/Los Angeles County line), 106 beaches, and 4 harbors. CIMWI has been serving Santa Barbara County since June 2015 and Ventura County since June 2006.
Dr. Sam and Ruth Dover are the co-founders of the nonprofit organization.
Q: What motivated the creation of your nonprofit?
A: Dr. Dover had an innate passion for helping animals and nature. As a child, he would bring sick and injured wild animals he found out exploring nature and enlisted the help of his mother who was a nurse to do all they could to save the helpless animals. The care for the individual animal and desire to protect different species lead Sam to veterinary school.
Sam had a 10-year career with SeaWorld learning all he could from his experience at the Florida and California parks as well as the vast hours of conservation work with the company including his first assignment assisting with response efforts for marine animals affected by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. This inspired Sam’s passion to make a difference with One Health and conservation efforts for marine mammals which are sentinel species and indicators of ocean health.
Sam became the Veterinarian at the Santa Barbara Zoo in 1999 and founded a successful global marine mammal consulting and endoscopy practice. Sam’s life-dream of establishing a marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, research, and education nonprofit organization was realized when CIMWI rescued its first animal in June 2006.
Together, with his wife Ruth, they’ve made Sam’s life dream come true! Fueled with Ruth’s passion the nonprofit organization they founded has rescued 2,546 marine mammals in need of immediate medical care to survive and inspired thousands of volunteers and ocean stewards.
Q: How is your nonprofit primarily funded, and what are its biggest needs right now?
A: CIMWI relies on volunteers, community awareness, and external financial support to sustain our day-to-day operations and advance our mission. Our funding comes from private donors, corporate donations, grants, and support from the state of California.
CIMWI is a successful volunteer-based nonprofit organization. CIMWI runs its daily operations with an extremely dedicated, caring, and talented team of volunteers that are eager to learn and contribute to our organization.
CIMWI has a synergistic, skilled, and accomplished team of 140 volunteers that are a diverse mix of students, people with full-time jobs, and retirees which includes 7 veterinarians, 3 veterinary technicians, and 7 veterinary assistants as well as one paid staff member. CIMWI’s biggest financial need and challenge is funding for additional staff positions to enhance CIMWI’s growth and sustainability.
Q: How is your team structured? Have there been any major changes in your operations since you started?
A: CIMWI operates as essentially an all-volunteer nonprofit organization serving Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. We have one paid staff member, CIMWI’s Stranding Operations & Animal Care Manager. Our volunteers are extremely dedicated, skilled, and passionate about CIMWI’s work.
CIMWI has one Stranding Operations Lead in Santa Barbara and one in Ventura which are volunteers and have had seasonal grant funding support over the past three years. They are the key people providing dedicated response to starving, sick, injured, and entangled marine mammals in each county. They are responsible for the training and development of CIMWI’s Hotline Response Volunteers.
The Leads also provide outreach and education with the public, local agencies, and community businesses as well as assist with additional tasks/projects including the medical and rehabilitation care of our patients.
CIMWI also has volunteers that are Rehabilitation Shift Leads which are responsible for providing daily medical and rehabilitation care for our patients. There is a Shift Lead for each day of the week. The Shift Leads are responsible for providing optimal patient care under the supervision of CIMWI’s Chief Veterinarian and the Stranding Operations & Animal Care Manager. They are also responsible for training, leading, and developing the volunteers on the daily Rehabilitation Shifts.
At inception in 2006, CIMWI was only serving Ventura County. In 2015, NOAA Fisheries added Santa Barbara County to CIMWI’s jurisdiction.
Q: How can people get involved with your nonprofit or volunteer?
A: CIMWI operates with an amazing team of dedicated and passionate volunteers to carry out the wide range of duties associated with CIMW’s operations. There are many ways to get involved!
CIMWI depends on its team of trained and experienced volunteers to carry out the wide range of duties associated with CIMWI’s operations:
• Animal Assessment and Field Data Collection
• Rescue Efforts and Animal Transport
• Rehabilitation Shifts
• Education Program Development and Delivery
• Facilities Maintenance and Construction
• Fundraising Efforts
• Social Media and Marketing
• Grant Writing
• Administrative Tasks
• Special Projects
CIMWI has a constant need for dedicated people from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties to help respond to reports of stranded marine mammals (Hotline Response) and caring for animals in rehabilitation with CIMWI (Rehabilitation Shifts).
For more information, please see CIMWI’s website and complete our volunteer application, if you would like to join our team!
Volunteering with CIMWI offers individuals a unique opportunity to help seals, sea lions, sea otters, sea turtles, dolphins, and whales as well as positively impact our marine environment. CIMWI provides education and training. Volunteers must be 18 years old and commit to 1 volunteering consistent full day each week.
Q: What sets your nonprofit apart from similar organizations?
A: CIMWI is like the little engine that could! We make a lot happen with limited resources and a lean infrastructure. Other organizations in the Marine Mammal Stranding Network have a large staff and multimillion dollar budgets. CIMWI has proven itself successful as a volunteer centric organization with a limited budget. With increased financial support, CIMWI’s footprint and impact can be much larger.
Q: Can you share a fun fact or little-known detail about your nonprofit that would surprise people?
A: CIMWI’s property was the site of the historic Vista Del Mar Union School that had a fighter jet on its playground!
CIMWI’s facility is located at the historic Vista Del Mar Union School campus on the Gaviota coast in Santa Barbara County. The school campus was built in 1926 to serve as the Vista Del Mar Union School consolidating three one room schoolhouses. These schools were the Alcatraz, Orella, and Las Cruces schools. Vista Del Mar Union School opened for class in 1927. The school was built by Hans Skytt of Solvang and the ocean view parcel was deeded from the Hollister family. In 1959, the Goleta Amvets sponsored an F-86 Sabre jet fighter as a piece of playground equipment.
The school closed in 1986 due to the neighboring oil plant’s expansion growing closer to the school and the concerns for the children’s health and safety. The property reverted to the Hollister family and sat vacant until CIMWI leased the parcel in 2004. The Hollister Family deeded this parcel to CIMWI in May 2011.
Q: How do you share your nonprofit’s impact and updates with the public?
A: CIMWI shares information about our impact and updates on our website and social media (Instagram and Facebook) as well as direct emails to our supporters.
Q: Can you highlight one immediate goal and one long-term vision your nonprofit aims to achieve in the next year?
A: CIMWI’s highest priority is to increase our infrastructure to serve more animals. Our goal is to expand our pre-release conditioning pools to accommodate more seals and sea lions. This will enhance CIMWI’s patient healthcare and capacity.
Click here to support Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute’s mission to positively impact conservation through marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, research, and education to promote ocean and human health.
Check out Noozhawk’s Guide to Giving for a full list of nonprofits to donate to this giving season.
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