An enhanced facility at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network would help the organization deliver better care for wildlife. A new building has been a dream for several years, and conceptual plans now have been drawn.
An approximately 5,000-square-foot, two-story building is proposed for the property at 1460 N. Fairview Ave. in Goleta.
A sea bird structure, a raccoon habitat, a service shed, animal shelters and two trailers are housed on the 1.4-acre site. The current building is a multipurpose space, with multiple operations occurring inside.
The project would include a dedicated space for examinations and triage, as well as a larger area for baby bird rehabilitation, a room for baby mammals, an isolation room, a laboratory and a kitchen for animal food preparation.
New ultraviolet lights in a room dedicated to baby birds would help the animals grow, and the sea bird pools would undergo improvements.
For the first time, there would be a dedicated reception room near the front of the property where people could bring animals.
“We are having the opportunity to do these improvements that will make a big difference in the lives of animals,” executive director Ariana Katovich told Noozhawk.
The plans also call for a separate kitchen, a break room for staff and volunteers, and office space, and the nonprofit organization hired an on-site veterinarian. The veterinarian is expected to start working at the end of May.
Storage space and a restroom with a shower would be among other upgrades.
Katovich said the plans call for using fire-resistant building materials, sprinkler systems and other renovations for the facility nestled into the hillside in the foothills above Goleta.
The building would feature a dedicated space for oil spill emergencies, including four sinks used as washing stations to clean oiled wildlife, a drying area, and specialized ventilation and air systems.
“We will have a much better facility for oil spills and for the aquatic birds we get that are oil affected,” Katovich said. “We now have the only sink between Morro Bay and San Pedro, Los Angeles, that has the ability to wash birds — and we have one sink for that whole range.
“It’s not a matter of if there will be another spill. It’s when, so when another spill happens, we will be more prepared and we can handle a higher volume.”
Artist renderings of the proposed project have been completed, and SBWCN officials might be able to break ground in May or June, according to Julia Parker, director of animal services at the organization, adding that the building probably would take a year to finish.
“It’s almost unbelievable that it’s happening,” she said of the project. “It will consolidate a lot of things and clean up the space, because we have been operating out of Tuff Sheds and trailers for seven years.”
A formal capital campaign to fund the project is scheduled to begin soon, Parker said.
“Built into the capital campaign is funding for the vet and operating expenses,” she added.
Flames from the Holiday Fire, which ignited July 6, 2018, burned 113 acres and destroyed 24 buildings, including 10 homes, in the North Fairview Avenue neighborhood where the organization is headquartered. The wildfire scorched the edges of the organization’s property and caused damage.
SBWCN narrowly averted disaster as the fast-moving blaze raged uncomfortably close to the rescue facility.
Prior to the Holiday Fire, SBWCN had planned to announce a fundraising campaign for a new building on the property, enhanced emergency response and more.
The wildfire accelerated the timeline of a capital campaign because the trailer, where the baby bird care was located, was so heavily damaged by ash and smoke that the animals could not return.
SBWCN recently had to evacuate again after the Cave Fire ignited atop the Santa Ynez Mountains above Goleta and Santa Barbara on Nov. 25.
The organization incorporated in 1988 to rescue and rehabilitate injured, orphaned or oiled wild birds, reptiles, small mammals and other wildlife. It takes in more than 3,000 animals annually.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife licenses the facility, which is supported by volunteers and donations.
The Goleta rehabilitation center was purchased in 2004, and SBWCN moved into a permanent spot in 2012.
“This was something we wanted to do when we first bought the property,” Parker said of the project.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.