Amity wildlife refuge suffers from benefactors’ NYC losses

AMITY – It’s a long way from Aroostook County to New York City and Washington, D.C., yet the terrorist attacks last month in those cities have had an impact on the A.E. Howell Wildlife Conservation Center in Amity.

Arthur E. Howell Jr., who operates the center, said Thursday that two of his major financial benefactors have informed him that because of the attacks, they will be unable to donate to the wildlife refuge until at least next spring.

One person, Howell said, lost more than 30 associates in the World Trade Center collapse and is trying to help their families financially. Another man has suffered significant losses in the stock market.

For Howell, that means the loss of about $15,000.

The money that had been expected was earmarked for feed for many of the refuge’s herbivores or plant eaters, including a moose named Morris, and to help cover operating expenses.

While donations of fish and meat from people in the region and a local grocery store chain provide plenty of food for the carnivores or meat eaters, including eagles and a wolf, Howell said feed for the other animals is very expensive.

Feed for Morris alone costs about $16 for a 40-pound bag, and the moose eats a bag every 11/2 days.

There also are veterinarian bills that can run $300 a trip when animals are released back into the wild or need medical treatment.

“It’s quite expensive,” said Howell. “And we still have the oil bills for the education center and electric bills.”

Howell said he expects that donations will come in this spring, but “that’s cutting it too close. We’ve got to be able to come up with $12,000 to $15,000 to be able to get through the winter.”

He said that without an infusion of money, there’s a strong possibility that some of the animals, including Morris, will have to be taken to other refuges.

Howell said the refuge will not shut its doors, but will have fewer animals.

He said that after 20 years, he didn’t expect that he would again be facing the hard times that he endured in the center’s early days.

Howell opened the center on a shoestring budget in 1991 as a wildlife refuge. Today it includes 70 acres and an education center, and has become known across the country and in Canada for its animal rehabilitation programs.

In addition to moose, deer and a timber wolf, the refuge also is home to bears, owls, a bobcat and two eagles, all permanent residents because of injuries or other factors that prevent them from being released into the wild.

A wide variety of other animals and birds in various stages of rehabilitation live at the refuge.