Sometimes, the development of the sanctuary feels oddly like the plot of Field of Dreams. Instead of building a baseball diamond in the middle of an Iowa cornfield to attract the ghosts of early ballplayers, we’re constructing a facility in the foothills of the Cascades to rescue chimpanzees. It’s practically the same thing. “If you build it, chimps will come.”
Truthfully, the incremental growth of the sanctuary is serious work, and the immense contributions of specialized contractors is one aspect of the ongoing expansion effort that we don’t often highlight on our social media channels. Today, I’m using the daily blog to show some appreciation for their work.
We’ve had some great teams building various components of the new areas, from the foundation to the exterior paint. Recently, the crew from Sage Mechanical, LLC completed the hydraulic doors and steel caging in the new playroom enclosures (which now provide a comfortable indoor space for chimps) and resumed work on the adjacent greenhouses.
Sage Mechanical is based in Yakima and led by our friend Gary McInnis. The first project they completed for us was 2019’s “Phase 1” of the expansion effort (including the enclosures where Honey B, Mave and Willy B currently reside) and we’re happy to have them on board for 2020-2021’s “Phase 2.”
Carrying out an expansion project at a chimpanzee sanctuary can be difficult when the facility is already home to ten chimpanzees, but Gary’s squad has the right attitude for it; They’re always willing to work around the chimps’ schedules and preferences so that the construction causes minimal disruption to their daily lives. When not moving equipment around and welding things together, the guys are interested in the individual chimpanzees and are eager to learn more about them from the caregivers. His crew has also been great about following the stringent COVID-19 protocols designed to protect the chimps and human staff from possible exposure, which we require and greatly appreciate.
Although they don’t interact with the chimps directly, the people working on the new enclosures are not completely separate. For example, the chimps living in adjacent enclosures and the guys on Gary’s team can watch each other through the bulletproof playroom windows. Occasionally, the chimps will even greet the crew members when they show up for work in the morning. The chimps seem to have habituated to the presence of Gary and his “regular” crew of Aaron, Jim and Jose, and it seems like the ongoing construction can be a form of environmental enrichment for them. We also ensure that the chimps have access to other areas so they aren’t forced to be within view if they prefer otherwise.
Currently, Honey B, Mave and Willy B have front-row seats for the assembly of the new greenhouses. Much like the existing greenhouse enclosure on the other side of the building, the new areas will be multi-level outdoor environments that can be enclosed with solar-radiant panels in the cooler months. Each area will be furnished with organic substrate, live bamboo, wood climbing features, hanging firehose “vines,” and elevated platforms.
The coolest aspect of the new greenhouses will be the central structures, allegedly modeled after the Ewoks’ treetop village from Return of the Jedi. Yesterday, the chimps watched as welders Aaron and Jose built the frame for one of these platforms. We can’t wait to see the chimpanzees explore and grow comfortable in the latest addition to their home!
P.S. This blog’s honorary title is “Hunt for the Welder-people.” This is Chad’s work, but it was too good to leave out. We both love the referenced film.
Will you be making “Fall In Love With _____” videos about Gary, Aaron and Jose? 😉
Thank you for the blog on the construction. So exciting! I can’t wait To get to know the “super six” (Or whatever you decide to call them)
Haha, I think you should be allowed to sponsor them as long as the proceeds still go to the sanctuary! 😀
Also, I believe the Chimps In Need campaign has dubbed them The Lucky Six!
Great Post!
Thanks, Linda!
Love this ‘behind the scene’ look at what it takes to grow the sanctuary! Big props to the team who is building this great environment!
Thanks, Cara!
“Is this Heaven?”
“No. It’s Cle Elum, Washington.” ; )
On more than one occasion my mind has wandered to “Field of Dreams” when I view the sanctuary property. So “Thank You!” to Sage Mechanical, LLC, the dream makers. What a beautiful place to show up for work everyday, not to mention the fun you must have observing the cheeky supervisors. Beautiful photos of two of those supervisors much appreciated!
Haha, another great reference to the film! And I’m sure the crew will appreciate that you refer to the chimps as supervisors! 😀
Thank you, Sage Mechanical, for loving the chimps like so many of us do!!!!!
🙂
Thanks, guys!
Even though I’m sure it’s hard to be on a job farther away than usual, I’ll bet it’s also one of the more unique (and dare I say cool?) work experiences ever!
Thanks for making sure our favorite chimpy people have safe spaces!
They seem to enjoy it more than their other gigs! Thanks for reading once again, Linda!
It really is a unique job, and if anyone questions them when they say they’re working for chimps, just show them the photo of Boss Jamie checking the plans. And all the ones of the Californians supervising, of course. Great blog, and very exciting!
Lol, “my supervisor’s office is a firehose swing”
😀
OMG!!! So the theme of today is FIELD OF DREAMS!! I was just talking with a friend about an hour ago, BEFORE seeing this blog post, about new things I’m envisioning for next year and referred to “If you build it they will come” and to various other amazing components of that movie — this happened just an HOUR before reading this post!! Isn’t synchronicity fabulous?! I truly believe the Universe is on board when these kinds of things happen, giving us affirmations and acknowledgement and support to keep “building it”, whatever “it” is. In this case, it’s the ongoing work for the new six’s arrivals and for the “work” so many people are doing towards assuring the ongoing success of the sanctuary and all the living beings who reside and work there. Really — you can’t make this stuff up! And no, I don’t believe in “coincidence” in these kinds of moments!
Great blog. Very interesting to see the building work. The build team look like there are keeping the work area very tidy. Very professional.
Do the chimps seem to know that the guys are building something for chimps?
The blogs are great to read over my morning coffee. Thanks for doing them.
Great blog.
Do the Chimps seem to know that a chimp enclosure is being built?
What great new spaces for the chimps; it already looks fantastic…
Anthony, I still have a question about the ( living/sleeping ) space for the Luckey 6.
The 3 Californians have their 3 rooms where they arrived, and the Maisonine (??), and then of course the new playrooms and soon greenhouses where the 2 groups can be seperated right?
So where do the Luckey 6 live/sleep apart from playroom and greenhouse? Because I assume they will be quarentined when they first get here?
Or is that ( playroom/greenhouse ) their space?
Maybe I misunderstood, but I always thought that the 1st new expansion was for quarantine. So the 3 would move into the new wing (why they’re getting used to it now, so they’ll feel comfortable), and the 6 will be in the 3 rooms/mezzanine nearest the clinic.
Oh yes, that ‘s a possibility I had not thought of…Thank you Linda.
Yw. Let’s see if I got it right
Hi Marianne – Our plan is to keep the three Californians in the “Phase 1” enclosures during the quarantine period – this will include the mezzanine, the front rooms below, and the chute and courtyard. This is because, as a group of three, they can live more comfortably in that space for 30 days. Once quarantine is complete, the two groups will live side by side, with each group having a playroom, a greenhouse, and either the mezzanine or the front rooms until integrations are complete (fingers crossed…). If the two groups can’t be combined, then they can continue to live side by side and will eventually alternate access between an open-air enclosure and a closed-top outdoor play yard in addition to the existing enclosures.
What a great post Anthony. Gary and his crew are real pros!
“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” is also one of my favorite films, although I find “What We Do in the Shadows” more relevant to my life – I think I work with some of those guys!
I think it’s great how you are able to involve the local community in making a home for the chimps. I am not local (1500 miles away) but I still feel involved, how much more special must it be to have the opportunity to physically create something so unique.