• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

  • Our Family
    • The Chimpanzees
    • The Cattle
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Visiting the Sanctuary
    • Philosophy
      • FAQs
      • Mission, Vision & Goals
      • Privacy Policy
    • The Humans
      • Staff
      • Board of Directors
      • Founder
    • Annual Reports
    • The Future of CSNW
    • CSNW In The News
  • You can help
    • Donate
      • Become a Chimpanzee Pal
      • Sponsor A Day
      • Transfer Stock
      • Be A Produce Patron
      • Be a Bovine Buddy
      • Give from your IRA
      • Personalized Stones
      • Bring Them Home Campaign
    • Leave A Legacy
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Volunteer
    • See Our Wish List
    • Events
  • Resources
    • About Chimpanzees
    • Enrichment Database
    • Advocacy
      • Apes in Entertainment
        • Trainers
        • Role of the AHA
        • Greeting Cards
      • Chimpanzees as Pets
      • Roadside Zoos
      • Chimpanzees in Biomedical Research
      • Conservation
        • African Apes
        • Orangutans
  • Shop
    • Merchandise Store
  • Contact
  • Donate

Consistency in Change

April 18, 2022 by Grace

How many times have you heard the old adage that the more things change the more they stay the same? I’m not sure if it holds up, but it seems to ring true here in the chimp house.

When I was here last it was 2019 and driving up a few months ago for my first shift was jaw dropping. The sanctuary has always been beautiful, tucked away in the mountains around Cle Elum, and it has retained that beauty. Now, though, it is home to 9 additional chimpanzees and the sanctuary has grown so much. When I came to CSNW for my first ever intern shift, with fellow caregiver Chad, we had our volunteer orientation in a trailer outside of the kitchen. Where I am sitting now to write this blog did not exist – or, rather, it was outdoor space between the kitchen and the trailer. Now there is a lobby, a full bathroom (!), a clinic, and the new additions for chimpanzee space.

This photo is from the archives of my phone photos – a long ago trip around Young’s Hill, with the Cle Elum 7, in 2019 (don’t worry – my blog photos will get better, promise). If you squint you can see the original building plus Phase 1, since construction began a few months before I left.

A quick search through archived photos also produced this gem – Desert Fox, the O.G. clinic and meeting space. This is where we had our initial volunteer orientation and it will always be one of my first memories of CSNW.

 

This photo (thanks, Anthony!) has been used in previous blog posts, but it really lets you see how much has changed. After Phase 1, Phase 2 and 3 were added. It truly is amazing to see how the sanctuary has changed and to witness the positive impact of such a big change.

I think that’s what it comes down to- pulling up to the sanctuary now after a few years away, it’s hard to ignore how much of everything around me is new. For a while it was intimidating, until it started to settle in that what makes CSNW so special has remained through it all. Thank goodness some things never change.

Bonus Photo: Jamie enjoying her loot of mini peppers from the Easter forage yesterday.

Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
BetsyChimpanzeeConstructionJamieNutmegYoung's Hill

Share

Share
Tweet
Share
Pin

Subscribe To Blog Via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. CeeCee says

    April 18, 2022 at 4:40 pm

    It really is amazing how much bigger, better, and improved things have gotten.
    I remember the trailer/medical area on my first trip up. The new clinic is so great to have. And everything else is so thoughtful and beautifully built for the chimps. You can tell how much the new kids love their forever home.
    I love that last pic of Jamie….So happy:revolving_hearts:

  2. Tami Roy says

    April 18, 2022 at 4:55 pm

    Welcome back, Grace!
    You’re so lucky to work with these special chimps!

  3. Marya says

    April 18, 2022 at 5:01 pm

    These are great, Grace. Thanks for the archival pics and walk down memory lane. And, that shot of Jamie with her eyes closed in reverie over her peppers. I can’t tell if they’re fully closed but the expression on her face is just priceless. I often think that Mave looks like the Buddha and in this pic so does Jamie! It’s great to have you back on board!

  4. Paulette says

    April 18, 2022 at 5:25 pm

    Zen Jaime:person_in_lotus_position:

  5. Kathleen says

    April 18, 2022 at 6:00 pm

    It must be exciting to come back and see all the progress made. All those massive plans completed in such a short amount of time. And, still more changes to come with the rearranging of Young’s Hill!

    You are right, through all the physical changes the heart of the sanctury is still the same. Home sweet sanctuary home.

  6. Linda C says

    April 18, 2022 at 6:28 pm

    Lol, Jamie with her eyes closed….I can almost hear the happy moan.
    Glad you’re happy in the new space, Grace!

  7. Kathleen says

    April 18, 2022 at 6:47 pm

    I just love this photo of Jamie. She appears to be having a Transcendental Pepper Experience!

  8. Laurie Mowat says

    April 18, 2022 at 8:15 pm

    Your photos look great. No need to worry.
    Everything looks so beautiful there. You never realize what a flat state you live in until you see those valleys.
    I have a pepper question if anyone can help. I always gave my guinea pigs red or green peppers and they loved them both. Do they all taste pretty much the same?
    It looks like the orange ones contain some sort
    of magic!

    • Paulette says

      April 18, 2022 at 8:29 pm

      Well I for one can’t stand the green ones, but I love the red and yellow:person_shrugging:?

      • Laurie Mowat says

        April 18, 2022 at 8:44 pm

        I don’t think I’ve ever had a yellow one.

    • Linda C says

      April 18, 2022 at 8:34 pm

      Yellow, red, orange have more flavor than the green.
      Take these mini ones, halve and seed them, fill them with a combo of refried beans and salsa, top with cheese, bake at 300 or 350 for 15-18 min. Quite tasty!

      • Laurie Mowat says

        April 18, 2022 at 8:55 pm

        I think I’ll give this a go. I’ll count it as my daily vegetable. Thanks!

      • Debi says

        April 18, 2022 at 9:26 pm

        Hi Linda…Thanks for the great idea, since as much as i love those sweet, colorful, mini peppers, I’m always looking for new ways to use them…Salads, roasted, & in a rice or farro bowl, are my usual go-tos..Can’t wait to try them stuffed with goodies… : )

        • Linda C says

          April 25, 2022 at 8:32 am

          Yw!
          Got it from the local supermarket magazine (which gets forwarded to Sir Cy). Not a substitute for the crinchiness of nachos, but the taste is great! Even with low sodium, fat free beans!

    • Kathleen says

      April 19, 2022 at 6:35 am

      Disclaimer: I’m not a pepper expert and I am not sure if the little peppers taste different (maybe sweeter?) from the full sized “bell peppers”
      but a green bell pepper growing on the vine will eventually turn red. I know this from gardening. So the green peppers are a little bit “bitter”, strongerin flavor. The ripened red, yellow and orange too, are sweet since they are fully ripened. Roasted red peppers taste like Jamie’s expression! Sweet and creamy. 🙂

      • Paulette says

        April 19, 2022 at 12:24 pm

        Now that makes sense! ’cause yellow is my favorite. Plus it’s really pretty and a salad.

Previous Post
Much to Celebrate Today
Next Post
Snapshots of the Chimp House

Primary Sidebar

Archives

Calendar of Blog Posts

September 2023
S M T W T F S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
« Aug    

Categories

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Footer

PO Box 952
Cle Elum, WA 98922
[email protected]
509-699-0728
501c3 registered charity
EIN: 68-0552915

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest Nonprofit Overview and Reviews on GreatNonprofits
Official DDAF Grantee

Menu

  • The Chimpanzees
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • You can help
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Donate

Proud Member of

Connect With Us

Search

Copyright © 2023 Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. All Rights Reserved. Site by Vegan Web Design