Sarah

Thanks once again for all the support and good wishes. We are feeling the love! Today was a busy day at the sanctuary – I’m excited to say that we have power! It wasn’t clear how long power was going to take (some estimates were that it would be several weeks) but we’re up and running. Great news there. We’re still working on a water issue (likely chemical contamination from water lines that were incinerated/melted in the fire) but the chimps are loving their gatorade and water bottles.

We’re also still fighting flare-ups on the property and our neighbors’ properties. JB and Diana (who live on the property and are back in the residence now that it’s been temporarily repaired) were awakened at 3am by their dog Honey B, who noticed a small fire up the hill on our neighbor’s property. JB, Diana, and a team of firefighters from Prosser put the fire out. Again, my heroes. Yesterday afternoon and again this afternoon, we fought a flare-up near the driveway of our property. Volunteers Pam and Connie got more than they bargained for but flew into action helping JB, Diana, Jackie and me put it out. I’ll say again that the worst is behind us and the chimps are safe, but we’re not out of the figurative woods yet. My heart was racing as I was wrestling with the big water jugs, and once again I am reminded of the incredible courage it took to weather the night on Monday.

We’ve put flare-up monitoring protocols in place to make sure we stay on top of these small fires, and we’ve had good advice from experts.

On a brighter note, when we were sure that the flare-up this afternoon was under control, i was walking up to the chimp house (JB and Diana were still monitoring and Pam, Connie and Jackie were refilling the water jugs and loading up the gator) I saw that the chimps were huddled in the greenhouse watching very closely. I thought to myself that I’d better go say hi and let them know everyone was ok. Jody came right over and gave me a breathy pant and requested a kiss on the back of my wrist. I looked up at her and made eye contact and felt pretty emotional about all the chimps have seen and experienced in the past few days.

Jody finished her kiss and turned away and then the greenhouse literally burst into play. There was laughing, wrestling, chasing galore. I have no idea if they were waiting for the “all clear” before getting back to their business (of playing) or if it was totally random or unrelated, but I have to say that a bunch of joyful happy chimps was exactly what I needed to see at that moment. What amazing, resilient survivors they are, in so many senses of the word.

Hi everyone. We’re still doing fine here, and I’m writing this with generator power so I’ll keep it quick. The danger to the sanctuary has passed, but we’re watching tanker planes and helicopters try to put out fires all around the area. The wind is blowing and things are pretty smokey. Our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes in this devastating emergency.

I can’t tell everyone how proud I am of our team and how grateful I am to our local authorities. We just sent a newsletter update which I’m pasting below. THANK YOU to everyone who has reached out with offers of support and assistance. What an amazing family these chimpanzees have.

Here’s the newsletter update, and please check our Facebook page (facebook.com/chimpsanctuary) for the photos.

On the afternoon of Monday August 13, the Taylor Bridge wildfire spread through the hills surrounding Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. The fire spread very quickly and engulfed much of the sanctuary property and many of the neighboring properties. The cause of the blaze is not yet known and it continues to spread for miles beyond the sanctuary. We have not had time to make a full accounting of the effects of the fire, but the residence on the property is damaged and the grounds are burned.

Fortunately all seven of the chimpanzees weathered the crisis and are doing fine. They are comfortable, safe and fully secure inside the chimp house.

While most staff and volunteers were evacuated during the emergency, J.B. Mulcahy, Director of Operations, remained on the premises to stay with the Cle Elum Seven and prepare to work with the firefighters to ensure the chimpanzees and the building remained safe. His courage and dedication to the Seven are, as always, an enormous and immeasurable gift.

At the peak of the fire, the chimp house was well protected by fire trucks and helicopters from the Kittitas County Fire Department, who banded together to help the sanctuary and the surrounding properties (see photos below). One of the tireless firefighters had thought that he lost his own home to the fire while he was protecting the chimpanzees – thankfully, his house withstood the fire and he came back this morning to help once again.

We are tremendously grateful to all of the firefighters for their courage, service and support, and our thoughts are with everyone in our community who continue to be affected by the fire.

Natural events like wildfire cannot be anticipated or avoided in this region, but CSNW plans for every possible emergency and followed the protocols set in place for wildfires. The building was constructed with non-combustible materials to withstand fire, and we maintain a defensible perimeter around the building. We are deeply relieved that there was no loss of life, and thank all of our supporters for your outpouring of love and offers of help.

It will take some time to regroup and assess the full damages to the property. We do not have any immediate needs for onsite assistance, and are asking that all current volunteers contact Elizabeth ([email protected]) before coming to the sanctuary. As always, and particularly during a crises, donations are welcome and can be made on our website: ChimpsNW.org (direct link for online donations: http://chimpsdonate.kintera.org/.

We appreciate your continued support for the Cle Elum Seven, and we will keep you updated through our blog and on our Facebook page as we learn more in the days ahead.

Gratefully,
The CSNW Staff and Board of Directors

Thanks to everyone for your emails and comments. The chimps are fine. A large part of the sanctuary grounds burned in the fire, but the chimp building is ok. We don’t have any more information to share on the rest of the property, but will update tomorrow when things are clearer. JB stayed with the chimps throughout the fire, after everyone was asked to evacuate. He is the true hero of the day! I couldn’t be prouder of our team and how perfectly they handled this emergency.

There is a fast moving wildfire in our immediate area, and has burned portions of the sanctuary’s property. The chimpanzees and humans are all safe and the worst seems to have passed. JB just served dinner and the chimps are happy. We’ll provide updates as soon as we can assess the situation, but what’s important is that everyone is fine and the immediate danger has passed. A million thanks to the firefighters protecting the chimp building!

Cathy Parker’s recent donation helped get us past the $18,000 mark, so we can raise the bar on the peanut another notch!  Thank you Cathy and to all of you who have supported our fundraising campaign!  I was sitting outside the greenhouse this afternoon as Negra was sitting patiently in the corner looking outside towards Young’s Hill at the other new structures as if to say “When are you going to start building my cabin?”  I reassured her that we are well on our way and soon we’ll get to work on her cabin.  Thanks to you.

The next level on the peanut is $21,000 which is only a hop, skip, and a jump away.  If you haven’t already, you can help us reach our goal to build a cabin for Negra on the hill by visiting our 4th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign.

Thanks for your super support.

We are one month into our two month fundraising campaign and we’ve surpassed the halfway mark. Thanks  to your support, we have raised over $17,000!  That includes a $4,000 match from the Board and staff which you met!

The rung on the peanut meter goes up every time we raise 10% more towards our goal and the next mark is $18,000!  We’re almost there.  Will you be the one to put us over that mark?

If you’ve already contributed – thank you!  Please share with your friends, family and colleagues that you’ve supported CSNW and encourage them to make a donation of any amount so that we can get to $30,000 and build a cabin for Negra!

We still have a few spaces available at the $100 level to have your name permanently placed on Negra’s cabin on Young’s Hill.  Consider giving  a gift to someone special or donating in honor/memory of someone near and dear to you and have their name on Negra’s cabin.

Thanks for your super support.  Because of you, CSNW is growing stronger than ever before!