Katelyn

June celebrations!

June 1, 2023 by Katelyn

Firstly, hoots, hollers, and well-wishes to everyone celebrating a birthday this month! And may we offer the same – albeit belated – hopes of revelry had to those who had birthdays in May!

June, like the summer season of lush abundance it ushers in (well, here in the northern hemisphere, that is), has always been a month of equally abundant hoopla here at CSNW. And it’s only grown over time, thanks to all of you. June is bursting at the seams with celebrations, but every single one of those is just as much about *YOU* and all you’ve made possible.

So buckle up, friends! This month is basically going to be one big non-stop party! For starters, June birthday celebrators have birthday…quadruplets, so to speak. Beginning with…

Dora! She’s turning 34 on June 6th!

Honey B will be turning 34 as well, on June 11th!

This brings us to June 13th, the day we currently refer to as the Trifecta Jubilee. It’s Negra‘s 50th (!!) birthday…

AND sweet Terry’s 33rd birthday!…

AND the 15th arrival anniversary of Negra’s group to the sanctuary!

Negra’s first day in sanctuary:

Negra, in March:

Missy’s first time climbing a tree last autumn:

Then, on June 26th, it’s the 2nd arrival anniversary of Rayne’s group of six (pre-integration with Honey B, Mave, and Willy B)!

Rayne exploring her new greenhouse(s) the day after they arrived from Wildlife Waystation in California:

Mave, Willy B and Honey B, checking out their new (and in some cases, former) friends and neighbors:

Gordo and Terry in their brand new outdoor habitat, the Bray:

Brave Rayne:

And the cherry on top of this month long shindig is Annie’s sweet son, Virgil, who will be celebrating his 34th birthday on June 20th, at his wonderful sanctuary home in Florida, Save the Chimps. (Photo credit: Save the Chimps):

Virgil’s gorgeous mama, Annie:

And we have one more bonus to top of the month! Next in our Virtual Visit series is Let’s Sit Down with the Co-Directors!, a discussion and Q&A with J.B. and Diana, on Saturday, June 10th from 2:00-3:00 PM (PST). Reserve your spot here!

The true director of the sanctuary, Jamie:

While our beloved Jody’s absence is, and will remain, palpable, she is no less part of her family’s joyous month ahead.

Negra and Jody:

Jody, Foxie and Annie:

We have so much to look back over in gratitude and forward to with hope. From our hearts, thank you for being here with us every step of the way. We’re so glad you’re here.

Now make sure to pace yourselves for this miraculous marvel of a month of celebrations ahead. 😉

Happy Birthday, Karen!

May 18, 2023 by Katelyn

We’re so happy to be able to join Don Young in this celebratory day of sanctuary in honor of his wife, Karen, on her birthday! Don shared this wonderful message:

“I would like to honor my wife, Karen, on her 80th birthday. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and she told me she wants the sanctuary to throw a birthday party for the Cle Elum 7 and the Wildlife Waystation 9. She also wants to make sure they get avocado cups!

Karen has always loved animals and filled our home with ones who needed to be rescued. Her introduction to the plight of research chimps began with our son, Ryan, introducing her to NEAVS and the Great Ape Protection Act and with contributing to other sanctuaries in the US.

In 2008, she was searching the word “chimpanzees” on the web and discovered a brand new sanctuary called CSNW. The 7 chimps had just arrived in Cle Elum. She decided to sponsor Foxie and spent a year finding troll dolls for her! She also wrote an advocacy and educational book for children called “A Chimpanzee Tale”.

In the summer of 2009, we took a trip to Cle Elum to meet the 7 chimps and to also meet Diana and J.B. They shared their vision of the sanctuary with us, and the rest is history.

It has been thrilling to see how each project has contributed to the well being of the chimps. We both watched how 7 broken, malnourished, tortured research chimps developed into happy, healthy chimps who have the freedom to roam a two acre hill and explore with the open sky above them.

It has been such an honor to contribute to the growth of the sanctuary and to see Diana and J.B.’s vision develop into a beautiful home for 16 lucky chimps with more to come on the horizon.

I want to wish Karen a Happy 80th and to thank her for taking me along on this journey.”

-Don

Happy Birthday, Karen, from all of us here at the sanctuary! We hope you have a beautiful day!

Thank you, both, so much for continuing to hold the chimpanzees in your hearts and for helping to make it possible for their spirits to bloom immeasurably through all the seasons of their lives.

Young’s Hill (pre-the latest expansion):

Missy:

Annie:

Foxie, Missy, Annie and Burrito:

Negra:

Missy, Foxie and Jamie:

Our beloved Jo, who we like to think still watches over her family every day as they venture onto Young’s Hill, just as she always has:

Burrito:

Ryan’s Lookout, built in memory of Don and Karen’s son and the newest structure on The Bray, the outdoor habitat (built in honor of James Douglas) for Rayne’s group, which they’ve very recently begun exploring for the first time!