chimpanzee sanctuary

When we started the Bring Them Home Campaign for Expansion, I was full of hope for a future that included helping more chimpanzees, but I really wasn’t sure how long it would take to raise the funds needed to expand.

We have been incredibly fortunate to have the support of many dedicated donors who are invested in providing all of the chimpanzees at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest with an enriching loving environment with a variety of things to do and places to explore. Thanks to all of you!

The ongoing campaign includes the opportunity to name specific parts of the expansion for certain significant donations, which was a bit of a new approach for us. We have had some wonderful donors take advantage of this opportunity, and we now have names for the two playrooms and greenhouses that were Phases 2 and 3 of the expansion.

Drum roll, please…

Playroom 2, which is on the east side of the building, closest to the Chute and Courtyard, and connected to the front rooms of the expansion, is named Lupine. The naming opportunity was given as part of a fundraising initiative that included a drawing with a chance to name the space. Longtime local-to-Cle Elum donor Patty Clark wanted to honor her mother, who was known as “the flower lady”, with the name, so together we chose the name of a beautiful native flower, with it’s purple spikes decorating the hillside of the sanctuary each summer.

Playroom 3, on the west side of the building closest to the road and the river, and connected to the Mezzanine, was named Marmot Mountain by Monica Best. With her training in wildlife biology, Monica has a great fondness for all local fauna and chose to honor the small and delightful mammals that scurry all over the property in the spring in summer. You might notice a marmot silhouette painted on the wall of this playroom in photos shared on the blog. There’s a chimp-proof window that looks into Marmont Mountain from a human area that we boringly refer to as Mechanical Room 3. That window is a favorite spot for chimps to greet people, like Anna’s daughter Luna.

Greenhouse 2, with its 20-foot-high peak, artificial tree, real bamboo, and views of the hillside and open-top habitat (soon to be multiple habitats) to the east, has been named Oakwood in honor of Oliver Mazner by Karen Emmerman Mazner. Oliver thought about the place he feels the most loved, secure, and at ease—selecting his grandparents’ neighborhood in the Oakwood area of London— to reflect that the chimps are now in just such a place.  A new overhead tunnel being built now will run outside of the building, providing another connection between Oakwood to Lupine and also branch (see what I did there) to the existing Chute, which will open onto the Bray, the new open-top expanse named in honor of James Douglas by his wife Jen.

Greenhouse 3 stands equally tall on the west side of the building. The chimpanzees from Wildlife Waystation love lounging on the high benches and the platform of the artificial tree, looking out towards the river and the railroad that runs beside it. Donors Vicky and David Fagerlee allowed the staff to choose a name for this indoor-outdoor space. They appreciated the creative puns often seen in blog titles by Chad and Anthony, but we opted to go for the more literal (but we think still poetic) name: Riverview.

Thank you again to every person who have made these spaces come to life and who will continue to contribute as we continue to add more exciting habitats!