The Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has helped and cared for nearly 200 different species of animals throughout Boulder County, and this year the center celebrates its 40th anniversary.
According to its website, the center has 16 rehabilitators licensed by the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife.
Dr. Alison Hazel began working with Greenwood in 2005, when she moved to Colorado and found an injured bird in her neighborhood. She brought the bird to Greenwood and then offered her skills as an experienced wildlife veterinarian.
“I moved from upstate New York where they have thousands of wildlife rehabilitators. Colorado has a handful.” Hazel said.
According to the Greenwood website, it is the only facility that provides wildlife care from north of Pueblo to the Wyoming border.
“On the whole animal care totem pole, common wildlife species are at the bottom of the hierarchy, and the fact that there is this team of people who are so dedicated to helping wildlife is very inspiring to me,” said Hazel.
Greenwood opened in 1982, when the Boulder Valley Humane Society created a wildlife center on its premises. A year later, the family of Natalie Gneiser, a woman who died trying to rescue a dog, donated their memorial funds to Greenwood to help promote expansion.
After growing in popularity, in 1993 the wildlife sanctuary was officially named Greenwood, in honor of its first rehabilitated raccoon, Greenwood. In 1997, the center moved from the vet’s offices to a larger space where cages and better facilities were built for the rescued animals.
In 2004, Greenwood opened a thrift store and consignment gallery at 3600 Arapahoe Ave. in Boulder to raise funds. In 2009, the annual Wild Night for Wildlife event began and the center moved to its current building between Longmont and Lyons.
Amanda Lau, CEO of Greenwood, moved to Colorado in 2009 and began working with local nonprofits, eventually coming across Greenwood in 2020.
“As the only wildlife rehabilitation center in the entire Front Range that cares for birds, waterfowl and mammals, Greenwood is an incredibly valuable resource,” Lau said. “Greenwood’s goals have been twofold: the rehabilitation of wildlife, including the treatment and release of sick or injured wildlife and the young of orphaned or abandoned animals, and the education of the public to prevent or minimize interactions between humans and wildlife and provide humane solutions when such encounters occur.”
As Greenwood celebrates its 40th anniversary, the support the center has provided to wildlife throughout Colorado continues to grow. Between veterinarians, volunteers, and donors, Greenwood hopes to continue to be a staple within the Boulder community.
“The need to rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned wildlife has grown as the development of the Front Range has grown, and we have encroached on more and more wildlife habitat,” said Clyde Mason, Greenwood graphic designer during the last 30 years. “We all want to keep Colorado wild and we have a responsibility to the wildlife we have displaced and harmed. The need for Greenwood will only grow stronger.”