Walden’s Puddle Inc.
Donald L. Deatheridge, Executive Director
(615) 299-9938, ext. 25

Wildlife Hotline: (615) 299-9938

Mail to:
Walden's Puddle Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center
P.O. Box 641
Joelton, TN 37080

When you become a member Walden’s Puddle, you help provide critical funding for our wildlife rehabilitation program as well educational community outreach programs. Membership provides you with:

EMAIL UPDATES

• semi-annual newsletters with informative news and great wildlife photos
• invitations to Open House Events at Walden’s Puddle
• educational programs at the Puddle or at off-site locations

With every membership…

• more wild animals can be given needed medical care, nutritious meals to restore strength and finally, a one-way transport back to their home in the wild!
• another urban child is allowed an inspiring up-close and personal learning experience with a resident non-releasable educational animal. With many memberships, a non-releasable animal is provided a life-long sanctuary.

It is our hope that by becoming a member of Walden’s Puddle, you will experience the satisfaction of giving Tennessee’s wildlife a second chance. You can make a difference!

Mail item(s) to
Walden's Puddle Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center
P.O. Box 641
Joelton, TN 37080

or call (615) 299-9938 to arrange to bring the item(s) to our facility.

Animal Care Supplies
Produce (no onions or iceburg lettuce)
64 oz jars of apple juice
Jars of baby meat (pureed)
Hills Brand A/D canned pet food
Unsalted walnuts, peanuts, pecans (in the shell)
Unsalted walnuts, pecans (no shell)
Tree nuts (walnuts, hickory nuts, pecans, acorns)
Chicken liver
Hard Plastic Kiddie Pools
Wild bird seed
Black oil sunflower seed
Suet
Liquid bleach
Liquid laundry detergent
Paper towels
Triple-sized cotton balls
Bioclusive, Tegaderm, Biodress, and Curgel wound dressings
Vetwrap/Coflex, 1" and 2" widths
Digital gram scales
9-volt batteries
aa lithium batteries
Flannel baby blankets
Bath towels with no holes or fringe
Astroturf (room-sized pieces)
Duct tape and masking tape
Heavy duty scissors or kitchen shears
Welding gloves
Leather work gloves
Sisal rope-1/2" and 3/4" width
Hardware cloth-1/4" and 1/2" gauge
Heavy duty bungee cords (all sizes, preferably dark colors)
100 foot electrical wiring (10/2 with ground and 12/2 with ground)
Pressure treated lumber (2x4, 4x4, or 1/6)
Heavy duty hoses and nozzels (50' and longer)

Administrative
Batteries 9 volt/AA/AAA/C/D
Black ink cartridges - HP LaserJet 4000 or HP Deskjet 970CSE
Color ink cartridges - Epson Stylus C42UX or HP Deskjet 970CSE
Copy machine cartridges - HP Officejet Pro L7580
Digital lamp projector
Laser color printers
Laptop computers in good working order
Stamps (41 and 64 cent)
Printer paper

Educational Supplies
Birdsong Identiflyer - handheld bird call device
Birdsong Indentiflyer bird call cards
Book- Biodiversity Basics, An Educator's Guide to Exploring the Web of Life. World Wildlife Fun
Rubber Animal Track replicas - raptors, common mammals, etc

Large Items
Generator
Vacuum Cleaner with rotating brush--in good working condition
Golf cart
Picnic Table
Refrigerator
Reliable vehicle--preferably van or SUV (for animal transport to vet & educational outreach programs)
Washing machines

Miscellaneous
VOLUNTEERS!
Gift Cards - Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply Co., Big Lots, Walmart, Kroger
Mulch (finely chopped)
Native Flowers (annuals/perenials)
Storage shed
Crushed rock for driveway

Check back soon!

Want to help Walden’s Puddle, but can’t commit on a continuing basis? Does your church or civic organization request its members to give back to the community? Maybe your employer encourages community service or you are a business owner looking for opportunities for your employees. Perhaps you are a scout looking for a badge project. If any of this applies to you, Walden’s Puddle offers a number of potential service projects.

• Build an outdoor pre-release enclosure.
  
• Construct perches for Educational birds and those in rehabilitation.
  
• Construct other much needed items such as small indoor rehabilitation enclosures.
  
• Paint (indoor, outdoor)
  
• Sponsor donation or membership drives at your church, synagogue, business, club meeting, etc.

Volunteers are needed seven days a week, 365 days a year. We must rely heavily on their dedication, compassion and skills. Our volunteers come from all walks of life with one thing in common: concern for our wild neighbors. As a Walden’s Puddle volunteer, you will learn something new with each visit. You too can experience saving the life of an injured or orphaned animal and returning it to where it belongs: the wild.

At present, a small group of “core volunteers” each work one day per week at Walden’s Puddle. A larger group of additional volunteers pitch in with varied schedules. We are ALWAYS in need of additional volunteers who are interested in learning and having a “wild” and extremely rewarding time!

Walden’s Puddle is growing, with over 1700 animals admitted and cared for in 2007. The animals we admit are wild animals. They are not tame and may bite or scratch without provocation. Although it is rare, some animals brought for admission may be infected with diseases communicable to other animals, including domestic pets and diseases communicable to humans. All of these factors are to be considered when working with wildlife.

Volunteers provide many necessary services including assistance with animal care, administration and building maintenance. Volunteering at Walden’s Puddle is fun and a lot of hard work, but work that is rewarding! Come share your knowledge and skills and make new friends: furry, feathered, scaled and otherwise.

Basic requirements for volunteers:
  - you must be at least sixteen years of age
  - animal care volunteers are asked to work one 4-hour shift per week

Basic duties of volunteers (Name your specialty!):

• Animal Care (direct): Cleaning cages, feeding, medicating, capturing, releasing
• Animal Care (supportive): Washing dishes and bedding, preparing diets
• Administrative: Answering calls, filing, mass mailings, running errands, sending thank-you notes
• Education: Assisting with school and public programs and information booths
• Events: Setting up and tearing down tables, procuring donations, decorating, selling tickets, manning booths, grant writing, fundraising
• Wildlife Transporter: capture/pick up animals from locations around middle Tennessee or specific areas and transport them to Walden's Puddle or veterinarian
• Other: Housekeeping, grounds maintenance, building repairs, cage construction and more

Interested in volunteering?

Mail the completed application form to:

Walden's Puddle Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center
ATTN: Bettina Bowers-Schwan
P.O. Box 641
Joelton, TN 37080

*The latest version of Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® is required to view the application form. Download it free @ www.adobe.com.

All interns of Walden’s Puddle work under the direction of staff performing various activities to further their education, as well as the mission of the organization.

Walden’s Puddle embraces a hands-off rearing and caring policy. This means there is a minimal amount of contact with the animals in our care. Interns do not cuddle, play with, or tame animals, as this reduces the chance of successful rehabilitation. Interns do not work with some adult wildlife due to the risk of disease transmission.

Walden's Puddle offers several types of internships, from full time live-in positions to one day a week semester positions. We have an on-going contract with the veterinary technological program at Columbia State Community College and work with the biology departments at both Belmont and Vanderbilt Universities to provide their students with internship opportunities.

Interns receive one-on-one, hands on training in the areas of cage cleaning, diet preparation, hand-feeding infants and injured adult animals, dosing and administering medications, as well as species identification and proper animal husbandry.

In addition, the work must be completed indoors and out, in all kinds of weather. Interns play a vital role in the lives of many animals that are returned to the wild. Giving care to orphaned, sick and injured wildlife depends on your honoring that commitment.

If you are interested in learning more about internships, please contact Bettina Bowers-Schwan at (615) 299-9938 or email wildlife@waldenspuddle.org.

To apply for an internship, download the application, fill it out, send it in with your resume' and any letters of recommendation you might have, and mail them to:

Walden's Puddle Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center
ATTN: Bettina Bowers-Schwan
P.O. Box 641
Joelton, TN 37080

Executive Director
   Donald L. Deatheridge

Animal Care Manager
   Bettina Bowers Schwan

Administrative Assistant
   Joane Gelep

Animal Care Technicians
   Rebecca Powers
   Allison Creekmore
   Dawn Wilyard

Airport Animal Clinic
  Dr. Mike Corwin

Education/outreach in collaberation with tangled wing wildcare conservancy
  Lee Anne Faust

Board of Directors    

Chairman
  Ben Gray

Treasurer
  Fred McLaughlin

Secretary
  Laurie Pate Chalfin

Members
  Judy Danner
  Hunter Hodge
  Katie Cook

Advisory Board
   Lane Brody