2011 Annual Report

Greenwood Headwaters

For wildlife and for those who love wild places, an extraordinary habitat conservation victory was won in Always at the center of the web 2011 when 720 acres were added to the Humane Society of lifewater, precious water Wildlife Land Trusts (HSWLT) flagship Greenwood Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary in southeast Oregon, bringing the acreage total to nearly 3,000 acres. Exceptionally diverse both in wildlife and habitats, the newly protected land, known as Greenwood Headwaters, is key to movement and migration of wildlife between vast private and public lands in the region. Lakes, streams, springs, seeps, wetlands, and marshes that are essential to wildlife survival are now permanently safeguarded. Equally significant in making this conservation purchase a sweet success is the fact that it was made possible through the shared vision for protecting wildlife that unites HSWLT staff and board with its friends and supporters. Tiny fish and frogs flourish in the lakes and streams of Greenwood Headwaters. Mountain lions and black bears traverse its higher elevations. In its meadows and marshes, sandhill cranes renew their bonds with duets and dances before embarking on a new nesting season together. Male sage grouse gather for their mating displaytails fanned and wings flapping, they strut about, releasing big puffs of air from sacs in their necks to create sounds reminiscent of large rocks plunking into deep water. Though these displays are meant to impress females their occurrence is also a sure sign of healthy sagebrush habitat. Summer sweeps over the sanctuary in waves of color and texture as lupine, paintbrush, and other wildflowers flourish in its meadows. But this wildlife community offers an abundance of beauty and activity in every season. Thats why permanent protection of Greenwood Headwaters means so muchto wildlife, to people who love the wild, and to future generations of both. See inside to learn how special friends helped make the Greenwood Headwaters acquisition possible.

Bold Action and Steadfast Commitment

Each year brings different challenges and opportunities for Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust (HSWLT). The year 2011

Our Mission
The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust celebrates and protects wild animals by creating permanent sanctuaries, preserving and enhancing natural habitat, and confronting cruelty.

called for bold vision and action in order to seize an important land conservation opportunity. When the Greenwood Headwaters propertyadjoining our Greenwood Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary on the Pacific Flyway in Oregonwas put on the market, we recognized the critical role it plays for wildlife on our sanctuary. Its purchase by another buyer with a differing land ethic could have placed wildlife in our sanctuary in peril. We had to act swiftly to purchase the land and ensure its permanent protection. Our humane ethic toward wildlifevaluing and protecting the sanctity not only of endangered wildlife but all wildlife, and caring not only about populations but individual animalsinforms and inspires all aspects of our work. Wherever possible, we seek to help wildlife live free from exploitation and human interference. This overarching goal translates into a wide array of efforts and collaborations on behalf of wildlife, including research, outreach, and habitat restoration to benefit wildlife.

Board of Directors
Andrew N. Rowan, Ph.D. Chair and President John W. Grandy, Ph.D. Vice Chair G. Thomas Waite III Treasurer Wayne Pacelle Holly Hazard, Esq. Barbara Birdsey

Board of Advisors
Notably, our anti-poaching program continues to expand. By supplying wildlife decoys to wildlife officials, we aid their efforts to successfully prosecute those caught poaching. Together with the Humane Society of the United States Wildlife Abuse Campaign, we offer rewards for information leading to convictions. There is no excuse for the cruel and criminal act of poaching. HSWLT is determined to pursue all viable means of stopping crimes against wildlife. Our work and our collaborative efforts keep evolving and expanding. Our commitment to protecting wildlife is unshakeable. Please join with us in advancing our mission of Saving Lives by Saving Land,SM just as we were able to do in Oregon in 2011. With your support and the dedication of HSWLTs staff, volunteers, and Wildlife Leadership Council, 2012 will be another winning year for wildlife. Robert W. Koons
Executive Director, Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust K. William Wiseman Michael Kennedy Irene Crowe

Staff
Robert W. Koons Executive Director Lana Hester Senior Resource Development Coordinator Mark Hulme Northwestern States Stewardship Specialist Theresa S. McNulty Web Content Manager/Editor and Assistant Secretary Andrew C. Page Director, Wildlife Protection James M. Reed, M.S. Director of Stewardship Stephen W. Swartz, Esq. General Counsel and Secretary Elise H. Traub Manager, Wildlife Protection Marla S. Wilson Director of Public Outreach Linda A. Winter Executive Assistant

Wayne Pacelle
President and CEO, The Humane Society of the United States

For more information on the stories in this report, see wildlifelandtrust.org.

Above: Gray wolf

We would like to thank Thomas Mangelsen and John Swallow for contributing their beautiful wildlife photographs to this report.

Saved by a Shared Sense of Purpose

A Special Thank You to Our Greenwood Headwaters Donors

As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, The time is always right to do what is right. In 2011, doing what was right for wildlife in HSWLTs Greenwood Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary meant purchasing an adjoining 720-acre parcel of land with little advance notice to protect critical water sources, habitats, and corridors for wildlife movement. Had we not acted quickly, another buyer might have opted for harmful uses of the land, placing wildlife in our sanctuary at risk. With no time to raise funds in advance of the purchase, we trusted in our friends and supporters to understand the urgency of the situation and to help us replenish funds borrowed from other areas of our operations. We are grateful to all who rallied to the cause with generous donations, and to one friend, Wanda Alexander, who saw the moment as pivotal in her estate planning. When she learned of the Greenwood Headwaters land and all it meant to wildlife, she was inspired to donate a property for resale immediately, rather than leave it to us in her will. Her gift was a tremendous contribution toward our goal, and seeing the tangible benefit of her gift provided her the satisfaction of knowing she did the right thing, at the right time, for wildlife.

HSWLT donor Wanda Alexander

A Decade of Dedication Volunteer Appreciation

HSWLT has a wonderful team of volunteer sanctuary monitors, who, after special training, are our eyes and ears, walking our sanctuaries and reporting anything that may need follow-up. This year, we are pleased to honor Bill and Sarah Demo for a decade of fine service, helping us keep the Gilman Wildlife Sanctuary, in Spencer, New York, safe for the wildlife who call it home. Bill and his wife love the idea of land being protected specifically for wildlife and say that monitoring gives them a good excuse for a hike. They especially enjoy seeing wildlife in the sanctuarys forests, mini-gorges, and wooded glens. Bill and Sarah, thank you for your dedication to wildlife!
Above: Garter snake Inset: 2011 Volunteers-of-the-Year Bill and Sarah Demo

HSWLT in Australia has now reached the 150 member

mark, representing approximately 75,000 acres of irreplaceable wildlife habitats! A number of HSWLT members have benefited from the Private Land Grants Program, operated in cooperation with five other conservation organizations and a state agency, with nearly $100,000 being provided to 28 permanently protected sanctuaries in 2011. As HSWLT in Australia has continued to protect millions of acres of other wildlife habitats across Australia, it has also become an Affiliate of the 1,740-mile-long Great Eastern Ranges Corridor Initiative, and it both sponsored and participated in the National Wombat Conference.
Wombat

When we wanted to learn more about the role our sanctuary land in Montanas Centennial Valley plays in the daily lives and long term survival of wildlife, we knew the best candidate for the job would be a canineso, we invited Working Dogs for Conservation (WDC) to lead the way. Pepin, a Malinois shepherd, went right to work, blazing a trail to signature scents of target species. Guiding Pepin was Megan Parker, WDC founder and dog handler. Together they trekked through wildflower meadows, sagebrush slopes, and fir-covered peaks. Zeroing in on signs of grizzlies, black bears, wolverines, wolves, cougars, and fishers, Pepin discovered more evidence than humans alone could have hoped to find. As the sun set, there was mutual satisfaction in a job well done, the magical bond between humans and dogs, and the joy of having spent time in a wild and wonderful place. To read Doug Chadwicks story about Pepins Centennial Valley success, see hswlt.org/workingdogs.

Working Dogs for Conservation

A Win-Win-Win for People, Dogs, and Wildlife

Above: Pepin; Insets: WDC founder Megan Parker and Pepin at work and play

Daisy Wildlife Sanctuary

Scissor-tailed flycatcher

A legacy of lovefor nature, and for a special personwill flourish forever in the form of the 563-acre Daisy Wildlife Sanctuary in northeastern Texas. Named for Daisy Morris Rabb, who loved observing nature in its many manifestations, the sanctuary is set within the Sabine River Basin and centered around Brushy Creek, which winds through rolling hills and riparian woodlands. Like the natural springs that also give life to the land, Daisys reverence for nature kindled a love of nature in her children and grandchildren. They entrusted the permanent protection of this property to HSWLT because they share her belief that this wild landscape should forever support bobcats, coyotes, beavers, waterfowl, songbirds, and other wild creatures, while also continuing to be a wonderful natural place for people to enjoy.

Decoys and Reward Program Aid AntiPoaching Efforts

Poaching of wildlife is an indefensible crime against nature. It is not possible to stop the tens of millions of illegal killings that occur each year, but we can make it easier to prosecute some of these criminals. HSWLTs Robotic Decoy Programwhich provides decoys of deer, bears, pronghorns, and other wildlife to understaffed state and local wildlife agencies has now donated 15 decoys to 12 agencies in 11 states. When poachers make the mistake of shooting at a decoy, officials have solid evidence for prosecuting. As another means of bringing poachers to justice, HSWLT co-sponsored 39 rewards with the HSUS Wildlife Abuse Campaign in 2011, totaling $97,500.
Bighorn sheep

A beloved family retreat in Greenville, New York, is now a permanently protected wildlife sanctuary. The shared conservation vision and fond memories of time spent at the property led a brother and sister to donate the land in memory of their father. Black bears, fishers, bobcats, and gray foxes find safe haven in the mostly forested 25-acre sanctuary and its surrounding forests and meadows, while myriad bird species use the woods for nesting and as a migratory stopover. Healthy wetlands support waterfowl, amphibians, mammals, and insects, while lush meadows are abuzz with birds, bees, and butterflies.

Ponderosa Wildlife Sanctuary

Spotted salamander

Financial Overview
In 2011, the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust continued to be an administratively lean organization that focused most of its resources on wildlife and habitat protection activities. We also maintained robust assets totaling over $5.2 million, including cash, property and equipment, and receivables.

Ways to Help
HSWLTs ability to protect wildlife and habitat depends on your generosity. Please support our work by: Creating a sanctuary by permanently protecting your land with HSWLT. Donating cash or securities as a monthly giver or by making a special giftsee wildlifelandtrust.org for details. Making a bequest to HSWLT in your will or living trust. Establishing a charitable gift annuity using cash, real estate, or securities. Making a gift of life insurance by naming HSWLT as a beneficiary, or transferring a policy to HSWLT.

2011 Revenue
Contributions: 79% Bequests: 10% Investment Income: 6% Land Gifts and Grants: 5% Other Income: 1% Contributions Bequests Investment Income Land Gifts and Grants Other Income Total $5,850,035 $734,587 $420,464 $359,581 $46,430 $7,411,097

Donating property that may not be suitable as wildlife habitat but that HSWLT can sell to provide funds to support our mission. Offering time as a volunteer sanctuary monitor at a sanctuary near where you live. In addition to helping to save wildlife, your gift to HSWLT may generate significant tax benefits for you. Please call 1-800-729-SAVE or visit wildlifelandtrust.org for more information.

2011 Expenses
Program Services: 85% Fundraising: 12% Management and General: 3% Program Services Fundraising Management and General Total $5,790,140 $820,176 $172,566 $6,782,882

The financial information in the overview had not been audited at press time. The figures will be updated, if necessary, at wildlifelandtrust.org. The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) notfor-profit charity incorporated in the District of Columbia and an affiliate organization of The Humane Society of the United States, 2100 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037. For further information, call 1-800-729-SAVE, or visit wildlifelandtrust.org. 2012 Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust . All rights reserved. Permission to reprint any portion of this material will usually be granted if appropriate credit is provided. Please contact info@wlt.org or call 1-800-729-SAVE. Writer/Editor: Debra Firmani. Designer: Kevin Cross. Photos: John Swallow/ swallowphotography.com (wolf, Wanda Alexander, bighorn sheep, kestrel); Tom Mangelsen (cougars); Kathy Milani (WDC, Koons & Pacelle); Marie Wynan (wombat); iStockphoto.com/jcarillet (snake); iStockphoto.com/JimDPhoto (salamander); John Rabb (Daisy). Printed on New Leaf Reincarnation Matte, 100% recycled/60% post-consumer, processed chlorine-free, and manufactured with electricity that is offset with Green-E certified renewable energy certificates.

Saving Lives by Saving Land

SM

1-800-729-SAVE wildlifelandtrust.org
American kestrel Cover: Mountain lion with cub