The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved Animal Tracks Inc. to receive a $10,000 Fish and Wildlife grant for the fourth year in a row, said Stacy Gunderson, executive director of Animal Tracks.
Animal Tracks supports the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and has been applying for its grant for several years now, said Gunderson.
Each year when they reapply, they meet with the commissioners and discuss how they used the last grant and how they plan to use the new grant if they are selected.
“Commissioner (James) Etters is my 5th District commissioner, and he has become someone I use as a confidant over the years. He’s a brilliant man,” said Gunderson. “He’s trying to teach people to live with native wildlife, rather than just kill it because it was an inconvenience.”
Gunderson added that most of the time when an animal poses an inconvenience, people turn to different ways to get rid of the animal. She used the example of when the wolves were taken out of Yellowstone National Park, and they saw a collapse in the ecosystem. When they reintroduced wolves, the ecosystem balanced out again.
Our world is better with native wildlife because everything has a purpose and works together and they aim to teach that at their sanctuary, Gunderson said.
This year, Gunderson said the grant money will be used to help pay for the veterinary and food bills of the 70 animals they have and go toward the educational programs they host for school children.
“That is our job, is to show the connection. One of the things we’ve designed through the years is our school programs. We have schools come in and we want to get a hold of the little kids, and rather than, ‘Hey let’s kill the ants when they come in your house.’ let’s say, ‘Hey, put a little baking soda outside your house, and it’ll keep the ants from coming in the house,’” said Gunderson.
They can typically support the sanctuary through ticket sales from visits but this last summer, Gunderson said, it was too hot and not many visitors came to the Agua Dulce area. She said she encourages everyone to come and visit the sanctuary to learn about the native wildlife in a close and safe way.
“We are safe for everyone, from the animals to the people that come here,” said Gunderson. “You will never get closer in a safe way to an animal.”
