Stephanie Martin, our Staff Supervisor and Volunteer Manager, and Sandy, one of our dedicated volunteers, are spearheading some exciting changes for the Volunteer Program. This will start with a social meet-and-greet organized by Sandy, followed by a formal training session led by Stephanie, to be held at the Refuge on Tuesday, April 28, at 2pm.

Veteran and new volunteers alike are encouraged to attend. The meet-and-greet will take place at 2pm, to give volunteers a chance to connect with other volunteers socially, and to help Sandy clean up a space to store items for the forthcoming Garage Sale.

The meet-and-greet will be followed at 3:30pm by a formal training session led by Stephanie, who has graciously given her time to ensure that volunteers are properly trained in important safety issues, including how to handle the birds, so that Refuge visitors can enjoy an even greater experience during their time at the World Parrot Refuge.

This is a wonderful opportunity, and we are fortunate that Stephanie and Sandy are helping to make this happen. We hope that lots of people will turn out to make this inaugural event a success for the Volunteer Program.

This is also a reminder that Sandy is coordinating a fundraising Garage Sale, which is scheduled for the weekend of May 16-17. Donated items can be dropped off at the Refuge between 10am - 4pm daily. Outside these hours, please call 250-951-1166 so that someone can be there to accept the donations. Please call ahead also if you will need assistance bringing items inside.

If you can volunteer time to help organize items and run the Garage Sale, please contact the webmaster, Jane, through the form on the "Contact Us" page, and she will put you directly in touch with Sandy.

Calling all current and prospective volunteers! One of our special volunteers, Sandy, is coordinating with our volunteer crew, and would love to meet you and find out what everyone is doing, or would like to do! She would like to hold a meeting of volunteers before the end of the month!

Sandy wants to put together a fund-raiser garage sale. If you remember the very successful one put together last year by Larry, Ann, Doug, Val, and friends, there's nothing a dedicated group of volunteers can't do. Our first beautiful outdoor flight is the the fruits of their labours.

If you would like to connect with Sandy and the other volunteers, please contact me - Jane, the webmaster - using the form on our Contact Us page, and I'll put you in touch with Sandy directly!

Thank you!

Pictures of our staff and volunteers hard at work, with thanks to Lea Hoorn, who worked so tirelessly in our gift shop. Thanks Lea!

As I sat down for the first time today and looked out of the window, I noticed that the flags were starting to rest too. The bright colourful rainbow fabric sails that flap so wildly during the day also needed to sleep. Sadly, resting will not help the flags to heal: the wind has shredded them this year. Maybe we should get some new ones. It seems to be such a short time since we bought them and proudly put them on display to show people where to find us. So much has happened since that week. In fact so much has happened since our last newsletter that I decided to try and pull it all together, so that others could glimpse the busy life we have here at the World Parrot Refuge.

Larry Neil, one of our special volunteers, erected all the steel piping and chain link fencing in the new Macaw House. He did an incredible job and stretched the fencing really tight. Even with cuts, bruises, and very sore hands he didn’t give up until it was finished. Thank you Larry from all of the humans here at the sanctuary. When the Macaws finally get in there, you will hear the cheers as far away as Victoria!

The newly constructed Macaw House, thanks to Larry Neil and Andy Breslin.

The next step is to get trees and branches for the compounds – especially arbutus. If anyone has some that they don’t want - we will be happy to put it to good use. We have a large number of Macaws all waiting to move into the new Macaw House - but we have to build forests first. We can use fallen trees of all kinds, except cedar. Parrots need to have family roosts to call their own. Each small flock that makes up the larger flock prefers their own special home in the forest.

Read more »

If you are in the Nanaimo area this Saturday, May 10, how about heading out to the Country Club Mall for the 2nd Annual SPCA Pet Show? Sasha and Dixie will be there representing the Refuge, and will be chaperoned by some feathered ambassadors. Memberships and other goodies will be on sale. Sasha and Dixie will be looking for hard-working volunteers to join our team. They will also be providing information about the virtual adoption program, and other facets of the Refuge operation.

The SPCA asked Esther if he would make the draw for their raffle. Esther agreed graciously, and is getting his beak polished for the occasion.

Likewise, if you are in Parksville on Saturday, May 10, our founder, Wendy Huntbatch, will be operating a display at the Parksville SPCA open house, and will be available to answer your questions.

Please click on the thumbnails below to learn how you can help some special birds have a home for life through our "Virtual Adoption" program!

Birds who are now partly sponsored, thank you!

Birds who are now fully sponsored, thank you!

"The World Parrot Refuge is a true sanctuary where parrots live out their lives in a loving, spacious and happy environment under the guidance of extraordinarily caring people. The many visitors destined to pass through the refuge will come to understand that parrots are not toys or trophies, but beings with needs and emotions as real as our own."

– Rosemary Low (author of more than 30 books on parrots)

"This is, in a word, a great place and these miraculous creatures deserve no less, but few places can deliver it this well. It is, indeed, 'world class'."

– Stewart Metz (author and Director of the Indonesian Parrot Project), after his visit at the Grand Opening of the Refuge on August 13, 2005.