After years of planning, fund-raising, a few setbacks, and some modifications, Dane County Humane Society’s (DCHS’s) Wildlife Center celebrated the grand opening of its new 100-foot solar flight pen, the first of its kind in the world.
About 100 supporters, staff, and volunteers gathered Wednesday, July 17, 2024 for a rare behind-the-scenes opportunity to view the solar flight pen.
“The creation of this solar flight pen and solar energy system is a tremendous achievement and will help our Wildlife program provide top notch, professional care to native birds of prey,” says Paige Pederson, Operations Supervisor at DCHS’s Wildlife Center.
DCHS's Wildlife Center first identified a need for a 100-foot flight pen in 2013. At that time, the Wildlife Center could only complete a portion of the rehabilitation process that is necessary to treat large raptors like eagles, falcons, and owls. Federal and state regulations require minimum housing standards for specific species, which meant transferring them to other facilities with 100-foot flight pens to finish their rehabilitation. Transporting birds in the middle of their recovery is not ideal or efficient as it adds to their stress and can lead to accidental injury or mortality and increase their length of stay in captivity.
Planning and fundraising for the 100-foot flight pen took years of effort, and the project faced many challenges along the way. Permitting delays, supply shortages, and price increases because of the COVID-19 pandemic forced staff to consider innovative ideas, make multiple design changes, and find additional funding to offset each hurdle. But the project was finally able to break ground on Aug. 28, 2023 – a momentous achievement more than 10 years after its conception.
Now that the flight pen is complete, DCHS’s Wildlife Center will be able to provide proper recovery and rehabilitation to large raptors from admission to release, as the structure allows birds to restore muscle tone, improve their strength and conditioning, and exercise maneuvers necessary for survival once released back to their wild habitat. The design of the L-shaped flight pen allows staff to divide the larger flight pen into two 50-foot pens, giving the Wildlife Center flexibility to meet the individual needs of its patients.
“The completion of this flight pen is a significant milestone for us. This achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our many donors and partners,” says Pam McCloud Smith, DCHS’s Executive Director. The flight pen will be named the Roger Werndli Memorial Solar Flight Pen, in recognition of the lead gift on this project from the Werndli Charitable Fund. “I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to all the staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to bring this project to fruition,” McCloud Smith adds.
In addition, thanks to three grants awarded to DCHS’s Wildlife Center from the Office of Energy Innovation’s Energy Innovation Grant Program, RENEW Wisconsin’s MadiSUN Backyard Solar Grant, and Solar for Good Grant, a ground mount solar design was able to be elevated into the innovative solar flight pen design with 96 bifacial panels that can absorb light from the top and the bottom. Another 35 solar panels were added to the already existing Wildlife Center main building. This hybrid system allows power to be stored in 12 batteries that will kick in if a power outage occurs. The energy produced from this solar system will shave off costs from DCHS’s electric bill and help minimize the facility’s environmental footprint.
In fact, the solar system went live on Thursday, July 11, 2024, and generated 1.32 MWh (megawatt hour) in the first week. That's the equivalent in CO2 savings to planting 15 trees.
"With solar energy integration still emerging as a concept 'taking flight' with conservation professionals, DCHS is taking an incredible leap to show the community the promise of solar energy along with the operational savings it will bring to the Wildlife Center," says Elise Couillard, Solar Advisor at Legacy Solar Wisconsin Cooperative.
There are still a few finishing touches that must be completed before the solar flight pen houses its first patient, including ensuring wiring is properly protected and installing video cameras in order to keep an eye on patients while limiting human contact. We plan to announce when and who will be the first patient to benefit from using the new solar flight pen, so stay tuned!
DCHS’s Wildlife Center was founded in 2002 and has grown into one of the largest wildlife rehabilitation facilities in Wisconsin. The Wildlife Center provides specialized care and treatment to thousands of sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals every year with the goal of releasing them back to their native habitats. The program is 100% supported by donations.
Lisa Bernard is the Development and Communications Supervisor at DCHS.
"This material is based upon work supported by the by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, Office of Energy Innovation and the Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), under the State Energy Program Award Number DE-EE0000163.”
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