Message from the President Kate Woods Dear friends of wildlife, In early September, I was honored and somewhat reluctant when asked by NPWRC board members to become president of this noble organization -- reluctant, because of my 9-year tenure as the local environmental and political reporter for The Pinnacle newspaper. Moreover, I feared the column I wrote for six years, a political satire called “Report from the Badlands,” would bring with this responsibility a hefty amount of baggage in the form of derision from ambitious pro-development politicos who would rather see me leave the county altogether. I would never want the Center to suffer because of my detractors. Well, I'm not leaving the county. And yes, I do support slow managed growth. I have written tens of dozens of stories about San Benito's ecosystems. We are fortunate to live in a unique spot on this earth containing many endemic species found no where else on the globe, from the newly rediscovered I. plenipes 750-legged millipede to the big-eared kangaroo rat, found only on the eastern slope of the coastal range in San Benito. Despite such bragging rights, my research into environmental issues leaves no doubt in my mind: the No. 1 threat to dwindling wildlife here and throughout the world is habitat loss due to encroachment from human beings. It's odd how wild animals inherently seem to know how to keep their populations in check, but humans glorify their prolific reproduction with abandon. Since my family moved here in 1981, to the outskirts of the abandoned ghost town of New Idria, we have appreciated the wildlife in this remote corner of the world and encourage it to thrive. We are the only “ranch” on the 70-mile stretch from Hollister to New Idria that is not fenced - a small gesture toward nature to facilitate free wildlife movement in this harsh environment, which contains a watershed already polluted with acid mine drainage from 120 years of mercury mining. Throughout the years, I have been indebted to the Nan Pipestem Wildlife Rehabilitation Center countless times for saving the many hawks, rabbits and other critters I have found mangled by human encroachment in the rural wilds, which I have driven to the center and which the staff nurtured back to health in the field hospital on Panoche Road. It is time for not only me but for all in our community to give back to this organization. The people who run it are devoted and selfless, and rely solely on the generosity of people like you and I to keep their doors open. They are true experts at what they do. The Center is the only one of its kind in the county, whose mission is to rehabilitate injured wildlife. Let's prove to the rest of the state that San Benito isn't just about cattle and monocultures and bedroom subdivisions. Let's show our compassion and intelligence about all creatures, great and small, by giving generously this year to the Nan Pipestem Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Yours Truly, Kate Woods President, NPWRC