Lindsay Wildlife Experience Reaches 30-Year Lease Agreement with the City of Walnut Creek
Lease renewal keeps the SF Bay Area Education Center and Pioneering Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital in the city where it was founded
WALNUT CREEK, Calif., March 2, 2022 — Lindsay Wildlife Experience has reached an agreement with the City of Walnut Creek that will keep the beloved wildlife rehabilitation hospital and education center at its current home for the next several decades.
The agreement approved by the Walnut Creek City Council on March 1 allows the non-profit organization to lease its current facilities for 30 years. The contract includes options for two 10-year lease renewals for a total of 50 years or until 2072.
The exciting milestone cements Lindsay Wildlife Experience’s presence in the San Francisco Bay Area and its ability to provide groundbreaking care for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife while educating people about their wild neighbors.
“This long-term partnership with the city of Walnut Creek provides a stable foundation for us to carry out and grow our mission of connecting people with wildlife to inspire environmental stewardship,” said Lindsay Board President Janet Kozlowski. “As an organization with many ‘firsts,’ including establishing the first wildlife rehabilitation hospital in the country and the first to perform many breakthrough medical treatments and protocols for wild animal care, it seems fitting to remain here on First Avenue in Walnut Creek.”
Having successfully weathered a 14-month closure during the COVID-19 pandemic with generous community support, Lindsay is focused on enhancing its exhibit hall and wildlife hospital through its current $2.5 million “Go Wild with Lindsay” campaign. The lease agreement will help the organization reach this goal and keep delivering its unique educational outreach programs to families and schools throughout the Bay Area and beyond.
Walnut Creek Mayor Matt Francois is also encouraged that the partnership between the City and Lindsay Wildlife will continue into the future. “For years, parents have known that school field trips to the Lindsay Wildlife Experience are among the most memorable, as kids have had a behind-the-scenes look at the unique work underway in our own backyard,” Mayor Francois said. “Having Lindsay remain in Walnut Creek ensures opportunities for so many budding scientists and physicians to get to a front row seat at the work there, all while enhancing the knowledge of kids and adults alike about the efforts to preserve and enhance wildlife. We are grateful for the partnership.”
The lease also secures the home of more than 50 rehabilitated but non-releasable animal ambassadors who live at Lindsay, and the wildlife rehabilitation hospital where more than 5,000 patients are treated each year.
Founded by the late Alexander “Sandy” Lindsay, Lindsay Wildlife Experience began as a modest collection of natural history specimens for neighborhood children. In 1955, it blossomed into the Diablo Junior Museum Association and underwent a name change before relocating to Larkey Park. The Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital was established in 1970, the first such wildlife rehabilitation facility in the United States. After the construction of its current home in 1993 following a $7 million capital campaign, the organization completed its transformation into the Lindsay Wildlife Experience.
Today, Lindsay serves more than 100,000 children and adults each year. It also offers unique encounters with wildlife, education programs, volunteer opportunities and community outreach. The exhibit hall is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
The Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital provides free veterinary care to native California wildlife and depends on donations to continue its life-saving work. More information about how to support Lindsay Wildlife Experience can be found online at https://lindsaywildlife.org/gowild/
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About Lindsay Wildlife Experience:
Lindsay connects people with wildlife to inspire responsibility and respect for the world we share. A unique natural history and environmental education center where live wild animals are just inches away from visitors, Lindsay serves more than 100,000 children and adults each year. Home to the first wildlife rehabilitation hospital established in the U.S., Lindsay treats more than 5,000 animals annually.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Modenessi
(925) 627-2925