Marthaler said there are two people trying to start their own rescue in Salt Lake, but getting a permit requires working at a licensed facility for at least two years. The Ogden wildlife rescue is the only of its kind in northern Utah, with the next closest facility being in Utah County. WRCNU cares for injured wild animals that likely would not receive treatment otherwise, and would either die or be left to deal with their injuries.

“When the agreement was entered, there was never an expectation that they would remain 13 years due to the nature of the temporary arrangement,” the statement said. In its statement, Ogden City said the deal with WRCNU back in 2010 was temporary, saying the deal was “meant to give them a space to operate while they sought out a permanent location. “It would just become a matter of fact that we occupied that building, and that would be our forever home after we had done those couple of years to prove that we could handle it,” Marthaler said. Initially, their agreement with the city would only last 180 days, but Marthaler recalled city officials saying back then WRCNU just had to prove their worth before making the deal long-term. The rescue moved into the building formerly occupied by Ogden City Animal Services, which had recently been discontinued and absorbed into Weber County Animal Services. The WRCNU was first formed in 2009 after the Ogden Nature Center decided to end its wildlife rehabilitation program, Marthaler said. In March 2014, Utah officials approved a $5.35 million settlement agreement with Chevron Pipe Line Company, stemming from the 27,500-gallon diesel fuel spill at Willard Bay State Park in March 2013. The last three beavers to arrive at the rehab center are worse off for spending more time in the diesel-laden waters of Willard Bay. (Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune)A beaver gets a syringe of nutrient rich food from executive director DaLyn Marthaler to supplement its diet of aspen, willow, sweet potatoes and carrots in this file photo from April 4, 2013. “I don’t know what the urgency is,” Ogden Council Chair Angela Choberka told The Tribune last Friday. “We are as interested in the ongoing success of the refuge center and will work with them however possible while working through this transition period,” the statement said.Įither way, in the two months since the WRCNU was sent its notice, members of the Ogden City Council are caught in the middle, saying they still have not seen the construction plans for the dinosaur park if the wildlife center is evicted and don’t understand the timing by city administrators.

In a statement Tuesday, an Ogden City spokesperson did confirm the city’s plan to expand the nearby Dinosaur Park, saying in the statement, “It has been the intention all along to demolish the old Ogden City Animal Services building (where WRCNU is housed) and make more room for Dinosaur Park expansion. Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell said during a city council meeting last week the issue is over a contract issue with WRCNU. City leaders say that’s not necessarily the case. Marthaler said her understanding is the center would be demolished to expand the nearby Ogden Dinosaur Park - potentially for a new parking lot. She said since WRCNU formed in 2009, the center has taken in thousands of animals every year.īut the reason for the eviction varies depending on who you ask. Since getting that letter, Marthaler has been scrambling to find a new space that could properly accommodate the facility’s many wild animal patients - which can range from bald eagles to river otters.

Bird rescue salt lake city