News from SPECIEES
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November 25, 2009
EXCITING NEWS FOR SPECIEES…And it is about time!
Danielle Thompson with a friend
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SPECIEES has hired an Executive Director! Yippee! I have been holding down the fort but admittedly not doing a very good job. Oh yeah, I was rescuing dogs and cats but not much more than that. I could not get the office part of it off the ground. Fundraising and grant writing, events and adoptions were nil. SPECIEES has really been in a holding pattern…until now. May I introduce to you Danielle Thompson. This photo was taken on our campaign this year in the Galapagos…Danielle is holding up one of Animal Balance’s spay and neuter clients.
Danielle is no stranger to the animal rights, environmental and conservation scene. She has been a long time activist. I have had the pleasure of working with Danielle on a couple of different campaigns. Danielle and I set out to make Tokyo aware of the killing of dolphins in Taiji. We saturated Tokyo with graphic photos of the massacre the massacre and stood our ground in Shinjuku and Shibuya. We went from one end of Tokyo to the other and hit all neighboring cities. We brought not only the slaughter of dolphins to the attention of the Japanese people but also the poisoning of children by feeding the toxic flesh to the children in their school lunch program.
Danielle also worked with me in San Cristobel, Galapagos this past June/July. Her energy is endless and her vision is clear. She witnessed first hand the homeless, hungry, abused dogs and cats. She helped me bring back a couple of street dogs to the United States. I pride myself on how driven I am during a campaign and Danielle rivals that same work ethic.
I would like Danielle to say a few words on her thoughts for SPECIEES; I believe our missions parallel each other’s.
Take it away Danielle….
Thank you. I am honored to be working with Allison, who is such a tireless and dedicated activist for animals. Working with her and Animal Balance in the Galapagos Islands last summer was an eye-opening experience for me. We were able to sterilize nearly 200 animals in two short weeks and SPECIEES was able to rescue two dogs. However, the dogs and cats that remain and there and roam the Islands are often suffering from disease or injury and wreak havoc on the indigenous wildlife. Spaying and neutering dogs and cats in these fragile island eco-systems is crucial but it doesn’t go far enough. For their welfare and the protection of the native wildlife, stray dogs and cats must be removed from these places and re-homed. That is SPECIEES’ mission and by partnering with other non-profits and local government, it is an achievable goal. I am thrilled to join SPECIEES and work to protect both companion and wild animals.
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July 2009
Campaign Report
by Heather Callin
Animal Balance…I had heard of them for years, as Allison had volunteered with them on numerous campaigns overthe last 3 years in various countries, spaying and neutering dogs and cats. Based on her work with them and seeing a need to remove unwanted domestic animals to keep them from wrecking havoc on these areas with fragile ecosystems, Allison formed the non-profit group SPECIEES.
I was fortunate enough to go and volunteer with these two groups this past May/June in the Galapagos Islands. Having always wanted to visit the Galapagos Islands, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to be “active” in my activism and also see an area that, when mentioned, brought visions of tortoises, marine iguanas, and blue-footed boobies dancing in my head.
It was immediately clear why these two groups were needed on the islands, as my pictures from the first week on San Cristobal….well….I could have been in California!
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I saw sea lions…
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and pelicans…
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... but where were the marine iguanas?!! The whole time I was there on San Cristobal, about 10 days, I saw one.
ONE! And trust me, I was actively looking for them!!
It was only when the group split and we went to Floreana for a few days that I realized how it could be….how it should be. While a large island, there are only about 100 people living there, so the domestic animal population is a lot smaller, and therefore has had a lot less of an impact on the animals that make this wonderful place so unique. And we saw
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marine iguanas…
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….absolutely…
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…EVERYWHERE!!!
In the end, the groups, between the 3 islands, spayed and neutered over 200 cats and dogs!! A lot more education is needed within the local populations about why this is needed and it would be great if the government would back up its own policies on the importing and owning of domestic animals.
As for SPECIEES, Allison brought home two dogs, Sacha and Cris. Please check out the Rescue and Adoption page for their stories.
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April 13, 2009
SPECIEES Granted Tax-Exempt Status from the IRS
Today I received great news from my dear friend Heather; she is picking up my mail for me, as I am in California going to school and taking care of my mom. She told me I received a large package from the IRS. I thought, Oh no I forgot something on my application for SPECIEES or I have been denied - but no, it was a letter of acceptance from the IRS stating that SPECIEES HAS BEEN GRANTED TAX-EXEMPT STATUS!!!
I got chills and cried. Then I phoned Jami left her a voice message then I phoned Marnie!
Without Jami Pannell and Danielle Thompson, SPECIEES would be a thought. Seriously, I was in over my head with that paperwork. Danielle turned me on to Jami and Jami took it upon herself to painstakingly fill out and spend hours, days and months on the necessary paperwork. All the while, she was moving and making career changes.
I am going to finish school and take care of my mom working SPECIEES on the side. I will be headed to the Galapagos in June with Animal Balance; doing the work, I love the most. Calvin is working on our website and adoptions are taking place.
Hang in there with me as I build SPECIEES. Patience, grasshoppers. I am a one-woman show. I have had to make many changes in my life this past year. My loyalty to animals and the planet are steadfast though never wavering.
Respectfully yours,
Allison
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September 2008
From SPECIEES Founder Allison Lance
Wow, what a campaign! SPECIEES working with Animal Balance sterilized over 300 animals and tended to the needs of many more. SPECIEES removed its first animal, a cat from Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Galapagos. I named her "JoJo" after Johanna Angermeyer. The Angermeyer's are one of the original families of the Galapagos. I became friends with this incredible woman after reading her book "My Father's Island." Johanna has helped me with dogs in Ecuador and has given me lots of good advice, so I thought it would be right and fitting to name SPECIEES' first adoption after her. A home will be found for JoJo in the United States.
This is my primary objective of SPECIEES, to humanely and non-lethally remove exotics like dogs and cats from the fragile and endangered eco-system of the Galapagos National Park and World Heritage Site and to find them homes off the islands.
As you can see, my website is under construction, but I wanted my supporters to know that I am working hard at building SPECIEES You will soon see how SPECIEES will be structured with a list of my directors and advisors along with their bios and photos. I will have adoptions and the pictures of animals SPECIEES has protected, iguanas, sea lion, and lovely little Darwin Finches, along with so much more.
Allison Lance holding JoJo the cat,
SPECIEES's first adoption,
who was taken from Santa Cruz
island to America in September 2008 |
I am no stranger to what I am doing. I have rescued 18 animals, from the Galapagos, Brazil, Costa Rica, Trinidad/Tobago, and the Dominican Republic. My hope is to bring dogs and cats home from the Galapagos that would normally be running the streets, the same hungry dogs and cats that are making the indigenous wildlife their dinner. I know people are to blame for this but our companion animals are getting the short end of the stick here. To combat this problem, the people have resorted to poisoning our precious friends. Poisoning is the worst way to go; it is a slow painful death.
SPECIEES to the rescue!
My plan is to have a shelter on Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos so that tourists can adopt dogs/cats, thus making a very real contribution to protecting these unique and beautiful islands. The adoption process seems so daunting to some, but SPECIEES will make it easy. There is a special law of the Galapagos that states clearly dogs and cats are not allowed, but it is difficult , practically impossible to enforce. Slow removal and a crack down of smuggling animals onto the islands are underway. We must protect the Galapagos, from the depths of the surrounding seas to the mysterious highlands.
The true Galapagonians deserve the right to thrive on the streets, on the beaches and in the trees, and while we cannot spay and neuter the real problem, people, we can hope to educate them on the protection of this World Heritage Site.
From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate all the kind words and enthusiasm I have received...stay tuned.
-Allison and JoJo |
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SPECIEES P.O. Box 3241, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USA Phone: (360) 298-0368
Copyright ©2009 SPECIEES and Allison Lance
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