I try to keep our stories positive, and I think this I’ve still will end up being positive, but maybe of you have been surprised before when I’ve mentioned some people don’t like the job we do for various reasons.
I came across this touching story from the owner of a rescue trying to expand her operations, basically getting it out of her private residence and to a large facility with amble space and room for community activities.
Have a read and see how many times we can have mixed reactions from the communities we try to serve.
I was recently talking to our clinic owner’s daughter about how our facility ended up somewhat involuntarily being moved, and while it ended up working out, it can cause a lot of unwelcome trouble, especially for places actively serving patients.
This will be the most difficult post I have had to write…
We are walking away from Carlisle.
As many of you know, we had an accepted offer on a property in Carlisle that we truly believed was perfect for expanding our wildlife clinic and educational programs.
The seller was a dream to work with. Our bank approved the loan. Town officials were wonderful and welcoming. Our first visits with neighbors left us feeling like we would be welcomed with open arms.
Everything seemed to be falling perfectly into place.
Unfortunately, it all came crashing down at the Town Planning Board meeting last week…
A few abutters changed their minds and made it very clear they did not want us there. Some of these were people who had visited my home, toured the rescue, and signed a statement in support while they were there. I was genuinely confused.
The concerns they raised centered around fear: fear of increased traffic; fear that people transporting injured wildlife would drive erratically and endanger people walking their dogs or bicycling; fear that animals would escape and attack children; fear of spreading disease; fear that coyotes would be drawn to the property; fear that people dropping off animals would litter throughout the neighborhood.
I stood before them and did my best to answer those fears with facts.
One of those facts was simple: we have operated in Chelmsford for eight years, and there has never been a single report to the town of any of these things happening. Not one.
Years ago, one resident believed a wild raccoon that entered her chicken coop had come from our rescue-which it hadn’t, because we do not release raccoons in our neighborhood. Other than that single misunderstanding years ago, there have been no complaints. No reckless drivers. No children attacked. No increase in coyotes. No neighborhood disruption. In fact, unless you noticed our lettered ambulance parked outside, you would never even know a wildlife rescue operated here.
The same is true for the more than 180 home-based wildlife rehabilitators across Massachusetts. We quietly care for injured and orphaned wildlife every day because there simply are not enough of us. Our wildlife desperately needs all the help it can get.
As I spoke, I looked around the room. Some people seemed to genuinely consider what I was saying. Others, I could tell, had already made up their minds.
And if there was any doubt, it disappeared when one abutter spoke of litigation should the Planning Board approve our project.
So there it was.
They said they loved what we do.
They said they supported what we do.
They said they loved visiting our rescue and that we ran a “tight ship.”
They acknowledged there was a need for our work.
Just not in their backyard.
Could we fight it? Absolutely.
Is the Planning Board likely to approve us? I believe so.
Would we ultimately prevail in litigation? I think we would.
If you’ve followed Newhouse for any length of time, you know we don’t back down from adversity.
But to what end?
To move into a neighborhood where some of our direct abutters are genuinely afraid of us?
Whether I agree with those fears or not, the reality is they do not want us there.
I don’t want to force our rescue into a community where it isn’t welcome.
That doesn’t feel like the right place to bring animals that have already endured so much.
I don’t want donor dollars tied up in lawsuits or on a home we can’t use until litigation is complete.
I don’t want this incredibly kind seller to spend months caught in delays.
Most importantly, it simply no longer feels like the right thing to do.
I want to do right by the animals.
I want to do right by our supporters.
And I want to respect that people have the right to voice what they do and do not want in their own neighborhood.
So, with a very heavy heart, we are walking away.
I’m so sorry.
I know thousands of you donated to help make this dream possible, and many of you donated specifically because of this property.
Please know that every dollar raised for a future facility remains in a separate account and will only be used toward purchasing our future home. It will not be spent on anything else.
If anyone would prefer a refund, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We completely understand. We never want anyone to regret believing in us or supporting this mission.
I want you to know that we truly gave this everything we had.
This has been months of work by our entire team.
To say we’re heartbroken is an understatement.
This is the closest we have ever come to making this dream a reality.
But we are not quitting.
At our core, we are an education center.
My favorite place in the world to be is standing in front of a room full of children, telling stories about wildlife and their incredible resilience.
One day, I hope I’ll get to tell them another story.
The story of Newhouse.
The story of a small team that refused to give up.
The story of every setback, every closed door, every disappointment, and every person who believed in us anyway.
Because one day, somewhere, we will build that clinic.
We’ll save more animals.
We’ll educate more people.
We’ll inspire more children.
And when that day comes, this chapter won’t be remembered as the end of the story.
It will simply be the chapter where we refused to stop. It will be my favorite story of resilience to inspire others never to give up on their dreams.
Here is a write-up about the planned facility for more context.
