Saturday, 2 October: A Visit to the “Possum Lady”
Opossums are the only marsupial in North America. License-free image by daynaw3990 from Pixabay.
Field trip with Dawn Summerlin
Saturday, 2 October, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Participation limit to 12. Registration for Members only opens at 9:00 a.m. on September 18 at syvnhs@syvnature.org or 805/ 693-5683.
There is no regular fee, but you are requested to bring bedding materials like old sweatshirts, t-shirts, pillow cases, sheets, and newspapers.
Masks should be worn when inside the facility, even for those who have been vaccinated. Dawn has warned that wasps may be present. Persons with extreme allergies to wasps should probably not attend.
Your Society board has decided to occasionally offer field trips that “Pop Up” at the last minute and are not in the Magpie Calls newsletter. This is one of those instances for this late afternoon field trip to visit the “Possum Lady.” Dawn Summerlin of Buellton has been the “go-to person” to rescue and release of opossums in need for over 21 years. This is the time of year for baby opossums to be delivered or picked up, so her facility now houses over 20 of these marsupials (the only such mammal in North America). At times she has cared for as many as 50-60 in one season. Later in the year, about October, her facility will be empty and Dawn will have earned a much-needed respite. Her faithful husband Jim, a docent at the UC Sedgwick Reserve, volunteers his time cleaning cages and releasing almost all of her charges when they meet the weight and size standards specified by California Fish and Wildlife. Given that these unique animals are nocturnal, Dawn has agreed to conduct a tour of her Buellton facility late in the afternoon starting at 4:00 PM.
“The Possum Lady,” Dawn Summerlin, who provided this photo.
Dawn is a retired nurse (for humans) who fell in love with opossums while volunteering at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network in the 1990s. Dawn and Jim volunteer their time and fund all expenses for the rescue and release operation except veterinary care which is funded by the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. Dawn encourages contributions to the Network and is always in need of bedding materials like old sweatshirts, t-shirts, pillow cases, sheets, and newspapers.
