The public drama of Wolf Ledge Refuge appears to be in the past – at least for now – but Jim Doughty, the founder of the refuge, remains busy preparing his property for the animals’ arrival.
Doughty expects to receive a state license before the end of the year. Last weekend, Doughty picked up a donation of 330 feet of fencing, he said in a Nov. 22 phone interview.
The donation brings the total amount of donated fencing to over 2000 feet. At capacity, the facility will likely need over 10,000 feet, although Doughty can erect the fencing in phases, he said.
The Board of Directors of Wolf Ledge Refuge recently added another member. The membership currently stands at six and features a veterinarian and a biologist as well as members with experience in advertising and technology. Doughty declined to identify the members.
Doughty regularly updates the Wolf Ledge Refuge facebook group with facts about wolf hybrids and other information. The group’s membership stands at over 250. A website is in the works, he said.
Doughty is working with the Lincoln County Animal Shelter and the Knox County Humane Society as well as existing sanctuaries similar to his own.
Doughty plans to visit schools to talk about the hybrids. “That’s my biggest thing – I want to educate people,” he said.
Doughty hopes that, despite vocal opposition from neighbors, Wolf Ledge Refuge will prove to benefit the town as an educational resource and economically by attracting the occasional out-of-town visitor. “In a small way, we can help,” he said.
“We want to thank everybody that was for and against us,” Doughty said. The significant opposition to Wolf Ledge Refuge forced Doughty to aggressively educate himself, seek partnership with other organizations and attend state classes through the Animal Welfare Program.
“If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be as far as we are now,” Doughty said. “If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t know as much as I do.”
Doughty encourages anyone with concerns about the refuge to call, contact him via the facebook group and, of course, visit. Wolf Ledge Refuge accepts monetary donations as well as donations of materials and volunteer labor.
The Wolf Ledge Refuge site is located at 42 Crooker Road in Bristol. For more information, call Jim Doughty at 563-5244.