Wild Notch Refuge

06/11/2026

Last night we had a front row seat to Eloise absolutely demolishing her dinner and honestly it was the most satisfying thing we have watched all week. On the menu was hard boiled egg, sardines, yogurt, fresh fruit and vegetables.

Opossums are true omnivores and in the wild they eat an incredibly varied diet including insects, fruit, eggs, small animals and yes even carrion, making them one of nature’s most important cleanup crews.

But here is the thing about Eloise that absolutely blew our minds. We put a litter box in her enclosure and she just started using it on her own. No training, no coaxing, just instinct. Opossums are naturally one of the few wild animals that will seek out a designated bathroom spot which makes caring for them surprisingly tidy.

A few other things you probably did not know about Virginia opossums, they are almost entirely immune to rabies due to their low body temperature, they eat thousands of ticks every season making them incredible for ecosystem health, and when they play dead it is not a choice but an involuntary response to extreme fear.

Eloise is now weighing in at a healthy 1.5 pounds and she is nearly ready to move into her outdoor pre-release enclosure for the next chapter of her wild journey.

We are so proud of this dramatic sardine loving self taught litter box using little girl.

06/10/2026

Not every story has a happy ending and today was a reminder of that. A little chipmunk was found in the middle of the road, not moving and visibly wounded. I was at school on my lunch break in the middle of writing evaluation reports, IEPs and Medicaid logs when the call came in. I did what any volunteer rehabber does, dropped everything and tried. I got there as fast as I could but it was not enough. He passed shortly after arriving. This is the reality of doing this work entirely on a volunteer basis, squeezing care and heartbreak into lunch breaks and after school hours because these animals deserve someone in their corner even when the odds are not good. We cannot save them all but we can make sure they do not die alone. Rest easy little one.

06/08/2026

Today we released the three of our Seven Dwarves who made it, and it was everything. I thought I had taken a video but forgot to hit record, and honestly maybe that was the universe telling me to just be present in the moment. All three hopped off into the brush and blended in instantly like they had always belonged there, because they always did. As a first year rehabber bringing three out of seven eastern cottontails back to the wild means more to me than I can put into words. I know three little bunnies do not change the big complicated sometimes cruel world we live in. But their lives mean everything to me. Every feeding, every worry, every sleepless night was worth it for the moment they disappeared into the grass and became wild again. A heartfelt thank you to Kammy, our incredible finder, whose care and support from day one made this journey so much sweeter. And a deeply grateful thank you to Karen at Monty’s House for taking the time to walk me through the challenges of rehabbing cottontails. I could not have done it without you. Hop free little Dwarves. You made it.

06/07/2026

Chip and Baldy are loving the outdoors! Chip and Baldy have officially moved into their outdoor pre-release enclosure and they are loving every second of it. At around ten to twelve weeks old red squirrels are naturally ready to start building wild instincts, practicing foraging and experiencing real weather and outdoor sounds. This stage is critical before soft release, which is when we will open a small door in their enclosure and let them come and go on their own terms while we continue providing supplemental food until they are fully independent. The wild is waiting!

06/05/2026

After a long week of teaching, we are all tucked in early.

06/04/2026

What’s cuter than one baby raccoon? Two baby raccoons. We rest our case. These two tiny ones arrived at Wild Notch Refuge recently and they are absolutely stealing our hearts. At just a few weeks old their eyes and ears are still completely closed, meaning they are entirely dependent on warmth and around the clock feeding to survive. They weigh in at around 270 grams each, roughly the weight of a baseball, and yet they are already full of personality. Their signature masked faces and ringed tails are already visible even at this tiny size. These two are warm, safe and very well fed. We cannot wait for you to watch them grow and send them back out into the wild. ”

06/02/2026

06/01/2026

Getting out of bed on a Monday. Eloise gets it. Honestly if she stays in those blankets all day we are not going to judge her one single bit. Happy Monday from Wild Notch Refuge, where even the wildlife has strong feelings about the start of the work week.

05/31/2026

A quick update from some of our current residents. Eloise our beloved opossum is doing beautifully and continuing to grow into the dramatic little diva we all know and love. The Itty Bitty Squirrel Committee, our five red squirrels from Stowe, are absolutely full of energy and mischief these days. They are beginning to explore a solid squirrel diet while still very much enjoying their formula. In harder news, we lost another one of our Seven Dwarves this week. This is the part of wildlife rehabilitation that never gets easier. Baby cottontail bunnies are fragile beyond what most people realize and sometimes we do everything right and still lose them. We are down to three Dwarves now and we are happy to report that all three are looking healthy, bright eyed and eating well. We are cheering for every single one of them with everything we have. Thank you all for following along and supporting this work. The highs are so high and the lows are so hard and your encouragement means more than you know. ”

05/30/2026

Names needed!! Two new arrivals came through our doors this morning. These two tiny raccoons were found without their mother and a huge thank you goes out to the finder and to Howling Mountain Rescue for doing everything possible to reunite them with mom. Sadly she never returned and so their journey now continues here at Wild Notch Refuge. At just two weeks old these babies came in needing to be fully warmed and hydrated before anything else, which is always our first priority with new arrivals. Baby raccoons this young cannot regulate their own body temperature at all and a cold or dehydrated animal cannot safely digest formula, making warmth and hydration the critical first steps before any feeding begins. Once they are stable and comfortable they will be transitioned to a raccoon specific formula to give them exactly the nutrition they need to grow and thrive. Their eyes and ears are still fully closed, which is completely normal at two weeks old, and they have a long and exciting road of growing ahead of them. These two need names and we are leaving it up to you. Drop your suggestions in the comments and help us name this dynamic duo! We cannot wait to watch them grow.