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Thursday, December 27, 2007

Guest View: Animal Advocates Seek Volunteers

By Jean Payne

    Volunteers of all ages are needed to help Friends of the Estancia Valley Animals meet their 2008 goals of maintaining low-cost spay/neuter programs, supporting the Estancia Valley Regional Animal Shelter, with its new facility to be located in Edgewood, and educating in responsible animal care.
    As a part of the education objective for 2008, Mike Hoy, Friends board member and past president, has volunteered to attend area towns' meetings to make more people aware of the Friends' animal work and goals.
    Volunteer opportunities range from clerical work and registration at spay/neuter clinics to Web site development. Other jobs lie in presenting education programs, developing publicity, lobbying for funds and attending meetings planning operations at the new Estancia Valley Regional Animal Shelter.
    Anyone who wishes to help can call Deb Hoy, Friends treasurer, at 281-3475, or Susan Simons, Friends president, at 286-3162.
    At the 2008 planning meeting for Friends of the Estancia Valley Animals held Dec. 4, Amanda Jaramillo, a Moriarty High School Honor Society student and new Friends secretary, suggested making more high school students aware of the organization and its goals. She said many students are looking for service projects.
    Friends of the Estancia Valley Animals, founded four years ago, works with animals and people in Edgewood, Moriarty, Estancia and neighboring communities. Friends President Susan Simons said past goals had been supporting low-cost spay/neuter programs to area pet owners, supporting the Estancia Valley Regional Animal Shelter and educating in animal care.
    Chuck Ring, Edgewood town councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem, explained some of the Friends' many support activities, including its board members serving on the task force setting up the new regional animal shelter, a collaborative effort of four counties and at least three towns. That shelter will be in the town of Edgewood on State Road 344 with planned daily operation contracted to a nonprofit. The present regional animal shelter, in Moriarty sharing a Torrance County Fire Department building, has had challenging times with staff turnover and limited space to grow.
    Mike Hoy spoke of animal welfare education programs for students in area schools. He said curriculum has been developed by ASPCA, Animal Humane and a Tennessee group. Meeting attendees agreed helping children, especially elementary school age, understand the importance of spay/neuter and responsible pet care would help to change the lives of many East Mountains pets, ease pet overpopulation and ultimately lower euthanasia in the area.
    Hundreds of cats and dogs have been neutered or spayed through the Friends' past efforts, said Deb Hoy. A waiting list of at least 75 exists. The present Spay Neuter program has reached owners and their pets from Tajique to Vaughn to Stanley through clinics offered in Edgewood and Moriarty with partnerships with some municipalities and CAPS, another New Mexico nonprofit with a primary goal of spay/neuter. The collaboration contracted with the Santa Fe Humane Society's mobile surgery van for the sterilizations.
    Jean Payne, a recently retired Moriarty Schools teacher, is a board member of Lodestar Dog Ranch, a nonprofit Labrador Retriever Rescue founded by her husband, Tom Payne, in 2002.