When Matt Dennison started working with the animals in the barn at Clearwater Wildlife Sanctuary, he didn’t know what to expect.

“I wasn’t too sure about the cleaning,” said the middle-schooler. “Some of the animals are really messy, but now I don’t even think about it.”

The youngster is one of about 50 volunteers who help care for wounded or orphaned wild animals at the sanctuary and its facilities. He’s not the only Dennison family member to work there. Mom Lauri has been logging several hours at the barn for about the last year, along with his sister, Corinne.

Some of the volunteers at Clearwater Wildlife Sanctuary and their patients, are from left, first row: Corinne Dennison, Leland Van Veventer and Ashton Van Veventer and second row: Matt Dennison, Lauri Dennison, Leah Bell, Liz Bell and Janie Van Veventer. (Staff Photo by Anne Lautzenheiser)

The barn is located on the grounds of Christ Episcopal Middle School in Covington, and many of the volunteers are parents whose children attend the school. When some of the kids started going to help out during the summer, they discovered something. They liked it.

“It’s such a win-win situation,” said program director Nancy Torchson. “They learn respect and appreciation for wildlife, and it serves their own developmental needs as well.”

Volunteers are divided into three teams.

Members of the foster team take the animals into their home to nurse them until they are ready to begin rehabilitation.

The barn team is the education division, which handles some of the smaller animals and interacts with summer camps.

The courier team takes care of transporting animals from various intake centers.

The sanctuary treats about 5,000 animals a year and takes in nearly twice that number in phone calls from agencies and private citizens concerned about an injured animal. The nonprofit organization serves 11 parishes and treats all types of animals except for bats and alligators, which require separate federal licensing that the sanctuary doesn’t carry.

Volunteer Liz Bell said she and her daughters have fostered a whole menagerie over the years, from kittens and puppies to a young beaver and baby possums.

Many of the animals are juveniles and can’t be left alone, so the volunteers must take over until they are healthy enough for release or further rehabilitation.

“It’s a tangible way to teach kids how to be stewards of the earth,” said Bell. “We feel more in tune with nature, even in our own back yard.”

The sanctuary barn is currently home to a barred owl, screech owls, guinea pigs from the Humane Society, a baby alligator snapping turtle, a pelican, a swallowtail kite and several rabbits, to name just a few. Some of the animals become permanent residents due to the disabling nature of their injuries, such as a brain-damaged screech owl that can no longer fly properly.

A new branch has been established on the Southshore to address disaster recovery and response and aid in wildlife rescues in the event of another hurricane.

Volunteers are more important than ever and serve as the lifeline of the sanctuary, which receives no government funding for its work.

“Some of them have been with us for years,” said Torchson. “We’re very fortunate that people love this work and want to stick with it.”

For more information, call 892-2500, or go to www.clearwaterwildlife.com.