Wings Rescue Center asks county to expand funding as rescues surge

Wings Rescue Center representative Kaye Adams told the Aransas County Commissioners Court on July 28 that the volunteer-run wildlife rescue and education nonprofit is seeing a sharp rise in bird intakes and is asking the county to expand its compensation to cover the whole county. Adams said the center started in February 2016 and now handles “over 800 to 900 births a year” in Aransas County outside city limits; within Rockport city limits she said the center recorded 740 rescues. She said the center receives “a max of $3,500 a year, and that's per bird,” and that the payment cap often leaves the center covering overages from donations and volunteers. The request matters because the Wings Rescue Center provides rescue, rehabilitation and education services for seabirds, waterfowl and raptors in areas the presenters said are not otherwise served. Adams told the court the center is state- and federally-approved for most species except whooping cranes and eagles, runs an on-site hospital and raptor care building, and provides education programs that drew 721 families and children in its first year of programming. Adams said the center now wishes the county would “compensate us for all of Aransas County instead of just the county of, outside in the county or city limits inside.” She described the center as almost entirely volunteer- and donation-run and asked the court to reconsider the current scope of county support. County leaders thanked Adams for the presentation. Judge Garza said he appreciated the update and the group’s work and acknowledged earlier community donations that supported the center. No formal action or vote on changing funding policy was taken during the meeting; the presentation was on the agenda under presentations and proclamations. The center’s request touches on county budget and service-area questions and would require formal action by the commissioners should they choose to expand the current compensation structure.