One year ago today, the sanctuary property was engulfed in flames and smoke. We thought at one point that the caregiver house that J.B. and I live in was gone (it turned out the roof and siding had caught fire, but the interior was saved). J.B. stayed with the chimps as the flames spread, and the rest of the staff watched helplessly from the road or waited anxiously for updates.

It’s not a day any of us would like to repeat, but we knew the chimpanzees were safe thanks to our own protocols and the actions of the local volunteer firefighters. We can never thank Kittitas County Fire Districts (KCFD) #1 and #7  enough for what they did for us and what they do for neighbors and strangers everyday. Read the account from the Seattle Met, or, in our own words, through our blog posts.

We’ve made even more improvements to our protocols and our equipment based on our experience last year. We are still working on our future emergency preparedness while also raising money for our general operating costs, and we have a great and fun way for you to help us get a nice grant!

The Humane Society of the United States is sponsoring a chimpanzee art contest, and our resident boot-loving artist boss of the sanctuary, Jamie, has a piece entered! Voting for Jamie’s mixed-media piece will not only give her the accolades she knows she deserves, but will also give the sanctuary a chance to win $10,000! You can vote for Jamie’s piece once per day from now until the end of the contest, which is 5:00pm ET on August 22nd.

Please vote today and every day and share with everyone you know via email, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc!