God’s vast array of winged creatures has lost a great friend and advocate this month and in so losing her, we who love South Florida and its beautiful birds have equal cause to mourn.  Wendy Fox, longtime Executive Director of the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station died of cancer on Saturday, August 6, 2011.  She was 54.  Dragonfly Expeditions partnered up with Wendy and her inspiring organization years ago to create a new type of tour.  It was designed to bring awareness and money to the brave non-profit tucked away at the end of a marina on the 79^th Street Causeway.  We called it  “Healing Wildlife at the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station”  and dedicated 40 percent of the gross profits  to the seabird station.  This effort has always made me proud.

The tour is organized around an afternoon visit to the seabird station.  There, Wendy and her capable crew would escort us around their compact facility to see the operating tables, X-rays and surgical equipment where miracles are performed every day.  The ‘patients’ are pelicans with broken beaks, cormorants with embedded fish hooks and herons entangled with fishing line.  Some of the birds, too injured to ever be released into the wild, stayed as one of the 75 permanent residents of the facility.

The Pelican Harbor Seabird Station has survived and grown out of passion, ingenuity and sacrifice.  Wendy Fox stood at the vortex of the organization. She tended to injured birds, raised funds, planned expansions, conducted medical research, raised more funds, did identification banding and rescuer training and then raised more funds.  As the ultimate testimony to her influence, Wendy’s son Brian Fox, a wildlife biologist, will take her place as Director of the organization.  He began his orientation as a third-grader in his mother’s shadow.

We will continue to promote our tour and give support to the seabird station.  It will act as our ongoing tribute to Wendy’s work.  She was the kind of person the world sorely needs.  As for all of the lucky, newly-healed, beautiful birds that Wendy has released over the years, the saddest thought is that we now have no choice…..but to release her.

Goodbye Wendy Fox and thank you so very much for your determination and kindness.

Your friends at Dragonfly Expeditions