Grant honors FAWN's mission for wildlife

Friends Aiding Wildlife in Nature (FAWN), a year-old nonprofit organization whose mission is to remove obsolete fencing on public and private lands, was recently rewarded for its successes with a $3,000 grant from the Rose Foundation. Funds will be used, in part, to further promote the nonprofit's efforts locally and in other communities and purchase tools and other materials needed for projects to remove harmful fencing that serves no purpose. FAWN was started in Placer County in 2024 after founders Roger and Irene Smith learned about a greatly under-recognized problem for wildlife – entanglement in fencing wire, separation of families by old fencing and isolation of migrating herds due to fencing. Their mission has been widely supported by local groups such as the Sierra Club, Placer Resource Conservation District, Placer Land Trust, Gold Country Rotary Club and Auburn State Recreation Area (ASRA), among others. FAWN has removed miles of fencing at no charge using only volunteer labor after receiving property owner permission. "After receiving state of California permission, volunteers removed miles of rusty, twisted and fallen wire at China Bar in Auburn and Olmstead Loop Trail within the Auburn State Recreation Area," says Irene Smith. "This opens up areas traveled by native wildlife to enable them to safely find food, water and shelter. "Unfortunately, in our own neighborhood we've had two deer die after becoming entangled in wire fencing. It's so painful to see how they suffered while struggling to release themselves. This is so unnecessary and property owners should recognize ways they can improve wildlife mobility on their own properties by removing fencing that no longer serves a purpose." FAWN is currently scheduling projects in the fall. Property owners who need help removing fencing on their private property can contact FAWN at fawn4wildlife@gmail.com. Visit fawn4wildlife.org for more information.