When a downy woodpecker flew into the front window of Clyde and Jacqui Munroe’s home in Lake Wynonah, they knew just where to take it for help.
The same was true of Charlie Lincoln’s family in Newmanstown when the 8-year-old girl found two baby bunnies in distress on Easter Sunday, and Nikki and Keith Heck when they noticed that six baby possums were still alive in the pouch of their mother who had been hit by a car near the Heck’s home in Annville.
They were all aware that those animals would receive good care at Red Creek Wildlife Center in Wayne Township, and all recovered from those harrowing circumstances, they said.
So those folks were among the visitors to Red Creek on Saturday for the nonprofit’s second open house, an event that drew a steady crowd.
Red Creek admits more than 4,000 animals each year, offering a second chance to distressed Pennsylvania wildlife through rescue and rehabilitation while also educating the public and training wildlife rehabilitators.
Eliana May Dawson, 10, of Hamburg takes a photo of Elliott the groundhog during the Red Creek Wildlife Center open house, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
The open house was a chance for Red Creek to explain to the public what it does, show some of its success stories in the form of its resident and education animals, and hopefully inspire some donations and volunteers since the organization is so dependent on both, said Peggy Hentz, founder and director.
Visitors got to see those animals up close, tour the grounds and the new treatment center that opened in 2024, and meet the staff and volunteers.
“We’re hoping to make this an annual event,” Hentz said.
Diane Sharpless and Beth Bialek with Pennsylvania Animal Response Team talk about their rescue work during the Red Creek Wildlife Center open house, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
There were also numerous other organizations on hand that work with wildlife, as well as dogs and cats.
They included Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation in Lancaster, which had one of its recued resident animals — Elliott the groundhog — walking around for people to meet. Elliott was a baby when he was found injured by Red Creek volunteer Sarah Yost in Cressona, then nursed back to health at Red Creek before moving to Acorn Acres.
Elliott the groundhog walks about during the Red Creek Wildlife Center open house, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
Acorn Acres founder and executive director Betsy Shank takes Elliott to schools and events to teach people about groundhogs, and tells people what smart, interesting animals they are.
“We need to love groundhogs more. They have the stubbornness of cats, the trainability of dogs, and a sprinkle of the craziness of squirrels mixed in,” Shank said, as Elliot stood by on his harness, checking out the visitors.
And if you remove them after they’ve already dug burrows, it’s likely you’ll have a fox or skunk move into that hole to replace them, she said.
“You should pick your battles,” she said.
Also on hand were Schuylkill County volunteers from the Pennsylvania Animal Response team, which responds to natural disasters, vehicle accidents, and other emergencies to care for animals in need.
Diane Sharpless of New Ringgold has been volunteering for that work since 2007, and spoke about how the local team has helped pets after floods in Schuylkill Haven, Pine Grove and Girardville when their owners were displaced, and cows and pigs who’d been riding in livestock trailers that crashed along highways in the county.
The work requires a lot of training but is important and rewarding, she said, encouraging those interested in volunteering to find out more at paanimalresponse.org.
Clyde and Jacqui Munroe said that they have been to Red Creek often, donate to the organization, and are thankful to have it in Schuylkill County.
“It’s a great place,” Clyde said.
Driving much further on Saturday was Greg Puceta of Willow Grove, who was there to tell people about Doberman Pinscher Rescue of PA, but also to check out the rescued birds housed in outdoor pens.
Greg Puceta of Willow Grove takes a look at a bird during the Red Creek Wildlife Center open house, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (MATTHEW PERSCHALL/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR)
He knows how costly it is for Red Creek to care for and feed so many animals when it is reliant donations, and he wishes more public funding was available to the organization.
“I think it’s great what they do here. They deserve a lot of credit,” he said. “And they should be getting more money from the state.”