Grace Holden and Pam Fulmer – WRLs Longest Serving (Non Rehabilitator) Volunteers
Grace Holden and Pam Fulmer represent the heart and soul of Wildlife Rescue League (WRL), together contributing a combined 50 years of volunteer service to helping wildlife! Grace began her journey with WRL in 2000, initially training for the Hotline (now called the Helpline) before becoming an Apprentice Rehabilitator specializing in small mammals, particularly baby opossums and bunnies. Her dedication expanded over the years as she served on the Board for eight years in various capacities and continues to support rehabilitators by collecting hammocks for squirrels, raccoons, and opossums. Pam also started out volunteering on the Helpline either in 1999 or 2000 after a friend introduced her to WRL. She was happy to find a volunteer activity that she could do from home so she wouldn’t have to leave her two dogs alone after she had been at work all day. While continuing to work the Helpline, she later served as Volunteer Coordinator, on the Board of Directors, and as a Helpline trainer. She has been the editor of Nutley News since 2017.
Both volunteers have witnessed countless memorable moments that showcase the extraordinary lengths people will go to save wildlife. Grace fondly recalls dramatic rescues, from a large lizard stuck on a building requiring fire department assistance to the chaos of rehab animals escaping in her home, including a lightning-fast squirrel that required professional help to recapture. Pam’s favorite memory involves a community effort to save a fledgling bird trapped in a storm drain, where neighbors joined forces with duct-taped broom handles to create a makeshift rescue tool. The caller let Pam know that “it took a village” to save the young bird and that its grateful parents, who never left the area, immediately starting caring for it. These stories highlight not only the dedication of WRL volunteers but also the compassionate response of community members willing to go above and beyond for animals in need.
Grace Holden
Beyond their wildlife work, both Grace and Pam continue to embrace new adventures and learning. Grace has taken up studying Japanese since the pandemic and dreams of visiting Japan and seeing orangutans in Borneo, though she admits she’s not as adventurous as her son, who recently returned from BASE jumping in the European Alps! Pam has channeled her love for wildlife into creating natural habitats throughout her yard that attract butterflies, bees, fireflies, hummingbirds. She recently had fox kits and a raccoon family hanging out in the backyard and even has a resident eastern rat snake for natural pest control. Her latest project is maintaining a butterfly enclosure where she protects monarch caterpillars and then releases them when they become butterflies.
Pam Fulmer
Grace and Pam’s enduring commitment to WRL and continued passion for wildlife conservation serves as an inspiration to current and future volunteers, demonstrating that dedication to wildlife rehabilitation extends far beyond formal volunteer duties into a lifelong commitment to protecting and nurturing the natural world.
Volunteer Spotlight is brought to you by Andres Soria. Andres joined WRL’s Marketing Committee in 2022 and is one of our go-to photographers. In his time off, he enjoys wildlife photography, hiking, and biking.
