Week of 1/23/11 Humane Happenings

By Eliana Aubin

Mattie Ganos with sign honoring Leonard Bullington

The Sierra County Humane Society, Inc. will hold its Annual Membership Meeting in February. Directors for vacant and expiring positions will be elected at that meeting. The SCHS Board of Directors also governs the operations of Desert Haven Animal Refuge, Sierra County’s No-Kill companion animal sanctuary. Please contact us at 894-2778 or 894-2639 for more information or to be placed on the 2011 ballot.

Some weeks ago, Mattie Ganos, who work camps at Desert Haven with her husband Denny, designed and painted several large Old West Style signs that were proudly hung in their respective places on several buildings around the sanctuary. We now have a sign on the Desert Haven workshop that honors the man who contributed greatly to our organization: Gene Trelewicz. Gene no longer lives in Sierra County, but he is remembered fondly by everyone who knows him and worked with him at Desert Haven.

Leonard Bullington is being honored also, and rightly so. Leonard is a retired cowboy who used his lifelong experience and skills to help the very first crew of volunteers who cleared the undeveloped parcel of land and then started to build the sanctuary, one project at a time. Among several large projects, Leonard completely revamped a small building in the Old West Style. A large, colorful and very attractive sign “Leonard’s Mercantile”, created by Mattie, was recently hung on that specific building – a fitting bit of recognition for an “Old Cowboy”, as Leonard often calls himself.

Last Tuesday, the crew erected another very meaningful sign, also designed by Mattie. The sign honors Ardell, a Charter member of the Sierra County Humane Society and one of its strongest supporters from way back. Back in the “Old Days”, Ardell owned and operated a small rock and antique shop in Northern New Mexico. Over the years, she had decorated the entire front yard of her shop with artistic and unique compositions of colored glass bottles and containers. That “Glass Garden” became such a tourist attraction that an Albuquerque TV station ran a story in the 1980’s on “Ardell’s Glass Garden”.

Ardell’s 21 years of support of our animal welfare organization deserves recognition. What more fitting than to honor this amazing pioneer lady by creating a small - very small - “Ardell’s Glass Garden” at Desert Haven, a place she has given so much of herself over the years and in so many ways. Do you have colored bottles and containers you wish to donate to help us get this meaningful project off the ground? Let us know. Interested in learning more about us or helping us in some way? Contact us at 575-894-2778. Write us at POB 638 Williamsburg, NM 87942. Visit us at www.DesertHavenAnimalRefuge.com. Meet us at www.Facebook/com/deserthaven.