Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 12 June 2017

Woman crisscrosses West to fulfill acquaintance’s last wish

PHUONG LE bird, photograph, and she
Associated Press doesn’t have to see a lot of
SEATTLE (AP) — Nancy Zing- other people.”
heim barely knew Rita Poe Back on Washington’s
when Poe approached Olympic Peninsula after her
her office at a Washington trip, Zingheim sat down last
state RV park. Poe, a shy month and wrote checks.
registered nurse, had a re- They included money to
quest for the RV park busi- support Camas, the Mer-
ness manager: Could Zing- ced National Wildlife Ref-
heim help her with her will? uge in California, Little
Weeks later, the 66-year- Pend Oreille National Wild-
old Poe died of colorec- life Refuge in Washington,
tal cancer. In her will, she LEFT: This shows Rita Poe’s 1981 driver’s license. RIGHT: In this photo taken Thursday, June 8, 2017, Malheur National Wildlife
left nearly $800,000 to a Nancy Zingheim displays a photo of an American goldfinch taken by Rita Poe, as she sits in her Refuge in Oregon and Bear
dozen national wildlife ref- RV office in Chimacum, Wash. Associated Press River Migratory Bird Refuge
uges and parks, mostly in in Utah.
the American West. She life refuges in California, uge managers what they cats. There were trips to She also sent money to
named Zingheim the ex- Idaho, Oregon and Wash- needed and wanted. And New Mexico, Arizona and Yellowstone National Park,
ecutor. ington — part of a vast net- she tried to imagine how Canada. two state parks and a Texas
Zingheim knew little about work of reserves across the Poe connected to these Zingheim said that in the birding center.
Poe, who had moved to United States where wild places. process of carrying out “There’s a spiritual connec-
the Evergreen Coho SKP lands are protected for “The reserves, they’re qui- Poe’s wishes, she felt she’d tion that people feel about
RV Park in the small town of wildlife. et places. I could see Rita been granted her own be- these places. They have a
Chimacum just five months President Theodore Roos- there,” she said. quest. And she’s grateful lot of meaning to a lot of
earlier. She knew even less evelt established the first In time, bits of Poe emerged. for it. people,” Tracy Casselman,
about national wildlife ref- refuge in 1903 at Florida’s Poe grew up in Southern “I saw things that I would project leader for the wild-
uges. Pelican Island. The U.S. Fish California, worked as a never have seen,” Zing- life refuge complex that in-
That was in 2015. This year, and Wildlife Service man- nurse at a suburban Los heim said. “I didn’t know cludes Camas.
Zingheim embarked on a ages more than 560 such Angeles hospital and spent a national wildlife reserve Casselman said Poe’s gift
4,000-mile (6,400-kilome- refuges. From wetlands in time in Texas. even existed. I don’t think will ensure more people en-
ter) road trip to learn more Florida to tropical forests Terry Poe said he last saw a lot of people out there joy such places.
about the woman who in Hawaii, the lands are set his sister in 2007. After their know about them. They With each check, Zingheim
lived in an Airstream trailer aside for migratory birds, al- parents died, leaving should. They’re wonderful wrote a letter directing
with her dog and cat — ligators, bears and count- them money, he said, she places.” how some money should
and the wild places that less other creatures. There’s bought a trailer and trav- Brian Wehausen gave Zing- be used. “I think she would
captivated her. at least one in each state, eled around the Western heim a tour of the Camas have agreed with me, I
“I wanted to see what they and a majority are open to U.S. to various refuges and National Wildlife Refuge’s really do,” said Zingheim,
were,” said Zingheim, 62. the public for free. national parks. high desert landscape and who has since adopted
“I decided that I wasn’t At each stop, Zingheim “She enjoyed nature and wetlands when she showed Poe’s dog, Iggy.
going to suddenly write asked around: Do you being out in nature,” he up last spring. Poe had tak- Steve Gillard, the Washing-
checks to places at face know Rita? No one did. said in a telephone inter- en photographs of bald ton attorney who handled
value. I wanted to do my One person recalled Poe’s view from Southern Califor- eagles and moose on a Poe’s will, said it’s unusual
due diligence and find out 27-foot (8-meter) Airstream nia. visit to the southeast Idaho for people to name some-
what they needed.” trailer but little else. Rita Poe owned several refuge. one they barely know to
Over nine days, she drove “To this day, I don’t think high-end cameras. She “Our refuge is fairly small. It distribute their estate.
Poe’s Ford pickup truck in a any of us knew a lot about was a birder. On her com- would seem to fit a person- “But it’s very unusual for a
loop of the American West. her,” Zingheim said. puter, Zingheim found stun- ality like Rita’s,” said We- person like Nancy to take
She visited six national wild- Zingheim also took a tour of ning photographs of birds, hausen, refuge manager. on that responsibility. q
each refuge. She asked ref- bears, ocelots and bob- “She could come out here,