A remarkable gift from the Larry Ellison Foundation, the Center has three major operational goals:

• rehabilitation and return to natural habitat of thousands of injured and orphaned native wild animals from several Bay Area Counties

• captive breeding and rearing of rare and endangered species for release to protected habitat as a hedge against extinction

• family education opportunities about wildlife and conservation

To serve these goals and the mission of the Pennisula Humane Society the landscape was designed to sensitively interweave the buildings (a hospital for the care of wild animals, an intake building and accompanying animal enclosures) and the site.  The rustic site includes established oak woodlands, riparian habitat, and dramatic topography. The new hospital building is on the site of a former quarry, while the intake building is adjacent to red-legged frog habitat. Since the latter provides the public interface for the project a robust native pollinator garden provides interest and education along the path to view the red-legged frog pond habitat. The native plant gardens along with extensive habitat restoration are integral to restoring this formerly neglected landscape to a thriving habitat supporting wildlife, birds, and pollinators.