Could Henry County be the site of a wildlife sanctuary?

On Wednesday, the Henry County Planning Commission voted 5-0 (with one member absent) to recommend the rezoning of a 103-acre property in the Blackberry District from Industrial District I-1 to Agricultural District A-1. Blackberry District Planning Commission Member Hal Dee West was absent.

At its next meeting, the Henry County Board of Supervisors will decide whether to follow the Planning Commission’s recommendation and approve the rezoning request.

The applicant, Jessica Collins, hopes to create an educational non-profit wildlife sanctuary called “Collins Wolf and Wildlife Sanctuary” on the property, which is located on the west side of Mary Hunter Drive just south of Moses Moore Drive in the Blackberry District.

Prior to the vote, Henry County Director of Planning, Zoning and Inspections Lee Clark reminded the commission that the Planning Commission has no say in whether or not the sanctuary will or should be built on the site, only whether or not the rezoning is appropriate.

According to Clark, the reason that the heavily forested 103-acre property was zoned for industrial use is because it was once owned by Bassett Furniture Industries. When Henry County adopted zoning regulations roughly 30 years ago, Clark said, many industries asked that all of their property be zoned industrial for future development.

In the opinion of county staff, Clark said, it would be more appropriate for the rural property to be zoned agricultural rather than industrial.

In response to questions from the Planning Commission, Collins provided background information about her plans for the wildlife sanctuary.

According to commission documents, Collins holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology, is currently pursuing a master’s degree in non-profit management, and spent five years as the assistant biologist at Winchester, Idaho’s Wolf Education and Research Center. She is also a volunteer firefighter and a licensed EMT.

According to Collins, the wildlife sanctuary will only hold captive, non-releasable animals, which will be contained inside of fenced-in enclosures measuring two acres or larger.

The fencing would consist of, at minimum, ten-foot-high double fences with three-foot inverted interior overhangs. Additionally, she said, the top of each fence will feature a 10,000 volt hot wire.

Once built, she said, area residents should have no fear of any of the animals escaping these enclosures.

The wildlife sanctuary will be geared towards large North American predators, Collins said, such as wolves, bears, large cats, and eventually birds of prey such as bald eagles.

The sanctuary’s main purpose would be to rescue animals that have nowhere to go after other facilities are shut down, such as backyard breeding operations, zoos or other sanctuaries.

“We want to be that place for them to come, because if they don’t have a place, they have to be put down,” Collins said. “We would not be getting them from the wild; these would already be in captivity.”

Additionally, Collins said, all animals would be spayed and neutered; no breeding would take place at the sanctuary.

If the board of supervisors approves the rezoning, Collins said, she intends to purchase the property and begin constructing the enclosures to house the animals. Due to federal and state guidelines, she said, the enclosures must be built before federal and state authorities will consider issuing the necessary licensure to take in animals.

Once the enclosures are constructed, Collins said, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will consider issuing a license, followed by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF). Even once licenses have been issued, Collins said, she will need to obtain state and federal approval for every new enclosure built and every animal added to the sanctuary.

For more information on Collins Wolf and Wildlife Sanctuary, visit www.collinswildlifesanctuary.org.