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M/CLOUDY Temp: 41 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Saturday, December 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend December 8, 2002 Ralph Wehinger Wildlife advocate Wehinger, 48, dies By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune A popular community figure and founder of the International Wildlife Recovery Center died Friday while being cared for at his Lake Creek home. Ralph Wehinger, 48, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in September. "He was a visionary, somebody who was always several steps ahead of the rest of us," said local businessman and friend Mike Burrill Sr. on Saturday. "He was always on the go." Burrill said a public memorial service for Wehinger likely will take place, but details have not yet been finalized. Last fall, Wehinger opened the $2 million International Wildlife Recovery Center, designed to decontaminate and nurse back to health oily birds from any major spill in North America. The private, nonprofit center included a receiving and inspection facility at the Medford airport as well as a decontamination and rehabilitation facility on Little Butte Creek east of Medford. The project was 10 years in the making. The recovery and rehabilitation center’s board will meet and discuss the facility’s future at a later time, Burrill said. "It’s still going to go forward," he added. Wehinger was the prime mover behind the relocation of the U.S. Forensics Lab to Ashland and the creation of the now- defunct Pacific Northwest Museum of Natural History in Ashland. The bird recovery center operates under the for-profit Ore-Cal Trade Co., of which Wehinger was chief executive officer. It is on Bureau of Land Management land adjacent to Wehinger's home. Ore-Cal has worked with Jackson County on the expansion of the North American Trade Center on the other side of the runways from the terminal. Wehinger was named an honorary consul to Korea in 1996 because of his work to further develop the Foreign Trade Zone. Funeral arrangements are in care of Rogue Valley Funeral Alternatives, Medford. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S