I am originally from Virginia but have lived in Montana for 25 years and consider this beautiful state my true home with my husband Dave, daughters, grandchildren, and our pug Mojo. In addition to rehabbing bears, I enjoy cooking, baking, and creating and sharing art in many different mediums. Dave, my husband, and I started volunteering when our teenage daughter Sophie became interested in wildlife rehabilitation and wanted to volunteer. I love preparing amazing bowls of food for the tiny cubs. A bowl of food might contain cherries, grapes, apples, assorted berries, peaches, pears, melon and avocados, topped with fresh salmon. I also enjoy cleaning the bear enclosures, filling their ponds and providing fresh bedding in their dens. The very best part of my job is knowing that most of these cubs will be released back into the wild.

I have lived in Montana for the past 43 years. I am a retired licensed clinical social worker with 25 years in a private practice of psychotherapy. My three adult children are long grown, and I am many times a grandmother and great grandmother.  My partner of 21 years and I live in Helena with our two dogs and cat and spend as much time as we can in the outdoors boating, camping and hiking. I was very excited when I discovered after my retirement that Montana WILD was recruiting volunteers!  I hoped to learn more about wildlife and to be a part of the conservation and rehabilitation efforts for wildlife. As a volunteer I have met great people who share my enthusiasm and concerns for wildlife. It is a privilege to be able to interact with the wildlife the Wildlife Center cares for. Carrying a raptor on my hand, getting whacked by a hawk's wing when he decides to stretch out, feeling the wind from an eagle's wings as she flies low overhead are experiences that most people never get to have, and I am grateful for these opportunities and to be able to educate others on wildlife.

I am a retired physician and longtime amateur naturalist. I am a member of the Animal Behavior Society, the Audubon Society and the Xerces Society. I am particularly interested in birds and invertebrates, especially their behavior. In addition to the pleasure of working with the birds at the Wildlife Center, I really enjoy presenting the ambassador birds to the public so that visitors can see these animals closely. Being able to participate in some of the other educational activities at the MT WILD center is an extra bonus, and of course it is so much fun to work with the group of phenomenal people at FWP.

Photo taken by Dave Slaughter

I am a retired RN and moved to Helena with my husband from MN to be closer to kids, grandkids, and be in a part of the country we have always loved. Our youngest granddaughter introduced me to MT WILD in 2016 and I have learned so much about wildlife and the amazing individuals here: birds, humans, bears, etc. I had worked with horses and dogs for 30 years so it’s fun learning something new.

Along with my Golden Lab, Ruby, I moved to Helena, MT from Green Bay, WI in the summer of 2012. I have always been interested in the environment, especially wildlife. After living in Helena for a few years, I was looking for a way to give back; since I’ve always been an animal lover, with great respect for wildlife and the natural environment; I discovered MT WILD.  Volunteering with the crew at MT WILD  helped me find a group of people who share a common interest in helping animals.  Every interaction with the ambassador animals is a learning experience and I treasure my time spent with them.  Mostly, I appreciate my time with Ali and Laryssa, absorbing their knowledge about the animals and their behaviors. I ask A LOT of questions and no matter how ridiculous the question might be, I always get an informed and enthusiastic answer. It’s a great place to volunteer.

I am a 17 year old high school student at East Helena High School and I have been working at the Montana Wild Center as a volunteer for about two years. I have always enjoyed working with different animals; at my home in Clancy, MT I have horses and mules, and have raised chickens, turkeys, ducks, and goats. As a result, when I was offered the chance to work at MT WILD’s Wildlife Center to help raptors and other wild animals that have been injured, it sounded like an amazing opportunity to me. My favorite part of working at the Wildlife Center is walking the birds (not literally walking them but carrying them around on a glove). Being with wild raptors and animals that are not usually seen up close is truly wonderful. Working at the Wild Center is a great experience and I enjoy it very much!

I got an early start on my lifelong investment in birds of prey.  As a boy, I worked with a network of local veterinarians and read every falconry book I could find to train mildly injured hawks and hunt them after their natural prey until they failed to return and reverted back to the wild.  At the US Air Force Academy I trained performing Prairie Falcons and Gyrfalcons and participated in the early years of the school’s captive breeding program for Peregrine Falcons. 

I’ve always loved the outdoors and all things wild. One day, walking past the Education Center, I saw a man holding an incredible bird (Peregrine Falcon) on a glove. He told me about the falcon and other education birds. I was fascinated! Then, after encountering a woman with a Ferruginous Hawk and another man with a Great Horned Owl, I was awe-struck! These creatures were extraordinary and the people “walking” them were so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The woman told me she was retired, knew nothing about raptors before volunteering at the center, and that I should consider volunteering. I knew I could clean cages and help in other ways, but I could certainly never hold a raptor on a glove. Three years later, I remain fascinated and awe-struck with both the raptors and the staff and volunteers that make the center run so efficiently. Each time an injured bird is rehabilitated and released, I feel privileged to work among such caring and dedicated people. At every shift, I continue to learn about and revere our raptors, and, yes, I am holding birds on a glove!

I've been an animal lover all my life. Raised on a farm I was always bringing home various critters, from snakes to butterflies in hopes of "fixing" them. Today this passion holds true and is the reason I volunteer. I am grateful to call Helena my home, enjoying the vast hiking and biking trails, taking advantage of any opportunity to be outdoors. As a Montana native, I Believe wildlife education and conservation is crucial in the fight to keep our beautiful Montana wild and healthy.

Photo taken by Brian Powers

Born in Pennsylvania, I came to Montana to attend Carroll College and decided to make Helena my home. My wife and I raised 5 children here, always camping, backpacking and watching the kids rock climb. After 30 years as a state employee, I retired and now my passion is documenting and photographing the butterflies of Montana. After retirement, I was looking for a way to contribute to the community so I decided that being trained to handle the raptors at the Wildlife Center would be something to try. It has been my pleasure to be a raptor handler. I have also helped with guiding middle school persons on bird surveys around Spring Meadow lake. 

I have been volunteering at the Wildlife Center working with the ambassador birds. I started volunteering as an opportunity to be able to work with the animals and learn more about them. I have always been fascinated by raptors, and I enjoy being able to observe them close-up. As an artist, I appreciate being able to see their details and movement so closely, which has helped me to better capture their spirit in art. I am honored to be part of this dedicated group of volunteers and staff, who are all doing the important job of caring for the individual animals and educating the public about wildlife.

My interest in MT WILD began while attending a meeting at the education center and a volunteer was standing outside with Kila, a western screech owl. After talking with a volunteer, who was “walking” one of the birds at the center, I wanted to volunteer. It was amazing to see the birds up close and to observe their behaviors. There are many things I love about MT WILD, but several of those many things are the coaching and teaching Ali and Laryssa provide to the volunteers, the opportunity to help maintain the birds’ health and surroundings while letting visitors experience the magic of seeing the birds up close and learning about their close relationship to our environment.

I have always been an avid wildlife watcher but now I have the dream job of caring for the raptors and experiencing other interesting critters and people. After growing up in an Army family, I spent time teaching kids on military bases in the Philippines and Germany. I gravitated to the counseling field, but it was through outdoor adventures that I found my way to Montana.  It’s been home for 22 years to me, Jim, and our cats.