Day 66 - Education

Let's take a moment to realize I have been keeping up with a blog for 66 days. Originally I thought I may struggle to keep it going due to how busy I could be but despite my schedule, my readers have inspired me to keep going and all my new tales/adventures I have on a daily basis are just worth more than a measly facebook post. This truly is the experience of a life time.

Also, it is now official. I only have ONE MONTH left at NWC. Time is flying too fast!!!!

Today I was on education which meant starting off sweeping and mopping. I covered the sweeping part while the other intern did the mopping. We answered phone calls when necessary and waited for 10am to roll around to flip the closed sign to open. The first call today was an Eagle call. Apparently an Eagle was sitting on a dock and unable to fly but between the rehabbers leaving and arriving at the house the eagle flew away. This isn't the first time something like this has happened but at least it was in Mincoqua. Meaning not too much gas was wasted on a far away drive somewhere (which has also happened before).

I gave first tour today and for the most part I feel I gave pretty good ones. My groups ranged from 3-5 people to 8-12 people roughly. Some groups larger and others small but we made it work and everyone left with a smile on their face.

Earlier in the morning hours and occasionally throughout the afternoon I sat down and worked on updating the patient database. We had not updated it since mid-way through June so there are a lot of animals that need entered. For the most part mammals are all up to date but we still need to update birds and reptiles/amphibians.

Other stuff I worked on was protocols again. My Long-legged Wader protocol has been finished but I am about 85% finished with the Grebe protocol and wanted to start gathering sources for my Loon and Cormorant protocols. Once these are done then I can help edit as requested by the rehabbers. Also help on other protocols (probably mammals) as well if they desire. All protocols must be finished before the end of July so although things have slowed down we will be taking a crack at them big time again.

Besides the main portion of my day being database, protocols, tours, phone calls, and also finishing my awesome resume! I got the chance to meet someone very important to the center and whom I have been wanting to meet since I first heard about he and his sisters. Dr. Rory Foster's son.

Now here's some brief history about the center that I never truly covered.

Dr. Rory Foster and I believe a decolletage of his started Foster and Smith. This companies veterinary products are sold to all vets practically everywhere in the United States. Besides this Dr. Rory started both the Northwoods Animal Hospital next door and Northwoods Wildlife Center. When he just worked at the hospital next door he took in only domesticated animals but one day some one brought in a deer fawn that had been struck by a car. The fawn broke it's leg and so Dr. Rory took it in and attempted wildlife rehabilitation in order to release it back into the wild; and he did! Besides a deer fawn he started received all kinds of wild animals; an owl being the second patient. Next thing he knew his animal hospital was full of domesticated and wildlife. Due to the hospital being too small to house both he then created Northwoods Wildlife Center in 1979. Originally it was a small portion of the building but over the years they have added on thanks to donations. NWC was created to be a non-profit organization and has remained one since. Of course many patients have walked in and out of these doors, many residents have come and gone, and although many staff have come and gone as well (volunteers included) some have also stayed. It's a treat to sit down with the volunteers whom have been here for years and talk to them about the past.

Sadly Dr. Rory Foster passes away from A.L.S./Lou Gehrig's Disease when he was roughly in his 30's (I think). He does have two books written about him "Dr. Wildlife" and "I have never met an animal I did not like". I highly recommended reading and I have actually just started "I have never met an animal I did not like" today! I was previously reading Wildlife Hospital and hope to finish it but I should have read about Rory first before the other book. Still, it was full of helpful information that has somewhat been applied to this internship when necessary.

Anyway, needless to say it was a huge deal to get to finally meet Dr. Rory Foster's son, Mike Foster. I mentioned way back in the beginning about wanting to meet him and behold it has finally happened! I even have a picture to prove it! The picture behind all of us is Dr. Rory Foster himself.

Left to Right: Myself, Rehabber, Mike Foster, Executive Director, Other intern (HUGE fan of Rory)

 So yeah! Defeinitely an awesome ending for the work day! After this work was finished and I crawled back upstairs and ate dinner. This eventually led me to a nap that lasted a few hours before I crawled downstairs to the main lobby (where I am sitting now) to type this up, work on gift shop inventory more (and attempting to create some sort of system to make inventory easier) and who knows what else. I intend on spending this night reading all of Rory Foster's book because I am off tomorrow .May spend tomorrow finishing what I can't tonight and then I will probably work on protocols and who knows what else. I feel like being more productive than ever after today so I will probably be up all night working on stuff or at least reading! :)