I grew up on the edge of town in Flin Flon, MB. The boreal forest was my backyard; how cool is that? As a child, I spent my days walking the trails, picking blueberries, and watching the birds, squirrels, and insects (and the occasional coyote that made its way into our yard). Or I would visit the zoo across the street (I would later learn that the pacing raccoons were not sufficiently mentally stimulated, and the bear cub needed a bigger enclosure). On other days I would look up animals in the encyclopaedias (before internet), or watch David Suzuki on TV. At home, we always had a dog, and sometimes rabbits, and later on, my first rat. And on my own I’ve had a corn snake, magpie, dogs, cat, and several rats. As you can see, animals are very much a part of my life! Like you, I am a nature dork!
I can’t remember why or when I became so interested in animals. As if you need an explanation! Mom was always scared of anything that moved, but she made a concerted effort to not be overly panicked when something as scary as a spider entered the room, so that my sisters and I would not adopt this fear. Boy did her efforts work! We’re all animal lovers, without discrimination against the creepy crawlies.
At the U of S I acquired degrees in geology and environmental earth sciences. Nature and all of its components were a natural thing for me to study, from soils to rocks to biology.
I was directed to the WRSOS in early 2007 when I was looking for a suitable diet to feed a magpie that I had in my care. The vet college gave me Jan’s number and we talked for well over an hour that night, a little about the magpie diet, but mostly the WRSOS. I was so eager and excited to be a part of this society that I signed up right away. So far, I have been able to volunteer in the capacity of manning the hotline, taking a few birds to the vet hospital, and caring for a crow for 3 weeks while it was awaiting surgery. I am excited to do much more in the future!
In addition to the WRSOS, I volunteer as a Big Sister. I was matched in the summer of 2006 and things are progressing! I also help my parents out with their brood of foster kids (currently numbering 8).
Life is busy, but great, and I hope to be able to do much more for this wonderful society that is the WRSOS, and the animals that it represents. I love “Keeping Saskatchewan Wildlife Wild!”

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