President: Lynn Miller, CWR

Lynn began life in New Zealand surrounded by animals; cats, dogs, chickens, horses, budgies, etc. But it was her passion for wildlife and conservation that lead to Summer School at Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust and a stint at London Zoo. A rather lovely holiday in France led to meeting a gorgeous French Canadian chap and a new life in Quebec. While attending McGill University’s MacDonald College, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, near Montreal, she began working with birds of prey at the Macdonald Raptor Research Centre. Of course, although the fact that raptors were the specialty did not deter the many people who bought in ducklings, song birds, herons and pigeons. The mistake was to take these birds to her home, or was it? That was 25 years ago. Since then, Lynn has continued her education with a PhD in Environmental Toxicology due for completion in May 2011. Her rehabbing has also been central to her life, with the founding of Le Nichoir in 1994, becoming an International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) instructor some 7 years ago, joining the IWRC board, and now in 2011, becoming president of IWRC.  This year is a busy one with continued research into the impact of oil in birds, especially the northern gannets that migrate south to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico through her research position in the Chemistry department at Concordia University. She is also under contract to the HSUS working with their wildlife rehabilitation programs. Add to this her teaching duties with IWRC and the responsibilities as president, 2011 is shaping up to be an interesting one.
B.Sc.Ag., Dipl. Ecotox., PhD (pending), CWR.

Vice President: Harry Kelton

Harry is a mechanical engineer (retired from engineering in 1996) who worked in commercial product design and development for seven different companies over a 48 year professional career. He founded Pelican Harbor Seabird Station in Miami, Florida in the early 1980’s, specializing in brown pelicans and other water birds. After Pelican Harbor Seabird Station was formally accredited in the early 2000′s under IWRC’s Accreditation Program for Wildlife Rehabilitation Facilities, he retired from the Seabird Station and turned it over to a chosen successor, who continues expanding the size, scope, and professionalism of the organization and its facilities.

Harry joined IWRC as a member in 1998. and joined the IWRC board in 2004. His current interests are  Government Rules and Regulations for Wildlife Rehabilitation, Permitting, Standards, and the possibilities of self-regulating of rehabilitators by other rehabilitators through an Accreditation process.

Secretary: Brenda Harms

Brenda Harms is a retired attorney from Pelham, NY who has studied Fundraising at New York University. She is celebrating her own recently acquired “empty nest” by changing careers and becoming a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Brenda currently serves on IWRC’s Executive Committee as Secretary to the Board of Directors as well as being actively involved in the Fundraising and States & Providences Committees. She hosts the Board’s annual retreat and two-day Board meeting at her Shelter Island, NY second home.

Treasurer: Earl Fox

Earl was born into ranching and farming families in Texas and was taught the everyday endeavors of raising animals on the farms.  He started out in high school raising mammals for breeding to sell to pet stores, such as mice, rats, gerbils, and hamsters.  In the fact of doing this, he learned to take care of them and provide all the adequate needs for the animals.   In addition to these animals, Earl worked with grandparents who raised quail, pheasants, and turkeys and grew to enjoying working with these animals and raising them as well.  This led to joining Audubon and Nature Conservancy and staying with them doing volunteer work as well.  Earl was in the US Navy for over 20 years and when birds were injured by the mast or ship he would take care of them until the ship got into port and could get them to a Rehab facility in those locations.  Earl started doing volunteer work at the San Diego Rehab and other localities when available in Hawaii, Alaska, Philippines, and Western Australia.  He now works for USDA ARS as an Information Technologist.  He has been a member of IWRC and NWRA for over 10 years.  Earl uses his computer and business background to assist the IWRC board and work with the wonderful people associated with IWRC.

Francisca Astorga, MV

Francisca Astorga is a veterinarian and a naturalist from Chile. Based on a love for animals, she pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Science and then graduated from Vet School.  She has participated for more than 7 years in different projects concerning wild animals rehabilitation and conservation. Since 2004 she has being working in the Cascada de las Animas Wild Animal Refuge, located in Central Chile, where she supports mainly veterinary activities, management and fundraising. Currently, she is a Doctorate candidate in the Conservation Medicine Doctorate Program of Universidad Andrés Bello, where she is also an assistant professor in animal welfare and ecology & management of wild animals. Her research experience includes field spatial monitoring and ecology of infectious disease, particularly in wild canids (Lycalopex spp.)

Lloyd Brown

Lloyd has served IWRC as a State Representative, a regional representative and then as a board member.  He served as the membership director and conducted surveys of rehabilitators from around the world asking what rehabilitators wanted IWRC to be for them and what IWRC could do to make them more likely to join.  Lloyd developed (and taught) the first disaster preparedness class specifically for rehabbers and developed a database to assist rescuers in helping rehabers after a disaster.

Adam Grogan

Adam joined the Board of Directors in 2011. Since 2000, Adam has been working for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in the UK as their Wildlife Rehabilitation Co-ordinator. In this capacity he advises on policy with regards to casualty wildlife and facilitates research into methods of rehabilitating wild animals and how these methods can be improved to aid survival of these casualties. The RSPCA has conducted a number of studies on the survival of such animals using methods such as radio-tracking and ringing to monitor the animals after release.

He has a strong research background and has undertaken projects covering a range of species. These include a critique of available methods for monitoring rabbit populations and investigating the effectiveness of mitigation used to prevent otter (Lutra lutra), and other mammalian, road casualties. He has experience in surveying and radio-tracking a number of mammal species, including badgers (Meles meles) polecats (Mustela putorius), mink (Neovison vison) and water voles (Arvicola terrestris).

Adam’s background therefore is based in mammals and his favourite mammals are otters.

Adam is also Vice Chair of The Mammal Society for Britain and Ireland having previously served as Honorary Secretary and also sits on the Executive Committee of the British Council for Wildlife Rehabilitation (BWRC).

BSc (Hons) MIEEM

Claude Lacasse, DVM

Claude is the Veterinary Services Manager at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital in Queensland, Australia, where she has been working for 3 1/2 years.  Previously, she worked as a veterinarian at a Raptor rehabilitation center in Montreal, Canada, and at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, USA.  At the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, there is a huge Veterinary Hospital dedicated to sick, injured, and orphaned native Australian wildlife with 4 full-time veterinarians and 13 vet nurses treating wildlife only.  The clinic is open 24 hours/day, 365 days a year, and sees roughly 8000 animals each year (birds, reptiles, sea turtles, macropods, koalas, possums, bats, gliders, etc.).  Claude is excited to be involved with IWRC and share information with international colleagues.

Randie Segal

Randie Segal is the Director of Wind River Wildlife Rehabilitation in New London, Wisconsin.  She is also a member of the Wisconsin Wildlife Rehabilitator’s Association Board of Directors and a member of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Rehabilitation Advisory Committee.  Randie has volunteered on the IWRC board of directors  for 7 years.  She believes very strongly in doing what she believes in.  Jane Goodall once said ” one person can make a difference”, being on the Board of Directors helps her  achieve this. Randie has been a wildlife rehabilitator  for 24 years or so. For her and her family it turned out to be a life passion (and lifestyle). It is her hope that someday we will be able to co exist with the world around us.

Mary Seth

Mary Seth is the Director and Founder of Wings Paws & Prayers Wildlife Rehabilitation in Ida, Michigan.  She has been a wildlife rehabilitator for the past 8 years and her real passion is in raptor rehabilitation.  Fundraising for a hospital facility takes of most of her spare time.  Mary would also like to expand her facility with 6 more flight enclosures and put in a memorial garden in memory of a dear friend and fellow rehabber.  She donates many hours doing school programs with her education birds to teach youth about the conservation and preservation of wildlife.  She is also busy following twins, Oscar and Julian, at wrestling, baseball, and basketball events.  She says they help keep her young and provide a gray hair or three.  Mary is married and has three dogs, two cats, and a bearded dragon.  She has been on the IWRC Board for 2 years and works with the Course Development Committee (CDC).

David Stang

Stang has loved wildlife and the outdoors all his life. As a kid on Long Island’s Great South Bay, he messed around in little boats, swam, and explored the water world. As an undergraduate, he took courses in ecology, wildlife management, soil and water conservation, ichthyology, and ornithology.

Stang’s first career was as a research psychologist; his second in software, information security, and organizational development. In the course of these careers, he taught college, wrote a dozen books and hundreds of articles, and gave hundreds of seminars around the world. He founded StarWare, the first IBM PC systems house and mail order business in the Washington DC area in1981, the National Computer Security Association in 1989 (now renamed ICSA Labs), Quarterdeck’s Antivirus Research Center, the North American operations of Norman Data Defense Systems, and Seven Locks Software. He co-founded PestPatrol, a software company whose product hunted down spyware, where he directed the Center for Pest Research. PestPatrol was acquired by Computer Associates in August, 2004.

Now retired, Stang can do what he loves: immerse himself in nature and computers (via http://ZipcodeZoo.com, http://AdventureNatureCenter.org, and http://PotomacWildlife.org) and play with his horse, Guerrero. He holds a B.S. from Cornell University, an M.S. from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. from Syracuse University.

Stang is in the early stages of launching a wildlife rehab facility.

Melissa Mattassa-Stone

Melissa Matassa-Stone joined the IWRC Board in April 2010. She is a Civil/Environmental Engineer and LEED Accredited Professional in Missoula, Montana with more than seven years of experience working on infrastructure (water, sanitary and storm sewer, road) design and hydraulic model. She is interested in environmental investigations, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields sites. Her professional experience includes ecological restoration project design and water quality program research and design. Native southerners, Melissa and her husband are excited to now live in a state with four seasons and spend most of their spare time outdoors. Melissa’s formal involvement with the IWRC and the wildlife rehab community began with her Board service. Melissa chairs the Development Committee, and is looking forward to contributing to the States/Provinces Committee.

Rebekah (Beka) Weiss, CWR

Beka was trained as a biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology, Animal Physiology, and Captive Wildlife Management.  In her junior year one of her professors encouraged her to intern at a wildlife rehabilitation center, so that as a biologist, she might understand the field from within.  Now after seven years in the field, a Wisconsin State and U.S. Federal Rehab License, an IWRC Wildlife Rehab Certification, having founded Aves Wildlife Alliance, and hours of attending conferences, reading journals, and talking with other rehabers, Beka says she still has lots to learn from within.  She is committed to caring for wildlife on both the individual and population level, but more importantly she is committed to ensuring that wildlife rehabilitators have the information and support we need to do our jobs in the communities we serve. In March of 2011 Beka joined the IWRC Course Instructor Team and in April Beka became a part of the IWRC Course Development Committee which is dedicated to providing peer reviewed and engaging courses for our communities.  Beka notes that organizations like IWRC have played a critical role in her development as a rehabilitator and naturalist.  Beka hopes that through her work on the IWRC Board of Directors she can assist in developing new learning opportunities and to ensure that the field of wildlife rehabilitation is viewed as an important stakeholder at the larger wildlife conservation table.  In the words of John Muir, “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”

Susan Wylie, CWR

Susan Wylie is Executive Director of Le Nichoir, a wild bird rehabilitation center located in Hudson, Quebec that receives 1,400 wild birds annually. Susan has been rehabilitating songbirds and aquatic birds for 8 years, with her passion being the rehabilitation of insectivorous birds, especially Chimney swifts.  As Director, Susan is also responsible to drive the Centre’s fundraising events, manage staff and volunteers, and participate in research. Susan graduated from McGill University with a bachelor’s degree, majoring in wildlife biology, and is an environmental management technician. She also has experience working in the horticulture business, including at McGill’s research greenhouses, for 8 years while going to school, and has been a cub leader with Scouts Canada for the last 15 years.
Susan Wylie received the Susan Fosco award in 2004 and joined the IWRC Board in 2008 as its youngest member. She is co-chair of the IWRC symposium committee and an IWRC Basic Wildlife Rehabilitation instructor.