Dr. Amy Rourke is the cornerstone of our medical operations, bringing over fifteen years of specialized experience in exotics and wildlife emergency medicine, having previously served with a major conservation organization before dedicating her expertise to the North Country. Her extensive qualifications include advanced training in orthopedic surgery for avian patients and complex fluid therapy for dehydrated or injured mammals, enabling LRWR to handle serious trauma cases that might otherwise require lengthy and stressful transfers to distant facilities, thereby significantly improving patient outcomes. Beyond her surgical and medical proficiency, Dr. Rourke’s approach is defined by a deep ethical commitment to quality of life, often spending hours meticulously developing pain management protocols and assessing the long-term wild viability of each patient with a compassionate, yet realistic, perspective. She leads all staff training on triage protocols and zoonotic disease prevention, ensuring the safety of both the animals and the human team, and her calm, authoritative presence provides critical leadership during high-stress rescue and intake situations, embodying the perfect blend of scientific rigor and heartfelt care that defines the LRWR standard.

Ben Carter is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator with a lifetime of experience in animal husbandry and an unmatched passion for North American mammals, particularly fawns, coyotes, and black bears, species requiring highly specialized and intensive care to prevent habituation. As the Operations Manager, he meticulously oversees the daily schedules, manages the integrity of all specialized conditioning enclosures, and coordinates the complex logistics of patient transfers and successful release events, ensuring smooth, stress-free transitions at every stage of the animal’s recovery journey. Ben’s unique strength lies in his profound understanding of behavioral ecology; he designs and implements our environmental enrichment programs, utilizing subtle cues and creative foraging challenges that force recovering animals to hone their survival instincts, making him directly responsible for turning medically stable patients into truly wild individuals ready for freedom. His bio includes extensive time spent monitoring released patients using tracking technology, allowing him to gather crucial post-release data that continuously informs and improves LRWR’s conditioning methodologies, reflecting his dedication to long-term conservation success over merely short-term care.

Sarah Jennings is the vibrant link between our lifesaving work behind the scenes and the community we serve, responsible for translating complex rehabilitation science into accessible, engaging educational programs that inspire meaningful conservation action. With a background in environmental education and curriculum development, Sarah designs and leads all public workshops, school presentations, and facility tours, utilizing our non-releasable ambassador animals—whose stories illustrate the preventable causes of injury—to deliver powerful lessons on responsible cohabitation with wildlife. Her approach is characterized by a warm, engaging demeanor and an ability to tailor conservation messages to diverse audiences, from elementary school children learning about local birds to adult landowners seeking humane deterrent strategies, ensuring that every interaction fosters a deeper appreciation for the natural world. Sarah’s pivotal role is to empower the community, providing actionable steps people can take to reduce human-wildlife conflict, recognizing that education is the most effective tool for preventing the injuries that bring animals to our door, thereby making her a vital part of our preventative conservation strategy.

Maria Rodriguez is the heart of our extensive volunteer network and the organizational backbone of the LRWR facility, managing the complex schedule of over fifty dedicated volunteers and overseeing the maintenance and preparedness of all rehabilitation enclosures and equipment. Her primary focus is on recruitment, training, and retention, providing new volunteers with comprehensive orientation on ethical handling, sanitation protocols, and non-medical patient observation, ensuring that every person contributing to the center understands the critical importance of their role in minimizing patient stress and maximizing safety. Maria’s compassion extends equally to our human team, fostering a supportive, communicative, and professional environment that celebrates every contribution, recognizing that the dedication of our volunteers is the engine that keeps our operations running smoothly and allows our rehabilitators to focus on intensive patient care. She ensures that all enclosures meet the highest standards of cleanliness and environmental integrity, managing supply inventory and coordinating all facility maintenance, making her an indispensable force whose diligent organization allows the hands-on care team to perform their critical, lifesaving work without distraction.