After graduating, Elizabeth moved to the great midwestern state of Minnesota with her future husband, Evan (sorry boys, she’s married!). She immediately found her place at the Minnesota Zoological Garden (The Minnesota Zoo) as a Dolphin trainer. In the Marine Mammal department, Elizabeth trained dolphins and studied their social behavior and learning processes. Eventually she was promoted to a zoo keeping position in the Asian Tropic department. There she cared for a horde of animals including gibbons, leopards, otters, bears, etc. Don’t get her started on the tapirs!
Elizabeth was soon lured away by Peggy Callahan at the Wildlife Science Center, in Forest Lake, Minnesota. The Wildlife Science Center (W.S.C) is a nationally recognized education and research facility. It is home to a multitude of animals, including no less than 50 wolves. Her first official position was as a Den Mother to two litters of 15 4-week-old wolf puppies. She can still name all of them! In her seven years at the W.S.C., Elizabeth raised 5 more litters of wolf puppies, 2 black bears, 2 Bobcats, a fox, and several other quadrupeds. At the Center, Elizabeth also worked as a wildlife manager overseeing the wellbeing of all the animals, took part in the on-going research projects on breeding and cardiology studies on wolves, and taught education and training programs to the public. These experiences have given Elizabeth an invaluable foundation in animal care, behaviorism and education. By the time she left, Elizabeth had been elevated to Assistant Executive Director.
Back we go to the East Coast, specifically Cambridge, Massachusetts. Hmmm, where are the wolves? None to be found. Instead, Elizabeth used her knowledge base in science to educate students about animals and environmental issues that our affect today’s society. She joined the team at The Global Habitat Project, a Boston-based environmental education non-profit organization. Elizabeth became the program manager at G.H.P. She supervised the production of the organizations publications Greentimes and Greentimes Jr., an environmental newsletter written by students for students. She also acted as the Youth Development Coordinator, running teen development workshops. While it was exciting to watch both the program and the students grow, Elizabeth could not quiet the call of the wild… or at least, the call of the canid. Thus, the idea of LaundroMutt was born.
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Hawk
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Bear Cub
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Dolphin
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Fox Wolf Pups • Wolves • Bears |
