TRACKS - o n l i n e - Summer 2018 Upcoming Events Inside This Issue Zanies Comedy Club pages 2-3 July 12, 2018 Helping Handa - Pheasant Run Dr. Erin O’Connor Introducing Zari the Great Kindhearted Children Flapjack Fundraiser Breakfast July 28, 2018 Applebee’s, Elgin pages 4-5 Upcoming Events You CAN Make a Difference Open House KC Cougar Thank You October 7, 2018 2018 Photo Contest Winners Fox Valley Wildlife Ctr. pages 6-7 3rd Annual Wine & Oil Tasting Dinner Auction Thank You October 21, 2018 Thank You for Your Support Hickory Knolls Discovery Ctr. page 8 Wild About Wildlife Memberships and Tributes November 4, 2018 Release Sites Needed Hickory Knolls Discovery Ctr. A heartfelt thank you for your continued support. 1 F O X V A L L E Y W I L D L I F E C E N T E R N E W S L E T T E R Volume 18 Issue 2 Summer TRACKS 2018 Helping Hands . by Dr. Erin O’Connor “I’m Dr. Erin O’Connor is an animal different bird-perching and flying all about for me to see! He chiropractor, board certified by the looked so healthy and vibrant when only weeks prior he thankful American Veterinary Chiropractic looked like he may not make it. I was so happy for him, and and Association and naturopathic carni- grateful for a chance to share what I do, so that he could get vore nutrition consultant, board grateful back out in nature. certified by the American Council of to play Animal Naturopathy. She holds a There have been many other cases that I'll always a part doctorate in chiropractic from Palm- remember, such as a goose who was hit by a car that had no er College of Chiropractic in Daven- in function of their legs who was able to start standing and port. She continued her education walking again, a muskrat who got around by log rolling who helping in animal chiropractic at Parker was able to use his feet properly again, and a snapping turtle wildlife.” University in Dallas, TX. She cur- rently provides chiropractic care for who got hit by a car and could not turn left who had normal patients at her clinic, Vitality Chiropractic Center and volunteers her chiropractic motion restored in his neck through an adjustment. services at Fox Valley Wildlife Center. There are also the awesome educational ambassadors who I've had the pleasure of adjusting over the years, such I have volunteered my services with Fox Valley Wildlife as Snitch, a Virginia opossum, whom after her adjustment, Center since July 2011. It has been very exciting to provide would crawl up me and hang on with all four feet and tail animal chiropractic care to our local wildlife in need of wrapped around my back, as well as Summer, the raccoon. rehabilitation. I have adjusted songbirds, woodpeckers, Even though we knew these two would live out their years geese, ducks, a great horned owl, rock doves, a pheasant, a at the wildlife center, animal chiropractic was able to help red-tailed hawk, opossums, raccoons, deer, groundhogs, a Snitch through decreasing her circling while walking muskrat, squirrels, chipmunks, cottontails, and even a around, and also Summer through helping her with seizures. snapping turtle. Summer didn’t experience any more seizures after her first adjustment, and was also able to regain some rear limb Fox Valley Wildlife Center has kept me on my toes with strength. educating myself in the anatomy (never would I have thought I'd be researching the neck anatomy of a snapping It's always wonderful to see turtle!) throughout the years of many different species so all the staff and volunteers that I could properly treat patients at their facility. They've working together to help our even challenged me to evolve my adjusting methods for the local wildlife in need, and tiniest of patients, such as using the tip of my fingernail to especially watching how busy adjust the vertebrae of a songbird or chipmunk, as the tip of it gets once spring and summer my finger would have spanned across several vertebrae in come around every year. such a small spine. Great things come from One of the very first patients I treated at FVWC was a caring for all beings as if they starling who was unable to perch or turn his head. The were your own, and in essence, director at the time didn't have any solutions left for him, so wild animals are. They deserve she asked me to adjust him. He was able to slightly grasp our respect and protection, and my finger after his first adjustment. After his third adjust- also our help through rehabilita- ment, he was able to perch and move his head through full tion when necessary. range of motion. He was then moved to an outdoor enclosure. After being at FVWC to work on some other “Thank you to everyone patients, the director brought me outside to observe him who plays a part.” before he was released. He looked like a completely 2 Introducing . by Lauren Grimm, Education and Awareness Manager Fox Valley Zari is one of our education animals at Fox Valley Wildlife Center. She represents 1 of approximately 220 species of owls in the Wildlife Center world. Owls can be found on every continent except for Antarctica. Great Horned Owls have a reputation for being nasty and are not a Board of Directors ZARI, THE GREAT welcoming sight to other birds and mammals. Even in captivity, great horned owls can be difficult to deal with and train. Andrea Krueger, President Great Horned Owl, As Zari’s handler, it is my responsibility to make sure her Derek Chimenti that is! physical and mental needs are met even on her “nasty” days! But, I William Grabarek have to say, Zari has been more of a pleasure to work with than not. Bryan Kimmell Don’t get me wrong, she will definitely do her share of beak clap- Faith LaShure ping and “I’m gonna rip your face off” stare on occasion, but I’ve Cheryl Schreck learned to recognize the cues that initiate those behaviors and try to limit them when I can. Nancy Thornton After building a trusting relationship with Zari, I felt it was time for her to start helping us educate the public. So one day, I decided Staff to attach her jesses and leash and see what she would do! To my surprise, when I removed the towel she was wrapped in, she flew up Rob Schuman, Operations Dir. and landed right on my gloved hand. The next step was to get her Molly Craig, Animal Care Dir. desensitized to all of the stimuli in our environment - people, cars, Laurie Frandsen-Tiesch, Bkpr music and other animals. I started taking her outside and sitting with Lauren Grimm, Education & her and eventually taking her for walks. I kept doing this with her Awareness Mngr. because in my experience with birds of prey, repetition is key! Lissette Corirossi, Volunteer Mngr. Lauren and Zari I’m happy to say that after only a few weeks of training, Zari has Ashley Kendall, Marketing Mngr., been on three programs and has done wonderfully! So, in my opin- Wildlife Rehabilitation Asst. ion, Zari the great horned owl, really is “ZARI, THE GREAT!” Roberta Schroeder, Community Relations Mngr. Kindhearted Children . by Lissette Corirossi, Volunteer Manager Seasonal Staff You Are Special Stephanie Black Emma Bluemond Emilie Duy Emily Johnson Olivia Aldridge, Chloe Crewse Advisory Board Paige Foster, Emily Hernandez Sheri Askew, DVM The FVWC receives donations from generous members of the community each Brian Kindle season. These donations are vital and allow us to care for the thousands of injured- Pam Otto, St. Charles PD orphaned animals that arrive at our doors for help each year. We want to highlight a unique donor experience with a special group of 11-year-old girls that touched us deeply. Rick Otto, DVM Brian Peters, DVM With an entrepreneurial spirit, Olivia Aldridge, Chloe Crewse, Paige Foster and Adrienne Stras Emily Hernandez decided they wanted to help raise money and awareness for our center Richard Velders, DVM by building/operating their own lemonade/snack stand. They enlisted the help of Olivia’s father, Joel, to build the stand from scratch. They offered many goodies in addition to the lemonade, and their combined efforts raised $50.00!! Newsletter Design This group of hardworking girls then decided to donate their entire profit to our center, which is amazing. Olivia Aldridge and her father Joel (accompanied by Kellsie Adrienne Stras Pepponi) brought the group’s donation to the center, where they got to spend the day helping care for our orphaned ducklings. It was truly refreshing to speak with this young Contact FVWC lady to discuss her passion for wildlife rehabilitation. 630-365-3800 We want to thank this amazing group of young ladies for their hard work, efforts and [email protected] for their donation to the FVWC. To know that young members of our community are aware of the need to respect wildlife, learn to co-exist peacefully with them, warms our www.fvwc.org hearts and reinforces what we do as a wildlife rehabilitation center. 3 3 A Special Thank You! Dr. Sheri Askew JULY 12 ZANIES COMEDY CLUB Doors Open 7pm - Showtime 8pm Blue Goose Market, St. Charles Pheasant Run 4051 E Main St. St. Charles, IL 60174 Hal and Karen Broten Tickets $25 . Two item purchase is required . Attendees must be 21 with ID CBCM - Chicago Bird Collision We will enjoy the “clean” comedy of Ted Holum, who will leave you rolling in laughter.