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Back to the Wild - NW Ohio's Mona Rutger is in the running for a $10,000 Hero of the Year award from Animal Planet. For those of you who are not familiar, Mona Rutgers runs Back to the Wild which is a wildlife sanctuary and rehabilitation facility in Castalia, Ohio.

Please consider voting for her at:

http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/hero_of_the_year/nominees/nominees.html

Scroll down ... her name is a little more than half-way on the list.
posted by corky to environment at 7:50 A.M. EST     (3 Comments)

Comments ...

Wow, aready at 40%! I don't know any of the nominees, but I always vote for the local hero when it comes down to it. I am not sure if that is "ethical" or not??
posted by Alternea at 05:20 P.M. EST on Mon Sep 25, 2006     #

Alternea, it's a great cause, and your vote is well cast. Ive been familiar with Back to the Wild for about 6 years now.

Allow me to paste from Corky's site:

Mona Rutger, together with her husband Bill, has owned and operated a volunteer wildlife rehabilitation and nature education center, Back to the Wild, for 15 years in Castalia, Ohio. The center rescues over 2,000 injured or abandoned wild animals each year, and is able to return over 60 percent of them back into the wild.

A nonprofit with no funding, the center relies on contributions by individuals and organizations to cover the cost of caring for the constant influx of "wildings." Mona consistently puts in long hours, especially while tending to the many baby birds and animals that require constant care. She says, "It's very demanding, but it's my passion."

Her other passion is teaching future generations the great need to preserve and protect our natural world. She presents educational programs to over 50,000 students and members of youth groups and adult organizations each year, traveling all around the state as well as conducting programs and tours at the center several times a week.

Fifteen Eagle Scout projects have been completed at the center by local youth. Three of Mona's young assistants have been inspired to attend veterinary school because of their work at Back to the Wild. Two are practicing veterinarians and the third will graduate soon. At least one other young volunteer has stated that she also plans to become a veterinarian.

Mona takes part in volunteer studies with veterinarians on such diseases as West Nile virus and avian flu, and they are using the data gathered in national and international research.

That'll earn my vote.
posted by billy at 07:37 P.M. EST on Mon Sep 25, 2006     #

Fabulous well done research gets done there. Worth the admission to visit there.
posted by robertbrundage at 04:38 P.M. EST on Wed Oct 25, 2006     #

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