ABOUT MARISSA JARDINE:
Marissa Jardine is the licensed rehabilitator and clinic manager of the Bird Center of Michigan. She is passionate about educating the public through prevention and raising awareness about wildlife issues. Marissa has presented at a professional conference and looks forward to contributing more through future presentations and collaborations with fellow rehabbers. She finds deep purpose in helping both animals and people and is committed to improving outcomes for wildlife through compassionate care and community outreach.
RESOURCES:
Bird Center of Michigan on Facebook
Bird Center of Michigan on Instagram
Bird Center of Michigan on Threads
Bird Center of Michigan on TikTok
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU, and today, we're going to take a little different kind of look at equity and opportunity. That is the mission of this weekly conversation we call Washtenaw United. I'm David Fair, and, today, we're gonna explore that mission through the Bird Center of Michigan. Now, the Bird Center began in Ann Arbor back in 2004 as the Bird Center of Washtennaw County. Its growth necessitated a move to a larger facility in Saline, where its reach and impact are also expanding. Our guest today is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Marissa Jardine serves as Clinic Manager at the Bird Center. And welcome to WEMU, Marissa!
Marissa Jardine: Thanks so much for having me on! I'm so excited to be here!
David Fair: Well, everyone I know who works with animals, regardless of capacity, tells me they kind of felt like it was a calling. Is that true in your case?
Marissa Jardine: I definitely agree with that! I've loved animals ever since I was a little kid. And when I found out about wildlife rehab, which is an amazing intersection between both kind of veterinary animal medicine and conservation, I just knew this is what I had to dive into.
David Fair: So, why birds? With all of the animal choices, with all of the rescue opportunities, why birds for you?
Marissa Jardine: Birds have such a unique part of our ecosystems, and they have such a wide-ranging spread of what they do for our lands and our native habitats. It's so amazing and rewarding to be able to rehab and release injured and orphaned birds and being able to interact with this bird in Michigan, release them and knowing they're traveling and impacting environments thousands and thousands of miles away--South America or wherever they end up.
David Fair: My personal experience with human-animal relationships has been rather limited--dogs and cats, for the most part. Now, limited as that may be, I can attest to the deep and heartfelt nature of those relationships, and they are truly relationships. Is that same kind of connection available to you in your work with birds?
Marissa Jardine: That is a great question! So, it's really finding the balance. So, wildlife rehab is different than a lot of other animal care-related professions. And that it's best not to form close bonds with your patients because, at the end of the day, they're wild animals, and we have to keep them wild. So, in order to do our job effectively, we actually have to ensure that we're having that at the forefront, even though it's hard not to get attached.
David Fair: You still fall in love with him, don't you? Yeah.
Marissa Jardine: Yeah, of course, those little babies gaping.
David Fair: I knew you would. I do want to get to the mission of the Bird Center and the impact it makes. So, how would you verbalize the mission of the Bird Center?
Marissa Jardine: Yes. So, we are a wildlife rehabilitation center that specializes in the rehab of injured and orphaned birds throughout the state of Michigan. And our aim is to aid the environment, local wildlife, through that rehabilitation and public education. So, not only are we focusing on rehab, but a big part of what we do is outreach, whether that's through programs that are off-season or day-to-day interactions with rescuers when they have stumbled upon injured or orphaned birds or squirrels or deer because we truly get calls for everything.
David Fair: WEMU's Washtenaw United Conversation continues with Bird Center of Michigan Clinic Manager Marissa Jardine. Now, you kind of touched upon how important birds are when it comes to our environment and ecology. What right now are the biggest environmental and ecological challenges to the well-being of our bird population?
Marissa Jardine: As a wildlife rehabber, you're in a very unique position in that you see the impact that we have on our native bird populations directly. So, our biggest impacts that we're seeing to our bird populations are window collisions and cat-caught birds. So, as areas have become increasingly urban, birds have gotten very good at adapting to these areas. But, as a result, we're also seeing increases in human-wildlife conflicts. So, we get a lot of window collision cases and birds that have been caught by cats. And a big part of what we do is educating on how we can prevent that, whether that's putting up window deterrents, giving us a call if you do find a bird that has hit a window, or, if a bird has been caught by a cat, giving us the call and trying to keep cats indoors whenever possible.
David Fair: So, how many animals are you treating throughout the course of any given year?
Marissa Jardine: So, this past year was actually our busiest yet. We admitted over 2,400 birds. And that's an almost 50% increase from two years ago.
David Fair: Since moving to Saline, do you find that that is now enough capacity or that kind of increase is hard to accommodate?
Marissa Jardine: We've been able to accommodate it up to this point, and definitely that move has helped. But we are constantly looking for it to expand and upgrade and update our facilities to manage the increasing need we're finding of injured bird patients.
David Fair: I imagine there are growing costs in personnel and service costs, not to mention the additional cost of a bigger facility. Virtually, every non-profit is struggling with figuring out viable funding models for the future. What of the conversations around the Bird Center about how best to move forward and ensure you can take care of the animals you need to?
Marissa Jardine: Yeah. So, we are moving into a time at the center where we are being very intentional about our growth, and we're expanding our board, as well as creating committees, to ensure we're meeting all the needs necessary and able to expand our mission accordingly. Because we have achieved such significant growth in the past few years, we are doing what we can to ensure we're able to meet that need and continue to grow that need as we become a larger organization.
David Fair: And you're going to continue to grow the more people become aware of what you're doing. You've kind of touched on the public facing opportunities that we have. We're talking with Marissa Jardine on 89.1 WEMU's Washtenaw United. She serves as Clinic Manager at the Bird Center of Michigan. What about those community and individual opportunities, Marissa? You offer opportunities most wildlife centers cannot or do not. And that includes some paid internships, right?
Marissa Jardine: Correct. So, we are one of the, if not the only, rehab center in Michigan that is able to offer stipend internships. We accept around 12 to 14 equivalent full-time interns each year. And we have numerous volunteer opportunities throughout the year as well. Our goal is not only to help the birds, but also help people that are passionate about birds. And something that I have found so kind of surprisingly rewarding, I didn't get into the work for the people, I got into the animals, but being able to help kind of guide the younger generations, get them passionate about bird and seeing them go in various avenues within conservation has been so rewarding. And we're so thankful that, at our center, we're able to provide these opportunities for interns. And due to this year, with very generous funding for some donors, we were able to actually offer a scholarship for some interns to provide additional funding for out-of-state applicants and others further away that might not be able to originally apply.
David Fair: Now, that is offering some opportunities locally. And does that play into a greater need throughout this country and globally for people working to get into the wildlife rehabilitation profession?
Marissa Jardine: Definitely! So, it's not just among Michigan that it can be hard to get into wildlife rehab. A lot of facilities understandably were non-profits. It's hard to be able to offer such positions, especially with a stipend. So, we're very grateful for the role we've been able to play with helping not only Michigan, which is the bulk of our applicants and our interns but also helping those across the country that come to learn and learn more about the field, which is so critical.
David Fair: I've already learned a great deal through the course of our conversation, Marissa. How can we as a public gain more education through your programming at the Bird Center?
Marissa Jardine: That is a great question! I would say utilizing our website. If you ever find an injured or orphaned bird, you can attend some of our public events and programs or even volunteer if you're interested. We have numerous volunteer opportunities at our center where you can learn more about rehabilitation and how we can help save songbirds at our center, as well as how you can help safe them in the wild.
David Fair: If the people listening today are to walk away with one idea, one perception, or one concept of wildlife rehabilitation, and particularly at the Bird Center, what do you want them to walk away knowing?
Marissa Jardine: I would say that know that we are there to help with your wildlife needs, the Bird Center of Michigan. And together as a community, we can help save bird populations, both when you do find injured and orphaned birds, getting in contact with a licensed rehabber such as ourselves, but also learning and taking out initiative to prevent window collisions, prevent outdoor cat interactions and similar.
David Fair: And is it your experience that once people do start to learn about this and even get even minorly involved that they take on a greater role in trying to enact greater preservation measures?
Marissa Jardine: I would say definitely! They get very excited and very surprised because there's wildlife rehab is a relatively new field. So, what's so exciting about it is we're constantly learning and growing and better understanding how we can best help these populations. And we found when we do educate people that they are so excited by what they learn, and they start telling their friends, their neighbors, their community on how they can help.
David Fair: Well, thank you so much for sharing your perspective and your experience with us, Marissa! I appreciate it!
Marissa Jardine: Yeah, thank you so much for having me on! It was a pleasure!
David Fair: That is Marisa Jardine. She is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and serves as Clinic Manager at the Bird Center of Michigan located in Saline. For more information, stop by our website when you get a minute. We'll get you linked up everywhere you need to go. You'll find it at WEMU.org. Washtenaw United is produced in partnership with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and you hear it every Monday. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU Ypsilanti.
WEMU has partnered with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to explore the people, organizations, and institutions creating opportunity and equity in our area. And, as part of this ongoing series, you’ll also hear from the people benefiting and growing from the investments being made in the areas of our community where there are gaps in available services. It is a community voice. It is 'Washtenaw United.'
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