Michelle Houston writes erotic romances, short stories and novellas. She also writes not-as-steamy romances. Her recent releases include Unleashing the Jaguar, Embracing the Leopard and Taming the Wolf. Her December 2009 release is Caging the Tiger.
I love the titles, particularly because of Michelle’s dedication to supporting and protecting wildlife.
Pictured below is a red-tailed hawk that was too injured to be released back into the wild. It’s now the second resident red-tailed hawk at the Lakeside Nature Center in Kansas City, Missouri, where Michelle volunteers. The photo was taken by Lakeside Nature Center staffer Ken Hightower.
Michelle was generous enough to stop by Novel Hearts and chat with us about the center and its work.
Hi, Michelle. Thank you so much for visiting with us. Could you tell us how you learned about the Lakeside Nature Center?
Actually, I found out about Lakeside from my husband. We have an 11-year-old daughter who loves animals, and we often visit zoos. So when we moved back to the Kansas City, Missour, area, we got a zoo membership and starting spending one Saturday a month there.
During one of our visits, my husband decided we should swing by Lakeside and see how they had changed from what he remembered. They had changed a lot!
We started visiting the nature center every time we visited the zoo. During one of our visits, my husband found out about volunteer work that can be done at the center and he signed up for the training classes. Due to my school load (we’re both non-traditional college students), I wasn’t sure I would be able to commit to the time needed, but he found out that the only commitment is 30 hours a year, and training classes. So I signed up as well.
Our first 30 hours is mentoring time, where we get to pick who we want to work with based on days of the week we are available and what that person specializes in. For me it was a no-brainer. I was going to work with whoever worked with the birds.
Since then, I have helped care for baby squirrels, birds, opossum, rabbits (sadly most of them die due to the shock to their systems), owls, geese, a mallard duck, kestrels, hawks and an eagle.
I love getting to actually hold, interact, feed and care for these animals. What is most rewarding though is when they are able to be released back into the wild. During my most recent volunteer day, after being out of the country for two weeks and dealing with finals the two weeks before that, I found out that the two red-tailed hawks that I had been helping feed had been released. I admit, I was sad, because they were the first animals I really got to deal with. But I was also glad. It meant that the staff had live feed tested them, and deemed them fit to survive in the wild.
Most of what I do is the messy work. But then again, animal rehab is not glamorous. Some of the rehabbers that do home rehab spend all their free time caring for small baby mammals, like rabbits, opossums and squirrels. And here’s a little bit of trivia – most mammal babies need stimulation to urinate. So the volunteers have to take cloths and wipe them over the animals privates, after they feed them, to get them to clear their bladders.
As for what I do, since I try to work with the raptors as much as possible, I spend a lot of time cleaning cages and cutting up mice and rats. I’ve tubed birds, to get food into their stomachs. I’ve force fed an owl, using tweezers and mice chunks. Kind of gross, but necessary work. I also get to help hold the birds down for medical care, since the raptors generally come in with some kind of injury. And occasionally, I am the one who sticks my hands into the cage to grab the birds’ legs and try not to get bit in the process.
All in all, caring for these animals is a lot of hard work, and very messy, but fun and rewarding. I know there are other volunteer opportunities out there, but as a biology major and a general science geek, this one fits me the best.
What’s more, it’s something I can share with my whole family, since my husband volunteers, and our daughter recently joined the junior keeper program. She gets to care for some of the education animals, those that cannot be released back into the wild, but still have a full life helping to educate the public.
You do a lot, Michelle. What motivated you to volunteer with the center?
I started working at Lakeside in January 2009, so it’s only been six months, but in that time I have learned a lot and I hope helped out, both the staff and the animals.
I’ve always loved animals, and I strongly believe that the wild should be allowed to be wild. It drives me nuts that people go out into the woods, catch a critter, and try to make a pet of it. That’s why we have pet stores, and animals that are domestically bred to be pets.
As for motivation, I admit, I do it because I get to work with animals that I would never be able to get close to otherwise. But also because I get to help rehab these animals, getting them back into top form so that they can be released into the wild. I am helping to make sure that these species survive so that my grandchildren can one day enjoy them.
That’s a beautiful motivator. In addition to caring for the animals, what else does the center do?
Lakeside Nature Center focuses on education of the public, conservation of the natural world, and rehabilitation of injured animals.
Their work is so important because they don’t just patch up animals and send them back into the world, although that is a vital aspect, and one that I enjoy taking part in. They are also an education source.
They work hard to educate the public about why wild animals need to be allowed to be wild. They have staff that does classes for the public on a variety of topics. They do programs out in the schools and other avenues, and they always welcome questions.
One of the biggest heartbreaks for all of the volunteers is the baby rabbits. All too often, they are brought in when they shouldn’t have been. Their urine is light colored, meaning mommy rabbit was nearby, but she doesn’t want to impress her scent on her scentless babies. So she doesn’t hover over them. Many of these babies are kidnapped, and the volunteers repeat over and over that if possible, the goal is to leave the wild as it is. Unless they are injured, don’t move the babies.
But all too often, they are moved and brought to the center, and then the volunteers have to try and keep them alive. Wild baby rabbits are timid as anything, and often die of shock while we are trying to care for them. Having a baby rabbit die in your hands is heartbreaking, and makes you question why you are doing this to yourself.
But the volunteers keep going. They keep caring. They keep trying to educate the public, and they keep interjecting energy into education, conservation and rehabilitation.
That is why I think they are worth supporting. They don’t have an easy job. In fact it can be messy and can rip your heart out. But they do it anyways. Not for the glory, but to make a difference.
And we’re grateful to you for your perseverance and dedication. Thank you, Michelle. Are there other nonprofit organizations you support?
Unfortunately, I am only able to handle donating time to Lakeside, although I do send checks annually to Defenders of Wildlife, the National Wildlife Federation, and the World Wildlife Fund.
I have donated stories for two of the Coming Together anthologies. Each anthology benefits a different charity. All of the Coming Together anthologies are erotic in nature, so they aren’t for everyone. The URL for more information about the Coming Together anthologies is www.eroticanthology.com
The anthologies I have personally contributed stories to at:
Coming Together: Al Fresco – to benefit Conservation International www.conservation.org
Coming Together: Under Fire – to benefit the victims of the California wildfires
There are also volumes to benefit the Susan G. Komen breast cancer organization, Amnesty International, BLISS, AVERT, Autism Speaks and more. There are also plans for future volumes.
You have a huge heart, Michelle. How can readers learn more about the Lakeside Nature Center?
Lakeside’s URL is http://www.lakesidenaturecenter.org
They also have a donations page, if you are interested in helping out, but don’t live in the Kansas City, Missouri area. http://www.lakesidenaturecenter.org/donations.html
And, for the month of August, YOU can make a difference in conservation efforts. Visit http://eroticpen.blogspot.com/2009/07/making-difference.html to find out how.
Thank you. And how can readers get in touch with you?
I have a Web site at www.michellehouston.com. I also have a blog where I post about my writings, my adventures at Lakeside, my zoo visits, and generally anything else I can think of that might possibly interest someone. : ) It’s at http://eroticpen.blogspot.com
Thanks for having me today.
And please everyone remember, if it’s isn’t injured, leave it be. An animal being eaten by another is part of nature. Before you touch a wild animal, call your nearby nature center, your forest department, your state conservation agency, or someone who will be able to help you. And then listen to what they say. Trust them when they say let it be.
Michelle, thank you for everything you do to protect and support our wildlife. In part because of your hard work and dedication, our grandchildren will be able to enjoy them.
Novel Hearts is a forum to raise awareness of the charitable causes some of our favorite authors support. Each month, we’ll chat with one or two authors about the nonprofit organizations they help, either with time, money and/or materials.
If there’s an author you’d like to see featured on the blog, please send me the author’s e-mail address and the name of the nonprofit organization he or she supports. You can reach me at BooksByPatricia@Yahoo.com.
Thank you!
.jpg "Coming Together")
.jpg)
.jpg)
