It’s time to look again on 2023! Test our weblog between Christmas and New 12 months’s for quite a lot of tales and recollections of 2023 from the employees and volunteers of the Wildlife Heart of Virginia.
Throughout my 22 years on the Heart, I’ve been lucky to work with many fantastic individuals, a few of whom have turned out to be a few of my favourite people. Years in the past, I spotted that a lot of my good veterinary pals typically attended the annual Wildlife Illness Affiliation (WDA) convention. They’d textual content me pictures of them hanging out at convention social occasions, and I used to be at all times very wishful that I could possibly be there too. Sooner or later, I began joking that some 12 months I used to be going to attend WDA – not for the convention itself (although it’s a excellent one!) however simply to go and be a “groupie” on the social actions!
This 12 months’s WDA convention was in Athens, Georgia, and I spotted that, if there was ever a 12 months to do that, this could be the one. I discovered myself the cutest little Air B&B visitor home that was near downtown, bought the add-on social occasion ticket by way of WDA, threw my bike on the automobile, and drove to Georgia.
It was one of many highlights of my 12 months.
Inside an hour of arriving, I walked downtown and met up with an previous buddy — Dr. Dave, our former veterinary director, who departed the Heart in 2017. Dave is now working at Parks Canada as a wildlife well being specialist.
Later that night, our buddy Mark met up with us after dinner. Mark was the veterinary intern on the Wildlife Heart in 2007-2008 and is now the director of the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Illness Research – he was having a really busy week since SCWDS was internet hosting the WDA convention!
The following evening, I went to the WDA icebreaker, and bumped into individuals who I hadn’t seen in additional than 20 years! Jonathan Sleeman – who was the veterinary director who employed me again in 2001 – was there; he’s presently the director of USGS’s Nationwide Wildlife Well being Heart.
And I feel I startled an previous buddy, Dan, who was our veterinary intern in 2002 – Dan is now on the College of Tennesee.
All through the week, I bumped into so many former co-workers who’re on the market within the wildlife world, doing large, spectacular, vital issues. I first met all of these individuals on the Wildlife Heart, at a time after they had been a lot youthful of their professions, and it’s unimaginable to see the careers they’ve constructed for themselves and the contributions they’re making to the world of wildlife medication, illness, and analysis. Better of all, they’re all nonetheless the common-or-garden, enjoyable, fantastic individuals who I knew and frolicked with so a few years in the past.
Prior to now 12 months on the Wildlife Heart, we’ve had just a few HR tasks which have created a chance to replicate on our tradition on the Heart. I’ve been delighted to see a continuing theme emerge, which is that WCV appears to draw clever, skilled, pushed individuals who care deeply about wildlife and conservation – however these individuals additionally make life enjoyable for one another. They host vacation events for his or her co-workers, go to trivia collectively, attend one another’s weddings and child showers, and kind life-long friendships.
I’m glad I lastly obtained to go to WDA as a “groupie” and reconnect with so many elderly pals and colleagues – that week “crammed my cup” all the way in which. I’m additionally glad to proceed to be part of the WCV workforce and tradition and work with an amazingly devoted group of individuals day by day.
– Amanda Nicholson, Senior Vice President
