Board of Directors
Sarah Sargent
Board President
As a professional avian biologist and lover of the outdoors, Sarah Sargent has devoted her life to the science and conservation of birds. The longtime President of Tamarack’s Board, she has great appreciation for the ways that Tamarack is small but mighty, helping birds and mammals with efficiency. She especially remembers one of the first bald eagles she worked with for Tamarack, Freedom’s Spirit, a large female who required three people at a time to hold her for three physical therapy sessions each week. Sarah felt she really knew this bird when the eagle was released back to the wild. Sarah is the Executive Director of the recently-founded Erie Bird Observatory, a conservation and research organization in Erie.
Terrie Swanson
Board Vice President
Terrie Swanson has loved wildlife since childhood hunting and fishing trips in the U.S. and Canada, as well as through photography and watching local bald eagles with her parents. From reporting injured wildlife in need of rescue, she later became more involved with Tamarack in treating patients and become one of the center’s lead educators. She finds rewards when “a student’s eyes brighten when you introduce them to an ambassador bird during an education program” and in “watching a raptor take flight into the wild after a successful rehabilitation".
Christian Hrinda
Board Secretary
Christian Hrinda’s love for animals and desire to work with them began at Tamarack—he spent a summer as an intern and then as the summer supervisor at Tamarack and this work became “a foundation for my entire life.” Sophia, the Tamarack barred education owl, mesmerized Christian and he identifies this as the start of his love for birds. He now works as both a zookeeper at the Erie Zoo and at the Humane Society of Northwest Pennsylvania.
Delores Tavares
Board Member
A longtime bird and nature lover, Delores Tavares has been part of Presque Isle Audubon for more than 30 years and is a frequent birder both close to home and in places such as Ecuador and Panama. She notes that binoculars accompany her wherever she goes, whether to the seaside or the mountains. A retired Registered Nurse, she now also volunteers for a cancer center and hospice.
Sharon Wesoky
Board Member
Sharon Wesoky discovered her love of birds through travel to distant places as well as feeding them right in her backyard. She brings her experience as a college professor to the Tamarack board in assisting in grant writing opportunities. Along with birding, she enjoys photography, haiku, hiking, and trail running.
Jim Daley
Board Member
Jim Daley put his degree in Environmental Resource Management to work in his career as a member of the PA Game Commission Board of Commissioners. During this time, he worked with Tamarack and the Commission to understand lead toxicity in bald eagles and to undertake a hunter education program to keep carcasses away from raptors and to encourage the use of non-toxic ammunition. He is semi-retired and now enjoys committing his time to non-profit causes, including Tamarack Wildlife Center.
Contributions
Donations and memberships are the lifeblood supporting Tamarack's work of healing injured wildlife and returning them to the wild. Tamarack does not receive government funding. The injured, orphaned, and sick wildlife survive because of the generous donations of folks like you. Sharing your time and skills with the center is always welcomed. Become a member of Tamarack, sponsor a wildlife ambassador, or make a memorial contribution. It's your donations that give these animals a second chance.