Page 8 - Hand rearing birds second

ix

Notes on Contributors

Yaritza Acosta graduated from Lees‐McRae College in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology
and a minor in wildlife rehabilitation. While studying there she was introduced to the Blue Ridge
Wildlife Institute, where she learned most of her wildlife rehabilitation skills. After graduation,
she relocated to Miami, FL and started volunteering at Pelican Harbor Seabird Station. She was
brought on as staff four months later and has held a variety of positions since then. In April of 2013
she became a full‐time staff member and is currently the Rehabilitation Manager for Pelican
Harbor Seabird Station.

Tracy Anderson was the Program Coordinator for Save Our Shearwaters 2011–2019. She
completed a BS in Biology and Geography at the University of Victoria and has worked in wildlife
rehabilitation for over 20 years, in 3 countries: Canada, United States, and Belize. Previous positions
included work at Mountainaire Avian Rescue in Courtenay, BC and British Columbia SPCA’s
WildARC in Victoria, BC. Tracy obtained seabird and waterbird‐specific training at International
Bird Rescue in California and then spent a year in Belize working with Central American species,
such as parrots and toucans. She has also worked with endangered Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes.
Tracy has been involved with banding passerines (songbirds) and owls and has served on the
boards of several natural history and wildlife‐related organizations.

Nancy Barbachano has been a wild bird rehabilitator for over 20 years. She volunteers with Gold
Country Wildlife Rescue and Wildlife Care Association in California. She has served as Secretary
for the Board of Directors of the California Council for Wildlife Rehabilitators. Nancy specializes
in woodpeckers, hummingbirds, and songbirds. She has worked with the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology since 2007 to determine whether or not Acorn Woodpecker babies can be released
back into the wild into an existing colony. She also teaches various rehabilitation classes about bird
rehabilitation locally, statewide, and nationwide.

Michelle Bellizzi has served in a variety of critical roles over the span of her 20‐year career at
International Bird Rescue. She served as the Manager of the San Francisco Bay‐Delta Wildlife
Center between 2003 and 2015 where she oversaw the care of approximately 3000 patients per year.
While managing the rehabilitation program, she supervised the hand‐rearing, re‐nesting, and fos-
tering of shorebirds, gulls, cormorants, alcids, ducklings, herons, and egrets. She has also responded
to more than 30 oil spills around the globe, from Alaska to Argentina. Between her rehabilitation
and response work, she has had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of species, ranging
from pelagic seabirds, penguins, and terrestrial birds, as well as oiled beaver, muskrats, snakes,
turtles, and a variety of amphibians.