Our Story

We are an independent wildlife rehabilitation facility run by myself and my husband, Ben. My name is Bri. I graduated with high honors from the Veterinary Technology program at Duluth Business University (DBU) in 2018. During my schooling I volunteered at Wildwoods to get hands on experience rehabilitating and providing emergency care for wildlife. I became the Clinic Manager in 2019 and am still there throughout the week. I also worked at a local veterinary clinic for 3 years after I graduated.

On August 1, 2019 (our 4th wedding anniversary) tragedy struck our family. Our two year old son, Logan, who was our only child at the time, was killed by an impaired driver when my little sister was walking him to the park. Our lives were absolutely shattered. I took a month off from the vet clinic and Wildwoods to mourn our son and try to put the pieces of our lives back together. When I went back to work the only thing that seemed to pull me out of the darkness was providing care for wildlife, especially the orphaned babies. I missed my own baby so much. Being able to help little ones who had lost their parents healed part of my broken heart. I was able to save them and, in turn, they saved me too.

Logan loved animals. He had a gentle soul and there was something so special about how he interacted with them. After he died I felt compelled to do something with my life that would make him proud. I obtained my own MN DNR novice permit in June 2020. We had the option of being a private rehabilitator who only takes referrals from larger centers or being open to the public. We wanted to be able to help as many people and animals as possible so we decided to start Grand Rapids Wildlife Rehabilitation for the public in Logan’s honor.