Laura grew up in northern New Jersey on 140 acres of land, where she and her three siblings roamed freely, camping out, fishing in their pond, ice skating, and more. The property was home to all kinds of wildlife, which helped spark Laura’s love of nature and eventually led to her getting her bachelor’s degree in wildlife science at Rutgers University.
In the summer of 1994, Laura got a job in western Oregon doing Northern Spotted Owl surveys. She fell in love with the state and moved here a year later. For a number of years she continued working as a seasonal field biologist, monitoring populations of spotted owls, marbled murrelets, songbirds, small mammals, mollusks, migratory owl species, and plants. After getting married and becoming a stay-at-home mom to two kids, Laura moved away from fieldwork, but helped establish and worked for her husband’s wildlife consulting firm, where she taught herself how to do bookkeeping and payroll. From 2014-2020, she also worked part-time for the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC). During this time she became a bird transport volunteer for Cascades Raptor Center.
In 2021, Laura joined the staff at Cascades Raptor Center and is now the Office Manager. She wears a variety of hats here, including bookkeeping and payroll, answering phones, and managing the gift shop operations and volunteers. In her time off, Laura enjoys gardening, reading, birdwatching, walking and hiking, paddleboarding, and figure skating.