PROGRAMS

Jess Edberg

Jess Edberg currently serves as the information services director. Her responsibilities include coordinating and leading Adventure Learning Vacations and assisting the Education Department in other educational offerings, responding to public inquiries, contributing to the Web site and other publications, and overseeing the Ely Center's exhibits and library. With experience in outdoor adventures of her own, Jess brings an enthusiasm for outdoor and environmental education to all who participate in her programs.

Tara Johnson

Tara Johnson plays a role in the education department at the International Wolf Center as the Program Specialist. There she develops and teaches programs at the Center and via videoconferencing centered on the wolf, its relationship to wildlands and the human role in its future. Within the education department she is the lead mentor working with wolf educator interns. She has a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and is currently working on her Masters degree in Environmental Education and Natural Science. Tara taught in the classroom with 1st, 2nd and 6th grades, Appalachian Mountain Club and Stonewall Farm before joining the International Wolf Center team. Learning about and experiencing the wonder of the outdoors can be expected in all of her programming.

Lori Schmidt

Lori Schmidt has been associated with the International Wolf Center since 1989, serving in animal care. She currently serves as the International Wolf Center's Wolf Curator. In this position, she coordinates the daily care of the Center's eight ambassador wolves, maintains the wolf care facility, conducts training programs for wolf care staff and teaches specialized programs related to wolf behavior and management.

Lori has lived in Northern Minnesota her entire adult life and has many years of experience on the back roads of the Superior National Forest. She has been involved in forest and wildlife research projects studying the flora and fauna native to Northern Minnesota. In addition to her duties at the Center, she teaches in the Natural Resource program at Vermilion Community College in Ely. Lori has led many field based telemetry projects as a former Earthwatch team leader and continues to actively involve her students in mapping and analyzing wolf pack movements. As the curator, Lori has a unique opportunity to observe and record wolf behavior first hand. She has developed these behavioral observations into several educational programs and enjoys sharing the details of the ambassador wolves with the visitors to the Ely Center or those who follow the wolf logs on the website.

Lori is an instructor for our Northern Minnesota Learning Adventure Programs. Her programs include: "Workin' for Wolves" as well as Wolf Seminars in predation, wolf ethology, captive wolf management and dog behavior.