Aknowledgements
The WDC relies heavily on the
cooperation of many local, state and federal agencies in addition to
private citizens, local companies, and various civic groups. So,
a big thanks goes to:
- The Negaunee Foundation
- City of Lake Forest
Parks & Recreation - The Friends of Lake
Forest Parks & Recreation Foundation - The Lake Forest
Community - The Elawa Farm Commission
and Foundation - Lake County Forest
Preserve District - Illinois Department
of Natural Resources - U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service - School District
115 - School District
67 - Lake Forest Open
Lands Association - Chicago Herpetological
Society - St. Louis Herpetological
Society - Wisconsin Herpetological
Society - A special thanks
to the following City Staff for their continued support: Wendy
McKiernan (Superintendent of Recreation), Fred Jackson (Former Director of
Parks & Recreation - retired), Mary Van Arsdale (current Director of Parks & Recreation), Bob Kiely (City Manager) and the Honorable
Mayor Rummel - Dr. Michael Corn (for being the Curator’s mentor in his college years and for his continued support)
- Dr. James Gillingham, Central Michigan University, for allowing students in our community to have access to the biological station on Beaver Island
- Jim Thompson
- Steve Brown
- Michael Malawy
- Scott Ballard, IDNR
- Joe Kath, IDNR
- Ray Pawley, former Curator of Reptiles at Brookfield Zoo and now an International Zoo Consultant
Additionally, we have been
involved with some wonderful conservation efforts including:
- The Max Schewitz
Foundation (www.maxandthewildthings.com) - Western Fox Snake conservation of Lake County
- The Guatemalan Beaded
Lizard Project - Eastern Massasauga
conservation groups - Eastern Indigo Snake
conservation - The Blue Iguana
Recovery Project
Here are the zoos, museums
and nature centers we have worked closely with over the past few years:
- Central Michigan
University - Lake Forest College
- College of Lake
County - University of Georgia
- Malone College
- University of Illinois
School of Veterinary Medicine - Illinois State University
- Southern Illinois
University - Lincoln Park Zoo
- Oklahoma City Zoo
- Zoo Atlanta
- Memphis Zoo
- Audubon Zoo
- Houston Zoo
- Toronto Zoo
- Peggy Notebaert
Nature Museum - Ft. Wayne Children’s
Museum - Zoo Boise
- Columbus Zoo and
Aquarium - John G. Shedd Aquarium
- Dr. Steve Barten from the Vernon Hills Animal Hospital
- Dr. Gery Hermann from the Mundelein Animal Hospital
- Dr. Ron Durante from the Algonquin Animal Hospital
- Linda Breuer from Barnswallow
- Steve Brown for donating some of our prized specimens from their collection.
- Jim Thompson for donating some of our prized specimens from their collection.


