Board of Directors
Natasha Nowick – President, Facility Directory
Michaela Conder – Vice President
Michelle Schweitzer – Secretary
Natasha Nowick – President, Facility Director
Natasha found joy in wildlife from an early age. Born into a family of wildlife rescuers, she shared her home with birds, rabbits, a raccoon and a woodchuck. This set the path toward finding her way into rescue and rehabilitation. In college, with her path winding, Natasha studied a wide variety of topics, from mechanical engineering to commercial art.
In 2008, a chance encounter with a snapping turtle in the woods focused her energy toward a quiet and humble critter that needed an advocate.
Soon, Natasha and co-founder Alexxia Bell were rescuing turtles. They began forging friendships and alliances, recruiting and educating. They were creating a Turtle Rescue League.
More than 14 years later, Natasha keeps Turtle Rescue League running every day as President and Facility Director, and still dreams of and executes new ways to extend the reach of the organization and help more animals.
Natasha brings a lot of energy and creativity to the Rescue. Her love for woodworking results in amazing habitats for our patients and ambassadors. She also enjoys hiking and values being out in the wild. She serves on her town’s Conservation Commission, where she has been instrumental in passing bylaws to protect local wetlands. She wants to leave the planet better than how she found it.
Michaela Conder – Vice President
Michaela has felt a deep connection to turtles as long as she can remember, and her first road rescue occurred in Kansas at age 16. She stopped her car along the highway to help a nesting mother snapping turtle, and got shocked while climbing over an electric cattle fence – mom’s pond was on the other side!
In 2019, Michaela moved to New England to work as an intern at Turtle Rescue League. She quickly realized that she wanted to take an active role in patient care and was trained as a clinician. Michaela is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, and she loves working directly with turtles during their time of need. Michaela also enjoys expressing her love for turtles through photography, and shares her work on Turtle Rescue League’s Instagram and Facebook pages.
Michaela’s favorite species is the Common Snapping Turtle, and she is passionate about demystifying their curious and gentle nature and correcting popular misconceptions through education.
Michelle Schweitzer – Secretary
Michelle’s involvement with Turtle Rescue League happened quite accidentally. After her retirement on April 1, 2020, she began taking daily walks around Watershops Pond, located near her home in Springfield, MA. During that time, the pond was drained for repairs to a dam and shortly thereafter the turtles began fleeing the drained pond in search of the resources needed for their survival. Several turtles were killed, and several were found wandering in area roadways on a daily basis. Michelle was distressed by what was happening to the turtles so she reached out to Turtle Rescue League for assistance. This was where her relationship with Turtle Rescue League started. Michelle began assisting our staff in the rescue and relocation of the turtles fleeing Watershops Pond, and after seeing the wonderful work being done at the rescue, Michelle was hooked!
Once the work at Watershops Pond was done, Michelle started volunteering her time transporting injured turtles from all around the State to the rescue for treatment of their injuries, she also began helping out around the clinic, participating in various classes and presentations, working on turtle adoptions as an adoption agent, as well as many other tasks.
Since becoming involved with Turtle Rescue League, Michelle has also adopted several turtles and tortoises, and she has fostered several others in her home. Her accidental involvement in turtle rescue has now become her passion. Michelle is grateful for the new friends she has made at Turtle Rescue League, and for all she has learned from the clinical staff here. As she continues to learn more about these magnificent creatures every day, she feels both thankful and fortunate to be able to help in some small way to assist these wonderful creatures in their time of need, and to be involved with such an amazing organization.
Alexxia Bell
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Alexxia grew up with respect for animals. Her family would help out wildlife, and a certain mother snapping turtle was helped across the road each year. Bullied as a child and growing up poor, Alexxia had a unique perspective as she struggled through her early years. Animals always held a special place in her heart, and she knew she would end up dedicating her life to helping out the most needy of creatures.
Understanding she was transgender at an early age, Alexxia was able to transition after she graduated high school and live as her true self. She graduated from a private school with a Bachelor’s degree in business.
Alexxia is a cofounder of Turtle Rescue League, and also serves as a Chief Clinician. She trains many new turtle rehabilitators across New England and has innovated many new rehabilitation techniques. In her spare time, Alexxia loves to explore the world around her, roller skate and write poetry.
Mike Webster
Mike is one of Turtle Rescue League’s longest serving volunteers. First starting with the organization in 2011, Mike has been helping transport and triage injured turtles big and small. He is always willing to help with projects around the sanctuary using his handyman skills, and enjoys braving the winter weather to help with sea turtle rescue on the beaches of Cape Cod. He was very fortunate to be a part of the 2014 season where over 1,000 turtles were pulled from the beach. You can catch him in the background of the documentary that was being filmed that year.
Mike is a lifelong turtle advocate, especially concerning keeping turtles in the wild as much as possible and less as pets. He lives in Chelmsford, MA with his wife, two kids, two cats, an energetic terrier and an unreleasable native box turtle named Min Min.