Lorie was born in Michigan and spent her summers with her mom, grandma, and brother camping along the shores of Lake Erie in Rondeau Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. It was here that Lorie began to love the outdoors and wildlife. If you were to ask Lorie where her great love for the outdoors and nature comes from, she would tell you that it was her mother and her grandpa that instilled within her a deep love and respect for animals and the natural world that fuels her passion for this area.
Lorie fell in love with this area when she helped a friend move out here in 1996, and has spent every summer out here since. Every fall when she’d go back to Michigan for college she would miss Montana and Yellowstone, so when she finished earning her science degree in Earth Science, Lorie knew where she belonged. Since she loved Yellowstone and Montana so much she decided she wanted to do something to really be part of the area, so she became an Interpretive Park Ranger at Old Faithful. It was here that she worked for three summer seasons. During those three summers she created and presented geology talks, led educational guided tours of the geyser basins, did evening programs on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, taught children during the kids programs, and worked in the visitor center. Most of her free time during those summers was spent hiking, watching geysers, and watching wildlife.
What Lorie loves about this area is the abundant wildlife, and all the wonderful things that Yellowstone and this pristine mountain wilderness has to offer. When she saw Yellowstone and the mountains of Montana for the first time it was life changing. In fact, It moved her so much she knew she had to come back. Lorie often tries to put her love for this amazing place into words, but just like pictures, she feels her words can’t begin to do it justice. Simply put, her first visit out here grabbed hold of her heart and soul and she hasn’t been the same since. Lorie’s dream came true when she finally moved to West Yellowstone in the spring of 2008 after earning her Elementary Teaching Certificate. Now Lorie and Arrick live out their dream together with their dogs Bailie and Coco in West Yellowstone. They share their love of this amazing place with each other by fishing the pristine waters, camping, hiking, wildlife watching, geyser gazing and other adventures out in nature. What a joy to live in Montana and explore Yellowstone and all its wonders!
Lorie’s wish for visitors to this area is that they have a wonderful experience enjoying this amazing area!