Burrowing Owl Centre Opening Season With Entertainment And A BBQ
The threat of avian influenza and the recommendations to control the flu’s spread may have forced the burrowing owls to remain indoors quarantined to protect them for the time being, but at the same time it is not going to stop a celebration about them.
This Saturday, May 21st, the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Centre - 240 Thatcher Drive East on the Moose Jaw Exhibition Grounds - will be holding its annual opening celebration and barbecue.
“We are going to be having our opening fun day barbecue. It is the kickoff to the start of our season,” Lorrie Johnson coordinator of the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre told MJ Independent.
Kicking off at noon the event runs until 4 pm and will feature not just a barbecue but also activities and family friendly entertainment. Cost to attend the event is $10 per ticket or a family pass for five costs $35.
Tickets do not have to be pre-purchased but are available right at the gate.
The event is mask optional - whatever people are comfortable with is OK.
The stars of the show will this year not be in attendance.
“The owls will not be visible to the general public, they will still be quarantined indoors. The reason being is the avian flu. It is very fatal for a lot of raptor species so we want to be extra careful with our owls,” Johnson said.
The owls have not been outside after this Spring after spending their Winter indoors due to avian influenza which arrived in Canada from migrating birds. The Centre has been taking precautions to protect their burrowing owl flock.
Despite the owls being no shows to the celebration there will be fun and activities. Plus Johnson will be speaking about the burrowing owls and their importance.
“We are doing the barbecue. There will be hot dogs and drinks. And we are going to have bouncy castles, face painting, glitter tattoos, a roving magician as well as a bubble station and people can still learn a little bit about the owls because we will be doing informational sessions as well.”
For those with an appetite for more than one hot dog she said the event is asking people to leave a little bit of an extra donation.
Asked about how the COVID - 19 virus and now a bird virus is stopping people from coming to the Centre to visit the owls she said it has been an uphill battle.
“Just when we thought we were getting back to some sense of normally you know the avian influenza decided to rear its ugly little head. So we just have to do the best that we can like everybody else. Our main goal is to keep our owls safe so that is why we are keeping them off of public display,” Johnson said.
She said despite the owls being quarantined inside away from visitors people are still welcome to come and check out the outdoor display area and grounds where the burrowing owls would normally have been.
Johnson said the event is not just a fundraiser but a way to raise awareness about the owls and a reminder to residents the endangered burrowing owls call a part of Moose Jaw home.
“We can still share our knowledge about the owls,” Johnson said.
“It is one of our smaller fundraisers and it is one of the ways we like to start the season. Just get everybody involved and remind them the owls are here,” she said.
Burrowing owls are an endangered species. They are endangered due to the lack of natural habitat resulting from agricultural and urban development. The owls do not dig burrows to nest and live in but rely on holes dug by other species.
Moose Jaw is one of the centres where burrowing owls are cared for in a protected environment.