Owl work and owl play makes conservation fun!
Giving Tuesday | Stephen Whitworth
There are tens of thousands of Saskatchewan institutions, organizations and charities that deserve support this Giving Tuesday. But there aren’t any causes cuter than this one.
Allow us to present: the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre!
SBOIC opened to the public in spring 1997. The Moose Jaw-based organization’s mission is education and conservation. The centre, located on the Moose Jaw Exhibition grounds, maintains a captive group of birds, brings educational presentations to schools and such, and —from the May to September long weekends every year — is open to visitors (10–5 Thursday to Monday).
Burrowing owls are small and highly adorable migratory birds. They’re short—less than 10 inches high—and have big eyes, spotted plumage and long goofy legs they scamper around on to hunt bugs and small rodents. In Canada they’re found in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, and even Manitoba — where they’re on the verge of local extinction (called extirpation).
Burrowing owls are also endangered nationally and in much of their range. Their populations get smaller every year.
Which is where the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre comes in.
How’s it going?
“We’re doing pretty good,” says owl coordinator Lori Johnson. “We had a really good summer season — saw lots of visitors coming though the doors, so that’s always nice.
Anyone who values the natural world will understand why SBOIC’s work is important.
“We’re lucky enough to see burrowing owls in Saskatchewan,” says Johnson. “They are also one of our endangered bird species. That’s probably one of the most important reasons the centre is here: to share information about burrowing owls and their prairie habitat, and [explain] what we can do to ensure we continue to have these little guys in the province.
Most Canadians love wildlife and natural places, and Johnson is certainly no different. She knows animals are connected to their habitats and vice-versa.
“Helping an endangered species is important to preserve both the species and the role they play in the habitat,” Johnson says. “It’s often not just one species we’re preserving, but the habitat and the other [plants and animals] that share space with those endangered animals.”
One example of interconnectedness is the burrows these owls nest in. They’re made not by the birds but by other species — including ground squirrels, prairie dogs and badgers.
Another example is the food web owls are part of both as prey and predator. You can’t just take one species out without affecting everything.
“There are a lot of reasons to save an endangered species, but from the ecological standpoint it is important to help preserve as much biodiversity as we can,” says Johnson. “Here on the prairies, a lot of it is based on our agricultural society and comes down to how we can survive next to these species and benefit from each other.”
One nice development is a stronger-than-ever understanding by farmers and ranchers that they co-exist with nature.
“You know, things have changed a lot in the last 10, 20 years,” says Johnson. “A lot of ranchers and farmers are starting to see how important native species are to the land, and to their relationship with the land as well, so you do see quite a bit of support.”
“[They] see the benefit,” adds Johnson. “And that benefit comes in a variety of different ways. A lot of them just enjoy the interactions they have with those species on a day-to-day basis. And to have an endangered species on your land… I mean, I guess you get a little bit of bragging rights because you’re obviously being a very good steward allowing the land to support that biodiversity and these endangered animals.”
The Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre doesn’t have a big Giving Tuesday presence but it does welcome donations. You can contribute on the centre’s website.
Better yet—you can “adopt” a burrowing owl!
“It’s a great way to learn a little bit about the burrowing owl in general, and something specific about the owl you adopt,” Johnson says. “It’s one of the main ways the centre can raise money to help care for the captive group of owls we have here but it also helps fund our educational programming.”
Now that’s a Christmas gift idea if we’ve ever heard one.