A four-week-old Great Horned Owl
The Pet Companions Club of PebbleCreek is delighted to have as the speaker at its Wednesday, November 2 meeting, Beth Edwards from Wild at Heart. We will meet at 3:00 p.m. in Room 100 of the Eagle’s Nest Activities Center.
Wild at Heart is a 501 © 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and preservation of Arizona’s native wildlife through the rescue and rehabilitation of injured and orphaned birds of prey, relocation of displaced burrowing owls, species recovery programs and habitat enhancement projects. Founded in 1984, it operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It receives no government funding, depending on donations.
Raptor rescues have increased yearly, with the most recent year totaling over 719 owls, hawks, falcons and eagles. In addition, numerous songbirds, quail, waterfowl and baby rabbits are cared for until they can be transferred to other local rescues.
One notable ongoing program is the Burrowing Owl Project. This multi-award winning prototype program, begun in 1993, is recognized as one of the most successful conservation and habitat restoration programs in the U.S., creating to date habitat for over 2600 owls. Other valuable recovery programs for both the Pygmy Owl and the Barn Owl help to re-establish and stabilize owl populations both in Arizona and on the East Coast.
Wild at Heart specializes in the foster parenting of orphaned and displaced nesting raptors. Begun in 1990, this raptor foster-parenting program established a standardized foster-parenting protocol that has been adopted locally and nationally. Their many foster owls, hawks and falcons care for 150-200 nestling and hatchling raptors each year.
Wild at Heart continues to build new aviaries and refurbish older ones. They currently have 51 large aviaries and more are needed. Each year Eagle Scout candidates earn their Eagle Scout badges by completing construction projects for them. Over 80 such projects have been completed and new ones are under construction.
Awards from the International Festival of the Owls and the Cox Conserves Heroes are just a few of many.
All PebbleCreek residents, whether club members or not, are invited to attend this informative, free program. Beth has promised to bring with her a few of her ambassador owls as part of her program. Please address any questions to Jim or Marge Ellison at 623-935-6651.