CAPE CORAL, Fla. — This weekend will be all about the birds.
Rotary Park will be the host of the 20th Annual Burrowing Owl Festival, with family friendly activities designed to educate those about the city’s official bird.
"Development is not a friend to any wildlife but you can mitigate and work together to save these burrowing owls,” says Pascha Donaldson, Interim President of the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife.
It’s been an on-going campaign for local conservationists in Cape Coral for years— protecting and preserving burrowing owls.
"They’re threatened right now so the next level would be endangered," says Donaldson. "Which means, probably, all building will stop once they become endangered. We don’t want that to happen so we really want to protect these owls.”
This Saturday's event is an entire day dedicated to educating the public about the small birds native to Southwest Florida. Diagrams, hands-on activities and actual wildlife will all be present.
"That really is to educate people how we can preserve and protect these burrowing owls from becoming endangered and maybe even extinct in the next few years."
The Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife is a local group committed to preserving wildlife habitats. Donaldson says over development and construction throughout the city is impacting the owls and their homes.
"Because of so much building and because it’s nesting season, it’s important that builders follow the rules. 33 feet have to be staked out from the center of the hole circumference around in order to protect those owls. It goes from 10 feet to 33 feet and that is until the middle of July. We’re asking builders to be respectful and follow the rules.”
And residents can help too— Donaldson says— by hosting a starter burrow. Homes, churches, even schools can host these makeshift habitats. All in an effort to preserve the official city bird.
"This would really help be a community effort. Cape Coral is a community minded city so if we pull it together we can save them from becoming endangered.”
You can learn more about ongoing efforts to help burrowing owls at this Saturday’s Festival. It will be taking place at the Rotary Park, starting at 10 a.m.
If you're interested in learning how to host a starter burrow, you can find more information online right here.
