Connecting with Saskatchewan communities is what we do in the EnviroCare program—and to celebrate EnviroCare’s 5th anniversary of helping SK communities, we happily adopted five beautiful Burrowing Owls!

So we’re pleased to introduce our feathered new friends, Cricket, Peanut, Artemis, Chip, Cricket and Thea.

“Those are the names of the five Burrowing Owls we adopted!” said Kendra Leboldus, EnviroCare member and Environmental Specialist at SaskTel. “One owl for every year of EnviroCare.”

The owls were adopted from the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre, a non-profit organization that promotes the conservation of the endangered Burrowing Owl and their prairie habitat. These adoptions will help to feed and care for this small captive flock of owls throughout 2019.

Did you know?

• Burrowing Owls escape winter by nesting in burrows on the ground
• Unlike most owls in which the female is larger than the male, the sexes of the Burrowing Owl are the same size
• Burrowing Owls don’t just live on the prairies...they also live in Florida, the Caribbean, and South America
• They may look like hoarders but they’re actually clever eaters: the Burrowing Owl collects mammal dung and puts it in and around its burrow. The animal waste attracts dung beetles, which the owl then captures and eats.
• Other owls are active only at night but the Burrowing Owl is diurnal...they’re active night and day
• Read more cute facts about owls here!

How our owl family came together...

We adopted Peanut, Artemis, Chip, Cricket (photo above), and Thea with EnviroFunds, which we raise every year by collecting cans and bottles from SaskTel buildings in Moose Jaw and Regina. It’s the perfect way to make sure our owls have a happy home all year. To date, we’ve recycled about 35,000 cans and bottles. The funds we raise from recycling are then turned into investments in greening initiatives around Saskatchewan.

So why owls this year? The idea came from our EnviroCare member Janice Muir.

“I first learned about Burrowing Owls at the Science Centre in Regina,” said Janice. “When EnviroCare asked for ideas for projects, I thought of the owls. They’re fascinating birds and an important part of Prairie ecosystems—but they are also cute!”

This owl adoption is one of several initiatives EnviroCare has taken part in over the years. EnviroCare has also cared for birds at Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Centre, purchased a solar panel for the Minahik Waskahigan High School in Pinehouse Lake, plus we’ve cleaned up Wakamow Valley and part of the Trans Canada Trail.

Here’s how you can adopt an owl, too!

Compared to humans, owls eat pretty cheaply but when you add it up, it costs the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre approximately $400 to feed an owl per year! You can help by giving a donation or an adoption gift to a friend or family member.

For just $50, you can adopt an owl at the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre for 6 months. For $100, you can adopt an owl for a year, and for $175 you can adopt an owl for two years. Donations gratefully accepted online here.

The best part of adopting? You’ll get to visit and meet one of the owls, like Peanut (photo above)!