Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife to hold 24th annual Burrowing Owl Festival

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife is hosting the 24th annual Cape Coral Burrowing Owl Festival at Rotary Park on Saturday.

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This annual fundraiser will support habitat protection efforts for Burrowing Owls in the community.

CCFW will give the proceeds to their partners at Cape Coral Wildlife Trust. Their goal is to purchase land in Cape Coral to preserve it as habitat for the Burrowing Owls. As of February, Cape Coral Wildlife Trust has purchased 87 lots in Cape Coral.

Janet Windisch, corresponding secretary for Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, noted Burrowing Owls struggle to find homes due to development.

“Traditionally, many Burrowing Owls built their homes on empty lots, but now, as more and more development is occurring, they’re losing their habitat,” Windisch said.

She said a way for the community to help is to dig their own starter burrows, so Burrowing Owls have a place to go.

“We encourage people to put what we call ‘starter burrows’ in their yards,” Windisch said. “If you see the person across the street is going to build a home and there are burrows there, you can put a ‘starter burrow’ in your yard, and very likely those owls will move in and use that as their home."

The event will feature wildlife encounters with Adam’s Animal Adventures, a non-profit that rescues animals. During the festival, they will have live animals for children to interact with. There will also be wildlife bus tours and a guided bird tour.

The Cape Coral Burrowing Owl Festival will also feature multiple wildlife speakers in the Rotary Park Environment Center during the festivities. A silent auction will take place during the festival, where attendees can bid on artwork. Concurrently, there is an online auction with more items up for bidding until Sunday.

Windisch said Burrowing Owls are an integral part of Cape Coral.

“Cape Coral has the largest population of Burrowing Owls in the state of Florida, and they’ve become a favorite of the community,” she said. “You see them everywhere. They’ve become synonymous with Cape Coral. They’re adorable and beautiful symbols of nature.”

Pat Zeidman is a volunteer for the Cape Coral Burrowing Owl Festival. She is part of a group of women who will give away free cloth bags to people in the hopes of discouraging the use of plastic. She said that she loves the opportunity to help Burrowing Owls secure their habitat.

“I’m thrilled. This is a really concrete way to ensure these owls will have a safe place to live for as long as they live,” she said.

Zeidman said she enjoys being around others who share her dedication to helping Burrowing Owls.

“It’s a really fun day to interact with like-minded people who are very interested in helping us. It’s nice just to be with people who are as concerned about these animals as we are

The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m at 5505 Rose Garden Road.

Click here to learn more about the the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife and Burrowing Owls.