Thanks to everyone who has stuck with us while we figure out the best way to build the new owl house.

Our biggest challenge in developing a plan for the Owl House has been balancing the needs and priorities of the Northwoods Wildlife Center with the need to ethically and responsibly manage donations people have already made toward the Owl House. Many things have changed since we started thinking about this project. Building materials are more expensive, contractors are busier, and organizational needs have evolved. One of the most significant changes has been new regulatory overhead from the USDA. The latest USDA regulations are a response to the advent of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and are rigorous. The rules cover everything from how we handle food to how the enclosures are built and how we interact with the animals. But this plan is achievable and will meet all the standards of care for the owls while enhancing our educational offerings.

As part of our raptor education tour, the Owl House will be a place where people can observe owls and provide space for educators to bring birds for people to see up close. Between October and May, we have fewer tours and switch to more onsite educational programming. During these months, the Owl House will be used for educational programming, and it will be able to accommodate groups of up to 40 people.

We will still need to raise more money to complete the work. We have raised about $27,000 so far. Some money was spent demolishing and cleaning up the old, dilapidated Owl House, leaving us with about $20,000. That money is in a separate account, safe from being spent on operational expenses. But we know we are going to have to raise a lot more money than that. As such, we are working on a capital campaign that will offer things like naming rights, recognition benches, donor plaques and other ways to recognize people’s contributions.

To come up with the final cost, we need to find an architect or engineer to help us finalize the construction plans. Once we have the final plans, we can engage contractors to help us determine the final cost. We are also working with some local businesses to get various aspects of the project and materials donated. The response so far has been promising. So, if you are interested in the project or have any questions, please get in touch with our director,Bryon Black, at director@northwoodswildlife.org.