In a rare move, one of southern Alberta’s major tourist attractions is asking people not to visit, at least for the next few weeks solely due to weather related hardship.
To welcome spring visitors the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre recently started significant landscaping renovations made possible by the federal Western Diversification Community Adjustment Fund and the provincial Alberta Lottery Fund.
While the recent precipitation was needed and appreciated, the overwhelming volume has brought work to a standstill before completion. Consequently equipment has not been able to work on site, many pathways are not accessible to the public, there are numerous piles of dirt around that need to be moved and several aviaries for the birds aren’t ready for occupancy.
Centre manager Colin Weir is quite apologetic for the circumstances but states “we are just coping as best as we can with ongoing weather events that are beyond our control”.
“We still need a week of warm dry weather just to allow equipment back on site and another two or three weeks to complete the work. This will put us into June before we expect to be fully operational”.
In the meantime, it would be appreciated if southern Alberta residents contemplating a visit could come after June 1. Anyone showing up at the door, including tourists passing through the region will still be welcome to see a limited amount of the centre along with a few birds, they will just have to accept the centre as is.
“For a facility that receives no operating subsidies, this will have quite a detrimental impact on our revenues as we likely lose at least 25 per cent of our tourist season,” said Weir.
As a final comment Weir said he would like to thank everyone for their support and understanding. As always despite this temporary difficulty and challenge, injured hawks, eagles and owls are still being accepted as normal and donations to help sustain the operations are always very appreciated.
Anyone with questions or queries about injured birds of prey can reach the centre at 403 345-4262.