Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation in Coaldale receives Community Foundation grant for needed improvements

Sunny South News Photo Submitted. BIRDS OF PREY GRANT: The Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation in Coaldale was one of several area recipients of 2025 fall funding from the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta. The Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation received a $15,000 Community Priorities grant that will be used for renovations in the Natural History Centre at the Coaldale facility. See related story on Page 3.

By Kristine Jean
Sunny South News

The Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation in Coaldale is one of several area recipients of grant funding from the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta (CFLSA).  

The CFLSA made the announcement last month and awarded fall applicants who applied to the Community Priorities Fund and the Henry S. Varley Fund for Rural Life. The CFLSA is supporting 36 projects and initiatives with grants totalling $528,795 through its fall and winter grant programs.

The Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation received a $15,000 Community Priorities grant that will be used towards renovations to improve acoustics in a presentation room and create new office space. Executive director Colin Weir said the renovations will take place in the natural history centre – an educational building, at the north end of the facility, which was built in 2007 as a Centennial project, funded by the province. 

“We still needed to make some interior enhancements to it, to make the building more visitor friendly,” said Weir, noting drywall construction with concrete floors gives the presentation room a significant echo. “Now thanks to this funding from the community foundation, we’re able to make some improvements to the inside of that room,” he said, adding they will install entry doors, carpeting and possibly some acoustic panels on the ceiling. “That will help minimize and eliminate the echo in that room and make it much better for presentations that we do.” 

Construction of a new office will also get underway in the coming weeks. 

“We’re also constructing some office space on the main floor (in that building) because we’ve never really had a good office space on site,” said Weir. “We’re hoping it will improve the administrative efficiency of our organization by having some on-site office space as well.” 

Weir noted several grants the BOP Foundation has previously received from the CFLSA over the past 12 years. 

“They’ve also provided stairs and a wheelchair and stroller ramp for the same building, to make it more publicly accessible for visitors,” he said. 

The new upgrades to the natural history centre have already begun and are expected to be complete and ready for visitors and school groups when the Alberta Birds of Prey Center opens on the Victoria Day long weekend in May. 

“We do not receive any government operating subsidies so we’re totally self sufficient with our operating funds. It’s quite a wonderful gift any time some funding comes along that can help us with a capital project,” said Weir. “That’s one of the reasons that we’ve got such a good facility that’s so popular with visitors, is because we’re able to make these capital improvements periodically and collectively over time, it really has quite a significant and meaningful impact,” Weir concluded. 

For more information on the Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation in Coaldale visit http://www.burrowingowl.com.