LIBBY, Mont. -- Libby Dam celebrates International Migratory Bird Day and National Kids to Parks Day, May 31.
This year’s emphasis will be “Owls: Nature’s Night Shift.” Formal presentations with live birds take place at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Visitors are advised to arrive early as seats are limited.
Libby Dam Visitor Center will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be self-paced, kid-friendly activities, including an opportunity to make an owl craft or dissect a sterile owl pellet, throughout the day while supplies last.
The Visitor Center will host Biologist Janie Veltkamp with Birds of Prey Northwest, a nonprofit organization. Veltkamp has studied and worked with birds of prey for over 20 years, nursing injured birds back to health, and helped re-establish viable populations of endangered raptors such as ospreys and peregrine falcons. The visiting raptors and several diverse birds will be under her care.
Birds of Prey Northwest travels with live birds as “educational ambassadors” to help educate the public and raise awareness of the issues facing wildlife today. Learn more about Birds of Prey Northwest at www.bopnw.org.
All children must be accompanied by an adult, parent or guardian at all times. Children over the age of eight can earn a Junior Ranger Badge by completing a workbook available in the center.
Visitors who enjoy watching wildlife are encouraged to bring their binoculars and look for the nesting osprey and eagles downstream of the dam as well as songbirds and waterbirds along the Kootenai River below Libby Dam. Picnic tables are available nearby in Souse Gulch and around the Visitor Center.
Libby Dam Visitor Center is located at 260 Souse Gulch Road, approximately 17 miles north of Libby, Montana. For more information, contact Park Ranger Susan James at 406-293-5577.
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Release no. 26-013