SILT — They came into Nanci Limbach’s care at different times. But they left together, flying away from Limbach and others who helped them recover.
On June 8, Limbach released four great horned owls back into the wild on an East Divide Creek ranch south of Silt after caring for them for about a year at the Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation, which is also located south of Silt.
“It is exciting to have them go,” said Limbach, executive director of the organization.
The goal of the Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation, named after Limbach’s grandmother, is to rehabilitate animals and return them to the wild. There are about 50 to 100 animals currently at the center. There is a mix of bears, mountain lions, bobcats, deer, foxes and other animals, Limbach said.
Two of the released owls came in to Limbach’s care about a year ago with broken wings, she said.
A Grand Junction veterinarian fixed the owls’ wings, and they later underwent physical therapy. Limbach and others then put the owls in a cage, where they forced them to fly, she said.
“Once they recovered well enough, we had some youngsters (owls) that came in and didn’t have parents, and we put them in with them to teach (the young owls) how to hunt and kill,” Limbach said. “They are all getting released together.”
Limbach said mice have been put into the owls’ cage to ensure the birds continued “hunting and killing.” The owls were released in an area with a thriving squirrel population—a potential food source.
“We had to keep them a little longer than we planned because there was too much snow and the ground finally cleared,” she said. “The squirrels will come out and the (owls) should do quite well up there.”
The birds were released a day after a silent auction and Run For Their Lives 5K walk/run was held to benefit Limbach’s nonprofit organization. A total of 44 people participated.
“This is the first time we have done this,” Limbach said.
Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton said the work Limbach does to assist wildlife in the area is critical and “that having people support her financially needs to happen” or wildlife doesn’t get the benefits she provides.
“Ultimately, if we don’t have people like (Limbach) who are willing to devote their lives to wildlife, then a lot of those animals end up being put down,” Hampton said. “We don’t want to do that. It is good for (the DOW) to have that option to take the animal to a rehabilitation center like Limbach’s.”
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