On Saturday, the California Raptor Center (CRC) will be holding their Spring Open House from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will be free, but donations are highly appreciated.
The CRC is a facility part of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, with the aim of caring for, rehabilitating and eventually releasing injured raptors, including eagles, hawks, vultures and owls.
The Open House is intended to highlight the various tasks and responsibilities of the CRC, with raptors both in display cages and on the glove. There will be special presentations held at 10 a.m. and noon, demonstrating interesting features of raptor biology and ecology.
Visitors are invited to arrive at 8 a.m. for the Hawk Walk, which ends at 9 a.m. Attendees to this event are advised to bring binoculars.
Donations to the CRC are strongly encouraged due to the center’s financial situation. For the past two years, the CRC has been receiving no operational funding from the budget allocated to the School of Veterinary Medicine.
“CRC has been functioning for the past two years mainly on volunteer help, reserve funds and donations,” said education program volunteer Lis Fleming. “It is hoped that the new budget, which begins July 1, 2012, will fully restore annual operations funding for CRC.”
For directions to the event or more information, visit vetmed.ucdavis.edu/calraptor/index.cfm.
— ROHIT RAVIKUMAR