By Aaron Walker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Windspeaker.com A decade after the first burrowing owls were released onto its reserve lands, the Upper Nicola Band is marking what leaders and partners describe as a rare conservation success in a province where the species remains on the brink. On April 22, community members, knowledge keepers, and conservation partners gathered on the Douglas Lake reserve to release six more captive-raised burrowing owls as part of an ongoing recovery effort that has quietly become one of the most productive breeding sites for the species in British Columbia. Since 2016, the program has produced 125 wild-born fledglings, with both captive-born and wild-born owls returning annually to breed — a key indicator of long-term viability. “The program has exceeded all our expectations,” said Loretta Holmes,…
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