To the editor:

Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all who made the 22nd Annual Burrowing Owl Festival, Wildlife and Environmental Expo on Feb. 24 a resounding success.

The event celebrated the city’s official bird, the burrowing owl and other local wildlife that make the city of Cape Coral a unique and wonderful place to live and visit. Almost 3,700 attendees enjoyed the celebration at Rotary Park! The weather cooperated perfectly allowing visitors to enjoy nature and butterfly tours, children’s activities, arts and crafts vendors, educational demonstrations on local wildlife and conservation, live animals including Adam’s Animal Adventures, a silent auction, food, music and more. And Athene, our burrowing owl mascot, posed for photo ops with young and old alike!

First of all, thank you to the city of Cape Coral, the Parks and Recreation Department and the dedicated employees of Rotary Park who started working months ahead of the festival and were instrumental in putting the event together.

Thank you to our sponsors whose generous donations offset the cost of running the festival!

Thank you to the more than 160 dedicated volunteers (including 37 local high school and college students) who worked from dawn to dusk ensuring the day was safe, educational and enjoyable for all.

Thank you to the many vendors and wildlife organization who exhibited!

And lastly, thank you to the community members who attended, for taking the time to learn about and support Cape Coral’s burrowing owls and other local wildlife.

Proceeds from the Burrowing Owl Festival will be used to promote CCFW’s mission to preserve and enhance the habitats of protected wildlife species and to educate the community about Cape Coral’s wildlife resources. A special emphasis will be placed on acquisition of land in Cape Coral to be preserved for burrowing owl and gopher tortoise habitat.

For more information on Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, visit ccfriendsofwildlife.org.

With appreciation,

Janet Windisch, Corresponding Secretary,

Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife