Volunteers needed to winterize Bird Sanctuary

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Published on Thursday, October 6, 2016

By Miranda Leybourne

Neepawa Banner

The Rotary Park Bird Sanctuary is in need of volunteers to help protect the birds from the harshness of a prairie winter, before cold weather sets in.

Located one km south of Highway 16 on the south side of Park Lake in Neepawa, the sanctuary offers shelter to a multitude of birds, including: two emu, three peacocks and six peahens, 14 call ducks, five male and five female red golden pheasants, five Rouen ducks, a pair of yellow flame pheasants, a pair of Swinhoe’s pheasants, five rabbits and 20 chickens. Unfortunately, volunteers believe that some baby chicks ran afoul of a mink recently.

Amanda Novak, of the Town of Neepawa, says this is one of the main reasons volunteers are so very needed to improve the current state of the facilities.

“We need people who are a little bit handy to come down,” she says. “If they have any of the materials we need, or want to come down and donate their time to try and improve things, we would accept any of that help.” 

Novak says while enough volunteers have signed up to feed and water the birds up until March, the real need is for the facilities to undergo repairs, winterization and a thorough cleaning.

Novak believes the bird park is important for many in the community and beyond.

“I’ve had people from out of town and random people express how much they just totally appreciate that bird farm,” she notes. “The schools use it as an educational tool.”

The town and volunteers aren’t just looking to protect what the bird park currently offers, but to expand it and draw more people to it as well. According to Novak, thanks to a grant from the Town of Neepawa, new signage will be put up on the highway directing people to the attraction.

Those wishing to donate materials or time to improving facilities at the bird sanctuary are encouraged to call Brenda Fergusson at 204-476-3787 or text Richard Masters in the evening at 204-212-0489.