Powerful spotting scopes, field glasses or massive camera lens were not necessary.

There is no doubt of the popularity of the Birds of Prey Northwest’s program. Even on a Sunday afternoon following graduation ceremonies at Libby and Troy high schools, the Libby Dam Visitor Center was packed with hundreds of people.

Some are regular attendees while others were experiencing it for the first time. But what they all shared on the afternoon of May 31 was the desire to see birds of prey that are typically seen at a distance.

Birds of Prey Northwest, based in St. Maries, Idaho, has been rescuing various types of raptors for more than 30 years.

According to information on its website, Birds of Prey Northwest is celebrating its 33rd year as a nonprofit. It was founded in 1993 by raptor biologist and executive director Janie Veltkamp. 

Veltkamp's early work helping reintroduce endangered peregrine falcons to urban sites led her to realize the unique position birds of prey hold as both powerful educators and bioindicators of ecological systems.

At the May 31 presentation, visitors had up-close experiences with a saw-whet owl, Western screech owl, barred owl, great horned owl, red-tail hawk, great gray owl.

That didn’t include a special guest, a Siberian goshawk brought by Master Falconer Rick Schell of Rexford.

The main message of the presentation was the value of raptors controlling the population of vermin such as mice.

“We don’t want a world overrun with mice,” Janie said. “They are responsible for many diseases and the amount of mice that raptors eat has a direct affect on our lives.”

Raptors include eagles, hawks, falcons and owls. According to the Peregrine Fund, raptors, or birds of prey, are carnivorous birds defined by three primary evolutionary and physical traits: an exceptional, hooked beak, keen eyesight and powerful feet equipped with sharp talons used to seize and kill prey.

Hawks and owls are the primary hunters of mice. “Owls and hawks kill an average of 50 mice per day,” Veltkamp said. “Babies can eat up to 20 mice per day and adult raptors need to eat about 25 each day.

“Their benefit to us, just eating mice, is immeasurable,” she said. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mice spread dozens of diseases, either directly through bites, saliva, urine and droppings, or indirectly via pests like ticks and fleas. 

The most severe risks include hantavirus, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM), and rat-bite fever. Hantavirus can be life threatening while leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, liver failure, and meningitis.

LCM may pose serious risks to pregnant women.

One of the raptors Veltkamp displayed was a barred owl named “Barren.” He suffered an injured wing and can’t live in the wild.

Barred owls were typically found in the East, but have migrated into the Pacific Northwest and California. 

The owl’s migration has caused a lot of controversy. Their entry into what was primarily the domain of the Northern and California spotted owl has led the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to implement a plan to kill hundreds of thousands of barred owls in the next 30 years.

Federal officials say the barred owl outcompetes the spotted owls for food and habitat. The barred and northern spotted owls are closely related and will interbreed. 

According to a June 17 article at www.oregonlive.com, the controversial federal plan to kill nearly half a million barred owls along the West Coast is in a judge’s hands after a hearing last week in Portland, but an animal rights lawyer says the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service apparently has already started in some areas.

Friends of Animals attorney Jennifer Best said the government “has indicated that it is moving forward” with the killing.

“Because there is not currently a court order in place to stop the killing of barred owls, the government may continue to kill them while we wait for a decision,” Best said recently.

Veltkamp addressed the situation during the May 31 presentation. 

“Some think they shouldn’t be there, but I disagree,” she said.

Northern spotted owls became the “poster child” for environmentalists in the 1980s who hoped to curtail logging in old-growth forests.

Another bird in the presentation was the saw-whet owl. It was found by people when it was a baby. It couldn’t be released back into the wild because it associates food with people and federal law says an imprinted bird can’t be released to the wild because of potential danger to people.

“Living in captivity isn’t all bad for them because it doubles their life span,” Veltkamp said. “They get their name because their call sounds like the sharpening of a saw blade.”

The windstorm that ravaged Montana and Idaho in December 2025 smashed some of the avaries at their facility. 

“It normally costs about $90,000 yearly to run the operation, but we’ve had to spend more to fix the damage,” Veltkamp said.

For more information or to donate, see www.birdsofpreynorthwest.org.

    Birds of Prey Northwest's Don Veltkamp and "Rusty," a red-tailed hawk, at the May 31 presentation at the Libby Dam Visitor Center. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
  

    Birds of Prey Northwest's Janie Veltkamp and Don Veltkamp show off a red-tailed hawk and a great horned owl, at the May 31 presentation at the Libby Dam Visitor Center. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
  

    Birds of Prey Northwest's Janie Veltkamp, left, was joined by special guest, Rick Schell, and his Siberian goshawk, at the May 31 presentation at the Libby Dam Visitor Center. Schell is a Master Falconer from Rexford. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)