Tour of eagle aviary set

June 18, 2008 04:42 pm

— Members of the Payne County Historical Society will visit the Grey Snow Eagle House Saturday. The facility, south of Perkins, is maintained by the Iowa Tribe.
Members of the Payne County Historical Society will meet at 10 a.m. in the Stillwater Public Library parking lot and car pool to the eagle aviary, arriving at 10:30. They will view the eagles, hear a program by Victor Roubidoux, aviary manager, and have refreshments.
Roubidoux has been certified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an eagle rehabilitator. In January 2006, the Iowa Tribe became the first American Indian tribe to be named by the Fish and Wildlife Service as eagle rehabilitators.
The aviary houses have both bald eagles and golden eagles. Some are non-releasable because of the nature or extent of their injuries and will spend their lives in the aviary. Others will be rehabilitated and released into the wild, as was a magnificent bald eagle that Roubidoux released near the Keystone dam last February.
The tribe would like to expand the aviary because of the need to house more non-releasable birds. They have had to turn down non-releasable eagles because of the lack of space.
Roubidoux says the eagle has a special place in the history of the Iowa Tribe. They believe that eagles were among the first to see the face of the Creator, and it is important to the tribe to take care of the eagles. Those who prefer to meet the Payne County Historical Society’s group at the aviary should drive two miles south of Perkins on Highway 177 and turn west for 1/2 mile on the road that follows the Payne County line. The aviary is on the south side of the road.
Membership in the Payne County Historical Society is open to anyone interested in Payne County history. Individual memberships are $15, and family memberships are $25. A subscription to the Payne County Historical Review is included with membership. In addition, the society sponsors informative meetings and outings several times a year.
For more information about the upcoming meeting or about the Payne County Historical Society, call PCHS president Adelia Hanson at 377-6685 or e-mail adeliah@juno.com.