Diana and Artemus
The Cascades Raptor Center was founded in 1987. The center specializes in rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing injured birds back to the wild when possible, and providing a long term habitat for them if they cannot be released into the wild because of their injuries or imprinting on humans.
Permanent inhabitants of the center include 60 individuals from 33 species.
Diana the resident Barn Owl Surrogate mother owl ( from the King Estate Winery story)
Diana was found on Highway 99 in West Eugene OR in November 1994. She was thin, with a fresh concussion and head injury as well as an older fracture in the left wing tip which did not heal well enough for release. Although somewhat nervous around people, Diana was the first adult barn owl that Artemus tolerated, so we kept her for companionship. They were a bonded pair for 14 years and raised dozens of foster young together. After his death in 2008, at the age of 17, we moved Diana off display to a permanent rehabilitation enclosure, where she has continued to be a stellar foster mom for many orphaned barn owls, including over 40 in 2011 alone.
Now that's what I call a mother
King Estate Winery and the Cascades Raptor Center have a special relationship. The Eugene-based non-profit organization has grown into a strong and fruitful partnership leading to the development of innovative, organic pest control methods. We honor their work.