The storm which blew in on August 6th was so sudden and violent that Anne feared the shade netting would rip off, taking part of the soffit with it, as she filmed inside of Peter’s office. You can see the deluge of water on the ground along with the wind hitting the facility. The massive downpour along with the extreme winds caused about $6,000 of damage to our Buteo enclosure, which houses our two Swainson’s hawks, rough-legged hawk and Harlan’s red-tailed hawk.
It turns out that the heavy clay below our pea gravel substrate softened with all the water saturating the ground. This, coupled with very violent winds, actually pushed the top part of the fence wall ten inches into the enclosure. Below the ground, the cement footing was displaced in the opposite direction by at least the same distance. With the entire southwest wall doing a leaning Tower of Pisa impression, we’re hoping we can get it repaired before the next severe weather event makes things even worse. Our prairie facility experiences VERY dramatic weather, which is part of life on this arid landscape. Although our insurance policy will cover a majority of the costs, we still have to raise our $500 deductible, which is why we’re asking for your help.
Thank you for your generous contribution!