The acknowledgment concluded, and NWDC Raptor Center  Director Diana Miller stepped forward, accompanied by our guest of honor: Pueblo City Councilor Sarah Martinez. At their feet sat a small cardboard animal carrier, holding a very special Great Horned Owl.

This Great Horned Owl was originally found struggling in a tangled mess of barbed wire. These situations often have a sad ending, but luckily for this owl, a kind soul rescued it and brought it to our Raptor Center for rehabilitation. After a few weeks, it had a full recovery and was ready to return to the wild!

Diana assisted City Councilor Martinez in carefully holding the bird, which was affectionately nicknamed “Solstice” by our Raptor Center care team, although we normally do not name wild birds. With a toss, it took to the air and flapped silently away to a round of applause from the gathered crowd. Click here for the video!

The evening festivities continued with a drum circle, community fire, and luminaria walk located around the outside areas of the River Campus. Over in the Riverfront Room, we had hot cocoa, hundreds of Schuster’s cookies, Christmas carols, prize drawings, and bird of prey meet and greets to entertain guests and teach them more about our raptor rehabilitation efforts.



We were thrilled by the amazing turnout we had, and we are incredibly grateful for each and every person who celebrated the winter solstice with us. We are especially grateful for our generous sponsors, whose donations made it possible for us to offer this signature Pueblo event to our community for FREE. This is why we do what we do. Thank you for being a part of it!