Alice the Great Horned Owl

Early March 1997 - Alice hatches in an old squirrel's nest with her brother at the top of a 60 foot tall pine tree on Hogan Street in Antigo, WI

Late March or early April - Falls out of nest and breaks left wing just above the elbow joint. Cared for by internationally known wildlife rehabilitator Marge Gibson of the Raptor Education Group, Inc. Wing cannot be healed well enough for flight due to location of fracture/dislocation.

Spring/summer 1997 - Raised to be an education bird in Gibson's home, around humans, so she imprints on humans and therefore is comfortable around them.

9 September 1998 - Gets a job working for the up-and-coming Houston Nature Center after a federal work permit is secured. Moves to Houston, MN to live with handler, Karla Bloem. Housed in an outdoor pen.

24 November 1998 - Begins doing public educational programs.

1 October 1999 - Alice's first radio interview on KG Country in Winona. Chitters in microphone like a pro.

21 December 1999 - Lonely in outside pen and somewhat ill, so moved into Karla's home.

25 May 2000 - Begins commuting to work at the temporary Houston Nature Center

11 November 2000 - Alice's first real hormonal hoot

17 March 2001 - Alice visits her nest site, rescuers, and Gibson in Antigo, WI. Seems to recognize nest tree and yard.

Summer 2001 - Houston Nature Center is constructed. Much controversy. Some adversaries talk of shooting Alice, and children are overheard in daycare playing "shoot the owl." A local conservation officer is contacted, but says he can do nothing because Great Horned Owls are specifically not protected by state law in Minnesota. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Enforcement claims they can do nothing unless Alice is actually shot. Local law enforcement deals with the issue.

2002 - West Nile Virus sweeps across United States. Since it is fatal to Great Horned Owls, Alice now becomes an indoor bird with a perch in the nature center office.

22 February 2003 - The annual Festival of Owls, in honor of Alice's hatch-day, begins in Houston, MN

January 2004 - First TV interview on UPN-TV 23 in La Crosse, WI

5 June 2004 - Alice's first (and only!) kill--a camel cricket in Karla's kitchen

November 2004 - Alice News blog begun.

Spring 2005 - Testifies before the Minnesota House & Senate Environment committees for removal of Great Horned Owls from Minnesota's "unprotected birds" list. Passes unanimously and is signed by governor. Law takes effect August 1.

1 August 2005 - The first Great Horned Owl permit in Minnesota is issued to Alice.

5 January 2009 - Alice lays her first egg.  She eats it three days later.  So goes her first nesting attempt.

6 March 2010 - Alice receives the World Owl Hall of Fame's Lady Gray'l Award



Favorite food: pocket gopher heads

Hobbies: wildlife watching, shredding egg cartons, and "killing" articles of clothing
 

Alice's Handler (a.k.a. Karla Bloem)

The Short and Sweet Bio

Karla (Kinstler) Bloem, a.k.a. “The Owl Lady,” is the Director/Naturalist of the Houston Nature Center in Houston, MN. She lives and works with Alice, a permanently injured Great Horned Owl who forever changed her life when she came to live with Karla. The close relationship between Karla and Alice has led to an in-depth vocal study on Great Horned Owls, an annual International Festival of Owls, and plans for a North American Owl Center in Houston, MN. Karla’s owl adventures have taken her to testify before the Minnesota House and Senate environment committees to gain protection for Great Horned Owls in 2005, to The Netherlands to present her research at the World Owl Conference in 2007, and won her a Bush Leadership Fellowship in 2008.


The Dry, Boring Version

June 1990 - Valedictorian of Spring Grove (MN) High School's class of 1990.

1990-94 - Attended Luther College in Decorah, IA, and worked as the assistant museum curator in the Hoslett Museum of Natural History. Graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

September 1994 - Published a research paper on the vocal behavior of Eastern and Western Meadowlarks in the Prairie Naturalist.

1994-98 - Worked as a seasonal naturalist at Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park near Preston, MN.

1995-96 - Worked as an instructor/naturalist at the Forest Resource Center (now Eagle Bluff) in Lanesboro, MN.

1995-99 - Flew American Kestrels as a licensed falconer.

1997 - Began planning the new Houston Nature Center on a part-time basis for the City of Houston.

1998-present - Acquired Alice the Great Horned Owl through an educational permit from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and began presenting educational programs with her.

2000-present - Hired on full-time as the Director/Naturalist of the Houston Nature Center.

2001 - Co-authored the Birder's Guide to Houston County with Fred Lesher.

2001 - Received the Brother Theodore Voelker Award for Special Achievement in Field Ornithology/Birding from the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

Spring 2002 - Co-authored an article documenting the first nesting record of a Eurasian Collared-Dove in Minnesota in The Loon.

2003-present - Coordinator of the annual International Festival of Owls in Houston, MN.

2004 - 2009 - Operated a website and internet store to benefit owls.

2004 - Began research to document the complete vocal repertoire of the Great Horned Owl and look for regional and gender variations in territorial hooting.

Spring 2005 - Testified before the Minnesota House and Senate Environment Committees to get Great Horned Owls removed from Minnesota's "unprotected birds" list. The bill passed unanimously and went into effect on August 1, 2005, with Alice receiving the first Great Horned Owl permit in Minnesota.

2006 - Received the Hall/Mayfield Award from the Wilson Ornithological Society to help fund vocal study.

2007 - Presented vocal study research at the World Owl Conference in The Netherlands.

2008 - Received a Bush Leadership Fellowship to work toward developing an International Owl Center in Houston, MN.
 

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