If you have yet to get your Christmas tree, you are in luck.
The Cochrane Ecological Institute (CEI) is no stranger to the community of Cochrane or to many injured or orphaned wildlife. On Saturday Dec. 7 and Sunday Dec. 8, CEI will be hosting their annual Christmas Tree Event and welcomes Cochranites to come by for a day filled with Christmas cheer, refreshments, wildlife and pony rides.
The trees have been marked and will be freshly cut come Saturday and Sunday morning. It isn't certain how many have been marked but depending on the turnout, more can be cut to accommodate.
"They aren't commercial so they're natural trees, they might be a bit Charlie Brownish because they haven't been grown like commercial trees, they're wild trees growing the way they want to grow," explains Clio Smeeton, president with CEI.
"We have tons and tons and tons of trees because this place was never broken to the plough. But the little trees (little coniferous) grow like nobody's business and if they grow to be big trees then there's no grass under them so we have to keep cutting down the trees when they are Christmas tree size to have the grazing open for the buffalo."
After you pick that perfect tree, donations of any amount are greatly accepted. Smeeton says events like the Christmas tree one are very important for the institute to continue to do what they do best, rehabilitate and release. The funds from such events go directly back into CEI and the wildlife in their care.
"I think it's important because worldwide there is a huge loss of biodiversity and a huge loss of wildlife and us taking in injured and orphaned wildlife is a small effort to reverse that loss and it's really, really important that Cochranites come out so they know where we are and that they know what we do so that if they have any injured or orphaned wildlife they know where to take them. It's really important for the wildlife, we really need the money to pay for it because the government pays nothing, nobody else pays. All the donations are hugely welcomed and this way it's beneficial 'you get a tree, we get a donation' and it works really well," explains Smeeton.
Lisa Dahlseide a conservation biologist will also be providing tours of the institute on both days. She generally tries to aim at being on the hour but if no one is around she will do half hour marks as well. Also in attendance will be some vendors, Crystal from Bright and Beaming music will be performing Christmas favourites, and pony rides - a new happening this year for the little ones.
"We've got a lovely volunteer at the moment, she's German and she trains horses and that's how we have the pony rides this year," laughs Smeeton. "In Germany they always have a big Christmas fair and she said 'We'll make it into a Christmas fair with music and pony rides.'"
Recently, CEI received some new little visitors. They have three bohemian waxwings in their care and two great horned owls. Thanks to the generous support and assistance from Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre (SLSFSC), CEI was able to establish an aviary to house and rehabilitate injured birds.
Smeeton explains that Waxwings are interesting little birds. They stay within their flock their whole lives, flying from southern parts of the United States to along the edges of Alberta's foothills. She explains that each flock has its own dialect and they are chatty little birds that have more to say than that one aunt at Christmas dinner.
Smeeton says it tends to be the juveniles that end up making mistakes such as flying into windows which results in the waxwings getting concussed. At that point the flock, who speak the same dialect, move on making it rather difficult for the juveniles to re-kindle with their previous flock.
"What we need to do is group them together and over the winter make it so they know each other and they have their own flock and then we will let them go in the spring," said Smeeton. "That's what we've done thanks to Spray Lake - because they built it - we've got this aviary and I think it's the first and only one in Canada."
Also in their care are two Great horned owls. Sparky was brought in after a janitor found him in a field. After taking him into Arrowhead Veterinary Centre it was determined that he had no breaks in his wings but his feathers around his belly and tail were badly burned which may have been from him flying through a flare. Another great horned came in concussed after flying into a window and although he is eating well he is still showing repercussions of the incident.
"When you feed him, he can eat no problem there but then he stares at the sky so we've called him Stargazer," chuckled Smeeton. "But as he's eating well, he should be OK."
She added that the waxwings in their care could use some mountain ash berries if anyone has some in their gardens but they also aren't opposed to other berries.
"We're happy with donations of any small berries. They like raspberries, they like blueberries, they like blackberries, I mean any old berries do," giggled Smeeton.
The Christmas tree event is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday (Dec 7) and Sunday (Dec 8). When you arrive at CEI, drive cautiously and follow the jolly signs in the trees to guide you to where you will park. CEI is located at 51061 Township Road 280.
