As part of our Community Investment Program, Trans Mountain has donated $5,000 to the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program to help the organization’s existing feeding program. The Northern Spotted Owl (NSPOW) is one of Canada’s most endangered species and its entire Canadian range occurs in southwestern British Columbia. Though historic estimates suggest that as many as 1,000 NSPOW were present in the province at one time, currently, fewer than five individuals remain in the wild in Canada, in addition to those owls residing at the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program in Langley, BC.

The breeding program began in 2007 with a founding population of six owls. As of September 2021, 31 owls currently reside at the breeding facility, including four breeding pairs. The breeding programs initial target was to house 10 breeding pairs and release 10–20 offspring each year for the next 15–20 years.

As this is the first and only breeding program for this species in the world, the team has had to overcome challenges to better understand the behaviours and husbandry techniques required to successfully breed this species. The program’s mission is to prevent the species from becoming extirpated from Canada by breeding owls in captivity to be released by the Province of British Columbia into protected habitats.

Trans Mountain is proud to contribute to the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program and the conservation of an important species. Through these challenging times, we’re grateful to have been able to provide more than $255,000 in financial and in-kind contributions to more than 100 organizations in 39 communities in Alberta, British Columbia and Washington state. We’re always pleased to support organizations with a focus on environment, education and community.

Learn more information on Trans Mountain’s Community Investment Program here.