Bush Foundation Fellowships

Visit the Bush Foundation

Fellowship Programs Enter Refining Period

Julie Dalgleish Leaving Foundation

Three Artists Receive Enduring Vision Awards

Karla Kinstler

One person’s passion strengthens a community

Living on a dairy farm, Karla Kinstler (BLF’08) grew up with the red-tailed hawks who watched her as she worked outside. The hawks led to a life-long interest in raptors, an interest that focused into a passion for everything owls. Kinstler’s dream of creating a national owl center in her home town of Houston, Minnesota, is nearly a reality, but it has been a long road getting there.

While Kinstler had always loved raptors, her love for owls started when she met Alice, a Great Horned Owl. When Kinstler moved to Houston, she started working on the committee for the not-yet-built Houston Nature Center (HNC) and began looking for a raptor to help her and the Center educate visitors. Raptor rehabilitator Marge Gibson introduced Kinstler to Alice, who had broken her wing at three weeks of age and had imprinted on humans. It was love at first sight. After Kinstler obtained the appropriate permits and training, Alice went to live with her and ignited the spark of the dream for a national owl center.

Although Kinstler enthusiastically supported the creation of the HNC, initially many members of the Houston community did not. The idea of hard-earned tax money going to build a nature center generated animosity toward the organizers and even spurred short-lived “shoot the owl” talk. Eventually feelings cooled as Alice morphed from a fugitive to a local celebrity, and Kinstler grew the HNC, most notably instituting the International Festival of Owls.

As the only full weekend, all owl festival in the world, it drew an attendance of 300 people in 2003, its first year, and has grown to 900 people in just seven years. And the event has been a huge boon for Houston, increasing tourism during March (a usually slow time of year) and drawing owl professionals from around the world.

With the Festival’s growing success and community support, Kinstler decided the time was ripe to begin the work needed to create a national owl center in Houston. And so she applied for and received a 2008 Bush Leadership Fellowship to do just that. Over four short months spread out over the past year, Kinstler has taken time away from the HNC to visit other nature facilities and take courses that prepare her for the creation of a national owl center. Initially she worried about leaving the HNC for a month at a time since she is the only staff member, but the community’s response to the need for interim leadership was overwhelming. Many volunteers eagerly stepped up to the plate. Connie, one such volunteer, was so efficient that she was able to catch Kinstler up on a month’s worth of information in one day, leaving her thinking, “Holy cow – this is awesome!”

Even though materialization of a national owl center is still in the future, the idea has already begun to enrich the community. The Center has created volunteer opportunities, increased residents’ and visitors’ interest and knowledge about owls, and focused on environmental awareness. Once built, the national owl center will be geared toward the general public and will focus on education and tourism, creating a tourist destination point in Houston. Kinstler hopes the center will also spark visitors to form a personal connection with the owls, a connection that can then be used to show people how to protect owls by helping their environment.

Houston today is a far cry from the “shoot the owl” talk of years past. Kinstler’s passion for owls and her leadership have translated into a stronger community, one proud to wear the name “Hooston.”

Learn more about the Houston Nature Center at www.houstonmn.com/Nature/nature2.htm and keep up with Alice at her blog: alicetheowl.blogspot.com.

Written by Katie Pennell, Bush Foundation Communications Intern (Summer 2009)

{ READ BIO }