Natalie Humphrey-Kauffman, 10, won a contest to name a great gray owl at the American Bald Eagle Foundation.
The owl now is called Aspen, because Natalie “just thought it was a beautiful name for a beautiful bird,” said Cheryl McRoberts, director of operations.
Aspen is from Wasilla and has been in Haines since September.
“She was found on the side of the road, and she had two broken wings,” McRoberts said. “One healed correctly and the other one didn’t, so it droops. She can only fly four or five feet, so she couldn’t be re-released.”
The contest to name the owl drew about 50 entries, she said.
“We took it around to all the schools – the Haines School, the Mosquito Lake School and Klukwan – and we took the bird to the schools, all three of them, and did a demonstration, so they could all see the bird up close, and left forms there for them to fill out,” McRoberts said.
Following a vote from a small committee, Natalie was announced as the winner last month at the Haines School. Natalie earned an ABEF membership and had her picture taken with Aspen.
“She has a free membership to come in and visit the owl any time she likes, and she’s so excited, she signed up for our student bird handler classes, which started two weeks ago,” McRoberts said.
The free class has about a dozen students and meets on Saturdays, from noon to 2 p.m. A current tetanus shot is required for participants.