Johnston Kids SOAR with Owls at Public Library

About 60 children and parents gathered at the Johnston Public Library Friday afternoon to get a look at four beautiful owls.

The program featured the non-profit organization "Saving Our Avian Resources" (SOAR), a group dedicated to rehabilitating birds, educating the public and pursuing research into avian life. It was part of the Johnston public library's "Dream Big," summer program.

Kay Neuman, the executive director of SOAR, gave a presentation on owls to the children, showcasing four different breeds. All of the birds were rescued by SOAR.

Neuman said she wants kids to learn the names of the species of birds so they might be more interested in finding out more information about them. Her second goal is to talk about the habitat.

"That's really the determining factor, as to whether these animals are going to be around or not," Neuman said. "Our short-eared owl needs great, big, wide open prairies, and we don't have them, and we don't have very many short-eared owls."

Neuman showed four breeds: a saw whet owl, a short-eared owl, a barred owl, and a great horned owl. She brought out the birds in order of size, resulting in gasps from the children when the large great horned owl was finally displayed.