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original vineyard land, Jim noticed a faded
government sign on neighbouring prop-erty
describing the local reintroduction
of endangered burrowing owls. The small
birds had been declared extinct in the wild,
but a captive breeding program had been
started to save the birds and re-establish
them in B.C. grasslands. He knew immedi-ately
that he had a name for the winery.
Further investigation led Jim and Midge
to join the Burrowing Owl Conservation
Society and to volunteer in its captive
breeding program.
“My parents have always been inter-ested
in conservation and environmen-tal
issues, and they wanted the winery to
reflect that,” said Wyse-McNolty. “This was
perfect, an opportunity to support this pro-gram
both locally and provincially.”
The Wyses donate 100 per cent of their
tasting room fees to the Burrowing Owl
Conservation Society, and the winery offers
an opportunity to expand the society’s
educational outreach to visitors. Children
enjoy the diorama displayed in the winery
shop, and it’s not unusual to see a live owl
visiting the winery as a “Burrowing Owl
Ambassador” at various times throughout
the year.
The winery has contributed more
than $1 million to the Burrowing Owl
Conservation Society over the years and
this program now sustains most of the
society’s work. The organization uses the
donations to build and maintain facilities
in the valley, where about 50 pairs of owls
are bred and their offspring are released
each spring in time for the mating sea-son.
Artificial burrows are created and
maintained on various grassland proper-ties,
and scientific data is collected on the
released birds and those that return to the
sites each spring.
As of this writing, COVID-19 has swept
the world and the Burrowing Owl team, like
every other winery in the world, is wonder-ing
what it will mean for its staff, friends,
fans and customers down the road.
“We have to figure out new ways of
doing things and we’re planning for every
possibility,” Wyse-McNolty said, noting
both she and her brother Chris credit
their Wine Growers Canada membership
for much of its “amazing support” as they
go forward.
“The Canadian wine industry and its
supporters have always been very tight-knit,
and we all have many of the same chal-lenges,”
she said. “Canada is a vast country,
but the wine industry is co-operative and
this all brings us even closer together.”
The same could be said for the next
generation of the family. The third gen-eration
is growing up and while none have
committed to working at the family busi-ness,
there has of course been talk.
“They’ve grown up around it, but
they’re young,” Wyse-McNolty said. “They
want to make their own path first.”
There’s plenty of time – after all,
Jim was 55 when he started the winery
almost 30 years ago, yet he still checks in
almost daily to see how things are going,
as does Midge.
“We are so grateful and proud to be
part of their legacy, and we are still very
much involved,” said Wyse-McNolty. “And
we plan to be here for many more years
to come.”
Photos courtesy of Gord Wylie, Wylie Photo
SUMMER 2020 § POURED CANADA § 11
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