Special Programs

Neighbor Weekends

Residents of local counties (Winona, Fillmore, and Houston Counties in Minnesota; Winneshiek and Allamakee Counties in Iowa; and Trempealeau, Vernon, and La Crosse Counties in Wisconsin), including college students, are specially invited to visit the International Owl Center for FREE on Neighbor Weekends.

Come see live owls in person, check out our hands-on displays, and stay for our live programs at 11 and 2 each day.
 
Please bring a driver license, student ID or other form of identification to verify your place of residence. Visitors from elsewhere are also welcome, but will be required to pay the regular admission fee of $9 for adults, $8 for seniors/veterans/military and $6 for children aged 4-17. 
December 26-27, 2026: Iowa (Allamakee and Winneshiek)
January 9-10, 2027: Minnesota (Houston, Fillmore and Winona)
February 6-7, 2027: Wisconsin (La Crosse, Trempealeau and Vernon)

Comparative owl anatomy dissection

​You won’t find another opportunity like this anywhere else! Explore the intricate details of owl anatomy while dissecting an owl in a small group. Each participant will dissect a different species from at least five different genera, creating a rare opportunity to see the significant differences between owl species side-by-side. You'll discover just how different their ears are, see the variation in the serrations on their feathers, observe eyeball size in relation to brain size, analyze stomach contents and much more. Species dissected may include Great Horned, Barred, Eastern Screech-, Long-eared, Short-eared, Snowy, Boreal, and Northern Saw-whet owls. (Specimens are all legally salvaged, either found dead or they died at a rehab center.)

Limit 6 participants 
10:00 - 4:00ish on Thursday, September 10, 2026
at the International Owl Center
$100 for non-members, $75 for members (plus a small booking fee to cover credit card processing fees)
***pack a lunch or order your food ahead from a local restaurant

Owl specimen preparation class for naturalists (tentative--please take the survey if you are interested!)

As educators, it is very helpful to use actual pieces and parts of real raptors in our programming, with proper permits. But how do you properly prepare them? Learn techniques to properly prepare wings, tails, feet, heads and skulls, collect data from the specimen, and label it properly for maximum education value in this program. You can bring your own raptor specimen or we can provide one for you, but you must provide copies of your facility's permits to possess birds for educational purposes. You'll go home with your specimen on a pinning board, which you can keep for future use. (If you are from outside of Minnesota, please check your state regulations to verify if you may bring a specimen to this class. We will not be able to transfer a specimen to an out-of-state facility.)

This program will be led by Karla Bloem, who worked in a natural history museum for three years and has prepared roughly 200 specimens ranging from hummingbirds to Snowy Owls. 

​The number of participants will be limited
tentatively 9:00 - 5:00ish on Thursday, December 3, 2026
at the International Owl Center
Price to be determined
A copy of your facility's state and federal permits will be required to complete your registration.
***pack a lunch or order your food ahead from a local restaurant
Interest is still being guaged and details will be finalized when we know there is enough interest.