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 As the trails became muddy and slick, officials at Spur Cross decided it would be too dangerous to hike. They put an announcement on their Web site that the hike had been cancelled, but that the owl release would go on. Many people placed calls to the Liberty Wildlife hotline number to make sure this was true.
By the time 7 p.m. rolled around, over 200 people had assembled at the park. Park Ranger Kevin Smith says that the usual number of participants for the full moon hike is around 30 people. But the newspaper coverage and the word of the owl release had intrigued many nature enthusiasts. They converged on Joanne Swank, the petite, soft-spoken education presenter from Liberty Wildlife who was in charge of the release.
As the crowd grew, Joanne climbed onto a picnic table so she could address everyone. She spoke about the barn owl and how it lives in the desert as well as in urban areas of the Valley. She described the unearthly scream of the animal, and told the group they would be unnerved but lucky if they ever experienced it. Joanne then announced she was going to release the two owls, and that everyone should make a wish as the birds flew away.
She and Ranger Smith each grasped a barn owl, and as they held them aloft, one of the owls screamed its bloodcurdling cry. A gasp rose from the crowd and then the two beautiful animals were winging their way into the night. “Everyone clapped,” Joanne says with a smile, “and they called out for more!”
Ranger Smith says that with the large turnout, they decided to go ahead and have a short hike. The trails had dried considerably through the day. Eighty-nine people headed on out to enjoy the moonlit night.
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