Bemidji Public Library to host live raptor presentation Monday

Bemidji Public Library will turn its main site at 509 America Ave. NW into a live wildlife classroom when The Nature Connection brings its raptor presentation there at 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 29. The program is free and open to the public, giving families, children and other residents a chance to see birds of prey up close without leaving town.

The Nature Connection is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit that says its programs are built to help people see and understand live raptors and learn why they matter in the environment. A Visit Bemidji listing names the organization’s current resident birds as a barred owl, great horned owl, rough-legged hawk and turkey vulture, which means the audience is likely to meet birds that are already part of the group’s regular educational work. That kind of direct encounter is different from a slideshow or classroom talk because it puts size, movement and feather detail in view in a way children can grasp immediately.

The event also fits a long pattern of public-library programming in Bemidji. The library was established on February 25, 1907, joined the Kitchigami Regional Library System in 1970 and has been in its current building since May 1995. Kitchigami Regional Library System also highlighted a 2023 raptors program at the Bemidji Public Library with Headwaters Science Center as part of the summer reading program, showing that live-animal science events have already become part of the library’s community role.

The Nature Connection has been active elsewhere in Bemidji this month as well. Visit Bemidji listed a raptors program at Lake Bemidji State Park on June 20, and the group’s return to the library gives local residents another free chance to take part in hands-on nature education close to home. For more information, contact Sabrina Grauman at 218-751-3963 or graumans@krls.org.