The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH), in partnership with Eyes in the Sky (EITS) of the Santa Barbara Audubon Society, will host a\u00a0celebration of\u00a0life for Max, the beloved\u00a0great\u00a0horned\u00a0Owl, 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7\u00a0in\u00a0the museum\u2019s Fleischmann Auditorium.<\/p>\n
Max, who recently passed away\u00a0at the age of 27, was a cherished\u00a0avian\u00a0ambassador and a familiar presence to generations of Santa Barbara families.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough classroom visits, public programs, and museum appearances, Max helped inspire a lifelong love of birds and nature across the community,\u201d SBMNH said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMax was one of the original EITS\u00a0raptors and a local celebrity,\u201d said Janice Levasheff, Santa Barbara Audubon Society Board president. \u201cAs a long-time feathered ambassador, he sparked the love of birds and nature in countless members of our community.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven to this day, many adults still remember Max from his visits to their classrooms while they were in elementary school.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0celebration of\u00a0life will offer community members, fans, and families an opportunity to honor Max\u2019s legacy, consider the impact he had on environmental education in the region, and acknowledge the human-animal connections that defined Max\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
Max\u2019s story is unique among raptor ambassadors, organizers said. Though physically capable, he could not be released into the wild due to early imprinting on humans after he fell from his nest as an owlet.<\/p>\n
Instead, he went on to live a life providing education and\u00a0outreach, and\u00a0even foster-parented dozens of orphaned\u00a0great\u00a0horned-owl chicks, helping them successfully return to the wild.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis special event underscores the shared goals of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and the Santa Barbara Audubon Society: to inspire stewardship, curiosity, and compassion for the natural world,\u201d\u00a0said Janice Levasheff, director of Santa Barbara\u00a0Audubon\u00a0Society.<\/p>\n
The event is free to attend but exploring the museum before the event requires paid admission.<\/p>\n