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By FRANK FANTINI
Special to The Breeze
Like so many residents of Southwest Florida, Beverly Saltonstall came from someplace else.
In her case, it was central New Jersey, a world of tree-shaded All-American towns more familiar to the Midwesterners who populate Cape Coral than to the Jersey Shore stereotype of reality TV shows.
It was a place where young girls skipped rope, jumped hopscotch and played jacks. In fact, Beverly picked up jacks so well that she won a tournament to become the jacks champion of Woodbridge Township.
It was also a place to raise a family and enjoy a career as a nurse. But when it came time to retire, well, was there any place better for Beverly and husband Lloyd than Southwest Florida?
And that's when life changed. Freshly arrived in Paradise, Beverly saw this cute little owl on a stake outside her new home. It just stood there and looked at her. Never moved. Not scared. Interesting, she thought. A half-hour later, she went back outside and, to her surprise, the owl was still there. Still unmoved. Still not scared.
"I just had to learn more about this bird," she said.
The timing proved right for someone thus smitten. She read in the Cape Coral Breeze about a meeting on the owls hosted by the city. She went. She met a dozen other residents who were determined to protect the little creatures from what then was an uncaring city government. It was the nucleus of what would soon become the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife (CCFW).
In the year 2000, Beverly Saltonstall, a career nurturer of human life, had become a defender of wildlife.
The newly formed CCFW set out to do what they do today: Conduct a survey to know how many of the owls reside in Cape Coral. Plant stakes announcing their nests so people can keep a safe and respectful distance. Dig starter burrows so the owls can dig new homes in the increasingly difficult world of sodded lawns that make burrowing impossible.
The city was about to become an ally in this effort, but there was still a component needed for the alliance to succeed - public education.
That's where Beverly and new friend Pascha Donaldson got together.
Pascha, who recently relocated from the megalopolis of Miami to the open and laid back Southwest Florida, was a natural public speaker armed with communication skills honed as a career physical education and healthcare teacher.
Beverly the nurse possessed the scientific, biologic knowledge.
Together they went out to groups throughout the city explaining how the owls fit into the natural environment, how the prairie-like undeveloped home lots of Cape Coral were a natural home for what had won Florida state recognition as a threatened species, that the approximately 3,500 owls found in Cape Coral were the world's largest, most viable population of the Florida species.
"We called it our dog and pony show," Pascha recalls.
At the beginning, Pascha might have been a natural on the speaking circuit, but Beverly was more reluctant.
"I said I'd do it, but I didn't want to do things like go to schools," Beverly remembers. "Wouldn't you know it, the first invitation was to speak at a school science club?"
"But the kids were great. They were so excited. They asked so many good questions," Beverly recalls. She immediately became a valued educator.
Another big challenge came when Pascha lined up a speaking engagement in front of the Audubon Society chapter in Venice.
Beverly wasn't happy.
"These people are experts. They know lot more about birds than me. How can I tell them about birds?" she said to Pascha as they drove their way to Venice.
Pascha kept saying everything would work out, and so it did. The members of the Audubon chapter were so excited by what they learned from Beverly and Pascha that they organized a bus trip to Cape Coral to see these rare little creatures for themselves. And they still come today on bus tours, and Beverly still hosts them. Indeed, she now hosts visitors from throughout the country and the world.
Just as the Friends of Wildlife grew into an organization of 500 members, Beverly grew into a highly regarded educator.
Her most recent accomplishment is a book, "Cape Coral Burrowing Owls Don't Hoot." In this work, Beverly recounts personal stories about the owls, shares advice about how to protect them, discusses their regulatory and legal status and provides practical information about how people can help perpetuate the species.
Beverly remains active in the CCFW, serving for the past decade as Educational Outreach chair. She and other CCFW volunteers conduct wildlife tours in conjunction with the Cape Coral Parks Department. Call Rotary Park for more information at 239-549-4606. To arrange for a CCFW speaker at your event, contact CCFW at ccfriendsofwildlife.org or 239-980-2593.
About Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife
Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife is a volunteer-led organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing habitats for protected wildlife in Cape Coral. Through education, advocacy and community outreach, CCFW promotes awareness and appreciation of the area's unique wildlife and ecosystems. Learn more, donate, or explore membership and volunteer opportunities or call 239-980-2593.