From 1983-1984, Ralph Ritcey, Dave Low, and Doug Jury of the Kamloops Wildlife staff released Burrowing Owls from an Ontario owl rehabilitation centre. Owls were released into artificial burrows, in locations from Douglas Lake ranch, to near Cache Creek.

Over the years 1986-1990, complete families of Burrowing Owls were relocated from from Central Washington State to BC release sites near Osoyoos and Vaseaux Lakes. The BC Environment Ministry transplanted a total of 457 birds. Despite large numbers of translocated birds into artifical burrows and successful breeding by released owls in the field, the migratory return rates were low. The program was discontinued in 1990.

Our group of volunteers originated in 1988. Back then our members worked as the Stanley Park Ecology Society on several environmental projects. This was the beginning of the activities of that eventually morphed into the Burrowing Owl Society.

The Burrowing Owl Recovery Program began to take shape in BC in 1990 and a new strategy was planned. By 1992, our crew were actively involved in building nests and breeding facilities at Kamloops and Port Kells. The road to recovery had begun with early crew of volunteers Mike Mackintosh, Jim Wyse, Dave Lowe, Patti Beer, Steve Church, Elaine Humphries, Nadine Gomm, Mary Anne Unruh, Cliff LeMire and others who cared about conservation of this iconic grassland species.