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CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP) -- Cedar City and raptor rehabilitator Martin Tyner could be featured in an NBC series this fall.
The program "Three Wishes" will have singer Amy Grant going around the country making dreams come true.
The show's producers are considering helping Tyner realize his 25-year dream of creating Southwest Utah Wildlife Foundation Nature Center.
"We're in love with the city and we have a really good story," said Megan Ryan, a casting associate for the show.
Tyner, the founder of the Southwest Utah Wildlife Foundation, is a federally licensed raptor rehabilitator and educator.
During his 30-year career, he has rescued and rehabilitated thousands of animals, from bald eagles to chipmunks.
"I am thrilled beyond belief," Tyner said. "This would be a wonderful thing for the foundation, the city and the state."
Donna Brown, executive director of the Cedar City Area Chamber of Commerce, has been working with Ryan.
"It looks, at this point, like they've kind of taken on Martin's project as an anchor project," Brown said. "This is the one they've taken the most interest in and the one we've communicated the most on.
"The reason they're interested is because it has the right elements. There's cultural diversity, it helps the environment and it helps someone who has worked three decades to help the environment and wildlife. The more support the community shows, the more eager they (the show's producers) will be to come do it," Brown said.
The cultural diversity involves the land for the center having been dedicated by the late Clifford Jake, who was the spiritual leader and oldest member of the Paiute Tribe of Utah.
Shortly after the property was donated to the foundation by Utah Power, Jake blessed it in the name of the animals that would be tended to there.
Ryan said she thought of Cedar City because she also is an actress and had auditioned for roles with the Utah Shakespearean Festival.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
