Antioch, CA (July 26, 2011) – Burrowing Owl Conservation Network has been awarded a grant for the manufacture of four interpretive signs to be installed at the 24-acre Prewett Family Park Burrowing Owl Habitat Preserve in Antioch, CA.  The Board of Supervisors approved the Fish and Wildlife Committee’s recommendation for dispersal of grant funds from the Contra Costa County Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund, which is entirely supported by fine revenues resulting from violations of Fish and Game Code.

This newly created wildlife and habitat preserve has a number of designated pedestrian access trails that allow and encourage visitors to observe from a distance burrowing owls, other raptors and wildlife that inhabit this suburban grassland ecosystem year-round.

“As burrowing owls are a California Species of Special Concern and have witnessed steep declines in the San Francisco Bay Area and California, we believe community education and outreach is a vital part of their survival and protection of their habitat. We have found many people are unaware of the existence of burrowing owls, have never seen them in the wild, or are simply unaware that Contra Costa County is fortunate to have them as year-round residents,” said Scott Artis, Executive Director of Burrowing Owl Conservation Network.

“As such, these signs will provide species and habitat information and will be used to inform visitors and complement a museum-quality burrowing owl diorama and educational program that we are currently raising much needed funds for.”

The interpretive signs will serve as a means by which the value of protecting, conserving, and preserving wildlife and habitat can be passed on to county residents and visitors.  Because burrowing owls rely on fossorial mammals (e.g. ground squirrels) for the construction of their burrows, the four interpretive signs will also highlight the interdependency between species and demonstrate the value of protecting functioning ecosystems. 

For more information and to donate, please visit http://burrowingowlconservation.org and indicate that you would like your donation designated to the Prewett Family Park Burrowing Owl Habitat Preserve.

About 40 owl lovers gathered Sunday afternoon near partially developed land in Antioch to protest the eviction of burrowing owls.

 

Friends of East Bay Owls and other supporters donned owl masks and waved “Give a Hoot, Not the Boot” signs as motorists honked or pulled over to inquire.

Contra Costa Times, Jan. 4, 2010

Although the gathering has since dispersed, I continue to receive outpourings of concern and offers of assistance.  Our network of ‘Owl Friends’ continues to work behind the media scenes while telephone calls and emails have begun to filter in as everyday residents (like us) have been alerted to the plight of Bay Area burrowing owls, the hard to miss evidence of overdevelopment and Department of Fish & Game’s eviction procedures that operate by assumption.  An assumption that clearly needs to be investigated as the population of burrowing owls has witnessed a 50 percent decline in the Bay Area over the last 10 to 15 years (The Institute for Bird Populations).

Here are a few accounts of Sunday’s protest:

Contra Costa Times: East Bay owl advocates protest birds relocation

NBC Bay Area: Speaking Up for the Owls

CBS 13: Fight To Save Burrowing Owls In Contra Costa Co.

CBS KPIX 5 (news broadcast)

Photos of the event

Perhaps the news report, the newspaper articles, or the word of the impending protest has ruffled some feathers so to speak.  Yet I am perfectly at one with the newly posted NO TRESPASSING signs going up…except for the fact that I will no longer be able to report on the actions from behind the chain-linked fence, check  on the safety of the owls, or monitor their behavior during the eviction procedure.  But, it is something I have been asking for since the beginning of 2009 as I watched untold people upset nesting owls, drive over burrows while off-roading, illegally dump garbage in the streets, and use the darkened corners as havens for drug use and dealing.

So with a glass half full approach I deem this a bittersweet victory as far as the integrity of the neighborhood is concerned, but 95% of the activity had been curtailed when the gates were installed in the waning days of September 2009.  Yet, I am wondering what this means legally since I was directly informed by the developer that the streets, maintenance, and cleanup had been handed over to the city of Antioch.  Since the city and our tax dollars are caring for the streets does that mean they are legally open to the public?  Just curious as I do value the protection they provide…a thanks I did pass along to the city and Kiper Homes after installation…just 5 months after initially requesting them.

If you are in the East Bay neighborhood and want to show support for the protection of our burrowing owls, JOIN US from 2-3pm on Sunday, January 3rd.  Let’s start 2010 with a call for conservation action, changes to eviction policies and an increase in habitats across the Bay Area and the State.  It’s grass roots conservation at its best!  You can also find more details at our new website http://friendsofeastbayowls.org.

See you Sunday!

Where: Canada Valley Road & McFarlan Ranch Drive in Antioch, CA
Time: 2pm to 3pm
Date: January 3, 2010 (Sunday)

CBS News picked up on the plight of the Blue Ridge Development burrowing owl eviction in Antioch, CA and presented some details in a featured story tonight.  The video went out at 6pm in the Bay Area and will air in other California markets (i.e. Sacramento) at 10pm.  They do not provide an embedded video option so check out the link and help spread the word about the Bay Area’s dwindling burrowing owl population.

 http://cbs5.com/video/?id=59860@kpix.dayport.com

It might be a bit premature, but I have my New Year’s wish already in place.  Let’s just call it a stay of execution for 11 burrowing owls and who knows how many California ground squirrels.  As reported here on Dec. 15th in Burrowing Owl Mitigation is Eradication and Eviction, I finally received the burrowing owl relocation plan for the Blue Ridge housing development in Antioch, CA.  Contained within the California Department of Fish & Game approved document were instructions that called for passive eviction for the owls and fumigation for the squirrels by February 1st.  I imagined I had a few weeks to formulate a plan of action considering the onset of the Holidays, but my grave miscalculation was evident a mere 4 days later.

Perhaps a coincidence that action occurred just after the paperwork was released, perhaps a need to beat a looming February 1st deadline, perchance it was a ploy to covertly begin eviction under the fog of Holiday cheer when concerned citizens might be distracted, but most likely it was a combination of the latter two scenarios.  In any event, I stumbled upon the first round of evictions by Kiper Homes’ consulting firm way sooner than expected.  As I wandered through the unlocked chain link fence I found a team of 3 actively enlarging the burrows of the owls my wife and I have come to obsess over in terms of their protection.  I continued down the middle of the street looking over burrows marked with flags of orange and red, plexi-glass fitted one-way doors blocking burrows that sheltered a family during breeding season, and adjacent burrows that provided extra cover were now overflowing with soil and rocks.  The eviction of the first section was just about complete and the process continued uninterrupted in the background as I spoke with the principle biologist.  I couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder as the shovels filled in burrows that months earlier I had cleared of garbage and debris.

And as I continued to listen to his attempts to convince me that caring for the owls was top priority, I couldn’t help but take notice that they also had plans to close up burrows just over the property line to ensure conformation to a required buffer zone.  Unfortunately this land is owned by a different developer so permission to passively evict owls that flee to these borderland burrows will be granted.  The border is the only suitable owl habitat as the rest of the property is characterized by taller grasses. Thus, the evicted owls will not even be able to retreat to the burrows on the adjacent undeveloped land and will be forced into trying to locate new burrows while contending with winter temperatures.

Additionally, the biologist recognized the ecosystem contribution of the California ground squirrels and their importance to many species.  He said, “If one species deserves protection it is the California ground squirrel.”  Yet, once a section has been cleared of owls the burrows will be fumigated in order to kill any and all squirrels.  Do you sense the irony?  As I questioned post-eviction survival, it was quite evident that any data pertaining to this topic was lacking.  The eviction process simply functions by ASSUMPTION that displaced owls do fine and is apparently at the behest of the California Department of Fish & Game who no longer requires banding of the evicted.  So again I am left with the feeling that the owls are a Species of Not So Special Concern.

And what about the owls?  Well, Friday’s actions disturbed 2 pairs of owl that successfully reared young in the 2009 breeding season.  Just under 60 squirrel burrows, alternate owl burrow entrances, and potential burrows were blocked, of which 28 were fitted with one-way doors that prevent owls from entering once they leave.  As my wife and I wound our way around the 25 acres on Sunday documenting the effect the first round of eviction has played on the owls, I observed one pair had, as suspected, begun using unblocked burrows in their network while the other pair remained unseen.  All owls were undeniably nervous, which is expected considering the recent disturbance.  I observed the presence of 7 of the 11 resident owls, which is not uncommon even prior to the commencement of the relocation process.  And to make matters even worse (if possible), I discovered that a locked barricade preventing access to off-roaders had been left on the street in a twisted heap of metal and wood.  The fence had been rammed by the invaders and provided admission to a fairly secret muddy playground.  The dirt tracks on the pavement, downed street signs, torn up lots, and scattered beer cans were more than enough evidence to follow their activities long after they had retreated.  I could even see burrows that had been driven over.  So besides fighting to keep their homes, the owls are still being plagued by off-roaders who have no respect for someone else’s property let alone a group of owls.

While shoppers hop from store to store in an effort to finalize any lingering items on their Christmas lists, a network of burrowing owl friends have been working behind the scenes to spread the word, garner help and secure a little protection for this California Species of Special Concern.

Thanks Larry of The Birders Report (Check out his latest post on Burrowing owls and find out who to contact regarding changing current relocation practices), Dee Vieira (Burrowing Owl Activist in Antioch, CA), and Catherine Portman of the Burrowing Owl Preservation Society for all the weekend assistance.

Stay tuned for the latest information on the Blue Ridge Development burrowing owls!

Heather surveying damage and owls

In September 2009 I posted a video report regarding a piece of property that has become a haven for burrowing owls and other wildlife.  To make a long saga short, the property was under attack from illegal dumping, drug users and dealers, off-roaders, and a host of other activities that were directly and indirectly posing a risk to the safety of the burrowing owls and their young.  With help from the press, Mount Diablo Audubon Society, Worth A Dam, a local owl advocate (Dee), and persistent conversations with the city and developer I managed to have the area secured; much to the delight of our neighborhood and resident owls.

Well, that video report caught the eye of a staff writer, Hilary Costa, for the Contra Costa Times who found value and community interest in a story about wildlife returning to land that had been left in a state of development purgatory.  A few meetings with her and the photographer resulted in a front page article in today’s Contra Costa Times entitled “Wildlife returns to abandoned Contra Costa County subdivisions“. 

This is great exposure for the plight of these particular burrowing owls and will hopefully translate in the protection of other at risk animals and spark action by other wildlife advocates.  Sometimes these creatures need a little helping hand;  if not just someone to watch out for their interests.

So go check out the article!

Contra Costa Times (Nov. 9, 2009)
“Wildlife returns to abandoned Contra Costa County subdivisions”
by Hilary Costa

Looking for a little owl reading material?  Check out my guest column in the Contra Costa Times:

GUEST COLUMN: Burrowing owls stand small in den of iniquity

And a couple of photos to complement the words. Only one of these photos represents what actually should be located adjacent to burrows…