Perhaps some would call it a mini-vacation, but I tend to think of my recent trip to D.C. as a whirl wind excursion that intertwined monuments, buildings, museums, the constitution, and countless trips up and down the National Mall.  An all day and night walking extravaganza that was perfect for my wife’s first visit. But upon my return I expected a few changes on the Burrowing Owl front; mainly a fence to block traffic access and a little garbage removal that would benefit the resident burrowing owls and neighborhood safety/aesthetics.

Yet, as I walked the land I found the piles of trash still present and a fenceless border.  Disappointed…well yes.

So once again I put fingers to keyboard, left a few messages, and waited for a response.  To my surprise, the rising of the sun was the bearer of good news as all piled debris had been removed by the next evening; the mattress from the street, the jet ski that had been left to surf weeds, the rugs, and the broken mirrors that seemed to have bestowed the bad luck not on the dumpers, but on the owls.  But perhaps their luck was not all bad as we are in the midst of altering a course of development to ensure mitigation. Mitigation yes, protection perhaps.  A sentence which I expect to elaborate on next week that is based on information I came across at the 2009 Burrowing Owl Consortium.

With some help spreading the word from Worth A Dam (Martinez Beavers), Bay Area Wildlife Blog, and some other concerned citizens who have been of great help and guidance, things are leaning in the right direction conservation-wise.  Here are a few points:

• Street closure locations have been approved by the Fire Department.
• According to the developer, the fencing is going to be installed tomorrow (Sept. 25), but I’m taking a wait and see attitude before I get too excited.
• The City of Antioch requested a biological evaluation after hearing (repeatedly) from JournOwl (and friends) about the owls. 
• The Developer has hired a biologist and the staff met on site Sept. 23rd.
• Garbage piles have been completely removed. With the exception of a little graffiti and remaining litter the site looks much better.
• I received a call from the Planning Department concerning the owls and they promised to provide biological survey reports and mitigation information based on upcoming survey.  Something I will definitely need to keep tabs on.
• Development will not commence until spring 2010.
• I have personally began to document owl sightings and burrow locations, which will be used to compare findings by the Developer’s biologist.

According to information I received, there was zero mitigation in place for these owls.  Which explains why after weeks of waiting I could not retrieve these documents from the city.  Apparently owls were not present on the property during the initial Environmental Impact Statement of this land years back.  However, I can neither confirm nor deny if this was actually the case.  So without any intervention the owls would have been quietly buried as the housing project was fully entitled.  All in all this is a classic lesson in wildlife conservation.  Protecting native species is not just a responsibility that is in the domain of government agencies and renowned non-profit organizations, but a duty of individual citizens, communities, and local non-profit groups commonly referred to as ‘WE THE PEOPLE’.

Stay Tuned!

Here in Antioch, CA we are by no means short of coyote, well at least that used to be the case.  Catching coyotes in a natural state of living was a common occurrence a couple years back, but now spotting one in our usual haunts is a fairly unique experience.  A number of months back  my wife caught one sleeping next to a road cut through an open field by off-roaders and illegal dumpers.  Now that the city has headed my warnings and complaints about a growing ‘free’ dump on municipal land they have cordoned off the area, which hopefully draws the larger fauna back. 

It has been quite a while since any intimate coyote encounters, but one memory pops up every time we step foot in the open rolling hills.  My wife and I were taking our two German Shorthairs for a run in what is currently a fairly large expanse of open land within walking distance from our home.  Of course, the urban sprawl continues to make its way northward, and will eventually consume this field, but for now we enjoy the scenery, the wildlife (foxes, kestrels, red-tailed hawks, burrowing owls, coyote, etc.) and the incredible views of Mt. Diablo.  Just as dusk was approaching, we noticed a coyote had appeared on the top of a hill overlooking the depression where we were giving free reign to our dogs (Daisy & Gretchen).  The coyote was quite intent on watching the action and continued to parallel our movements. I was at ease with the situation. Perhaps because I was as much enthralled in the coyote as he was with us, especially when a colleague joined him on watch.  Now that backup had arrived, the coyote robustly made his way down the hill and was partaking in a trajectory that would inevitably result in an intersection. 

Not sure how Daisy and Gretchen would react to the approaching canine, we leashed them to ascertain control.  Intrigued by his pluckiness, I decided to stop and allow the coyote to make the next few steps.  Upon reaching a distance of 30 ft, the coyote halted, laid down, and was unmoved by our now attentive, eager to be  off-leash barking dogs.  At this point I decided to approach the statuesque creature and determine any motives if possible.  As I stepped forward, the coyote stood up, and began lifting and lowering his front limbs in a bouncing motion, as if partially rearing up on his hind legs.  At no time did I feel the coyote was an imminent threat, whether this posture was actually indicative of aggression or not.  As I continued forward, the coyote matched my steps in the rears, keeping a constant 30 ft divide between us. 

As dusk was swiftly becoming night, our dogs conceded they were not going to reach a state of freedom, and as observers it was time we continued on our way home.  Thinking we had left the coyote behind, we were soon surprised to see that he was indeed following us, and being closely trailed by the other.  As we set foot on the pavement, we could see the coyote pull back as if constrained by a human development barrier.  Since that time we had encountered the coyote twice more, always on occasions when I managed to leave the camera behind. 

This memory and our sightings of the curious coyote will be two years old in October.

During a recent drive down the urban drag I was tipped off to some new construction by the ‘subtle’ activities of an earthmover doing, well, moving earth around.  Apparently the city of Antioch, CA has broken ground on a Community Center adjacent to an approximately 5 year old water park, and a neighboring group of burrowing owls.

My initial thought was to chalk another point in the column of local urbanization and who could blame me as I have steadily watched cities continue the Manifest Destiny mantra and sideline open spaces and native wildlife with expansionism.  But, after a little investigation I was amazed to find the city was touting the establishment of a burrowing owl preserve and stated the following on their official website:

“As a part of our environmental impact mitigation for the new community center being built at Prewett park. We have developed 24 acres of preserved habitat for Burrowing Owls. This area will be preserved and maintained in perpetuity to protect these owls.”

Although urbanization is moving forward, perhaps I had jumped the gun in making wild accusations in my preliminary assessment?  Well, let’s not be too hasty.   Further reading of the project’s  Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the Burrowing Owl  Survey Protocol and Mitigation Guidelines yielded some interesting information. In 2005, biological surveys revealed at least 9 burrowing owls (including 2 pairs) were inhabiting the undeveloped ~70 acres of land in the park’s property.  The survey report continued by indicating that the “California Department of Fish and Game typically requires 6.5 acres of mitigation habitat for every pair of owls or unpaired individuals displaced by development.” Subsequent surveys over the next 3 years showed that of the 9 owls, 3 were actually residing in the 5.2 acre community center project zone and were subject to passive relocation…and hence the city’s establishment of the 24 acre preserve.

The reason for mitigation is that burrowing owls are a California species of special concern and a candidate species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  As per the California Burrowing Owl Consortium, “…nearly 60% of the breeding groups of owls known to have existed during the 1980s had disappeared by the early 1990s.”

Now getting back to the story, a number of aerial maps in the EIS really caught my eye and provoked additional thought.  When the owls and occupied burrows are plotted, it becomes quite evident that the population is not clustered in a small region of the ~70 open acres of habitat, but are spread throughout.  Which makes sense as the owls need to ensure adequate food is available per individual or pair and thus sustainable. (Larger image click this link http://journowl.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/bo-population.jpg)

The second aerial map highlights the burrowing owl preserve and as you can see leaves a substantial portion of habitat unaccounted for.  So, an email to the city’s project manager revealed that after taking into consideration the current water park, the construction of the new community center (5.2 acres) and the establishment of the preserve (24.5 acres), approximately 40 plus acres remains undeveloped.  Yes, I thought it was a little suspicious as well, which is why I asked about other planned projects.  According to the city, future development plans include about 20 acres. (Larger image click this link http://journowl.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/bo_habitat.jpg

Giving the city the benefit of the doubt (I know it is quite a leap of faith) that the remaining 20 acres will be used to extend the burrowing owl habitat, the fact that the owl population’s Prewett Park range has been reduced by more than half is testament to the reason why over the last 15 years burrowing owls have disappeared from significant portions of their California range.

Additionally, what ramifications will the construction of the 2009 5.2 acre community center have on the resident population and more importantly construction of a further  20 acres in the future? What about a dramatic reduction in available habitat? From the trends that have already been observed, it was a 60% decline in breeding groups.  As I see it now, a nature stroll in the not so distant days will involve a concrete path in the shadow of a community center amongst non-native flora with a sign designating a once populated burrowing owl habitat.

This is one situation where I would love to be proved wrong…time will tell.

Whether you are aware on not, California is currently anticipating yet another potential drought for 2009, especially if we continue to experience a run of dry weather. This past week some areas of the state’s north have been precipitation blessed, but the storms are not drought saviors by any means according to officials. The Sonoma County Water Agency has already informed more than 750,000 residents that water supplies may be reduced by 30-50% as they grapple with extraordinarily low storage levels in Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma. If more storms do not pass our way before the summer hits, residents, agriculture, industry and wildlife will be forced to comply with water rations.

To make matters even more dire, Pam Jeane, deputy chief engineer of operations was quoted, “Detection of a La Nina weather pattern indicates that next year may also be a low rainfall year. Releases from Lake Sonoma will need to be minimized to carry over some water storage for next year’s needs.”

Unlike people, wildlife are not necessarily able to cope with their already diminishing allotment of water as more and more is diverted to fill the need of urban sprawl, growing agricultural needs, and commercial industries. The two aforementioned lakes and their river counterparts support a selection of flora and fauna, including three fish species (coho and chinook salmon and steelhead) listed as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

And as typically happens when faced with any threat to our current practices (sustainable or unsustainable), society immediately scrambles to find a patch.

In this case, the patch under debate is a series of desalination plants to siphon the Pacific Ocean and quench our current and future thirst. But what about increasing conservation efforts? Well that is exactly what a number of conservation and watchdog groups are posing to over eager officials who are ignoring environmentally friendly solutions such as good ole’ fashioned conservation efforts by individuals and industries, storm water reuse and water recycling. Desalination plants are not magical purveyors of free water, but energy hogs, fishery traps, and depositors of concentrated brine in ecologically significant wetlands. Our lack of proper action has already caused the deterioration of fish populations, and now with our third year of below average rainfall approaching we are forcing ourselves into emergency action (as usual) instead of instituting proper management techniques.

Mark Massara, director of the Sierra Club’s Coastal Program, said, “Obviously there’s a need for fresh water, but there’s a misperception that desalination is the Holy Grail that allows you to engage in unfettered sprawl and ignore conservation. Desalination is still not priced competitively with traditional water costs, and we haven’t even hit the tip of the iceberg on conservation.”

Just as the current economic climate requires individuals, governments, and corporations to reduce financial obligations and save, the same holds true when water is the limiting factor. Having been natural resource gluttons in the past does not entitle us to be gluttons in the present nor in the future.

The California Coastal Commission has suggested the following potential coastal zone impacts for installation of a desalination plant:

• Air quality
• Commercial and recreational fishing
• Construction impacts on land and marine species and habitats
• Energy use
• Marine resources impacts from feedwater intake and ocean discharge
• Navigation
• Noise
• Potential hazardous releases from accidents
• Visual and Water quality
• Water quantity (e.g. effects of drawdown or saltwater intrusion of groundwater

Well after the other day’s post, I got to thinking of the last coyote sighting I had 10 months ago. I didn’t realize such an occurrence was about to be a rarity. Without further adieu…

Unable to ignore the less than subtle hints (i.e. barking, whining, pacing) any longer, my wife and I took our two shorthairs for a much needed night time walk through our suburban maze. Venturing outside the confines of the stucco wall that defines our neighborhood, we found ourselves on what can be considered a paved mote that officially separates the developed world from that of a semi-urbanized dimension that still manages to pass as open space. In an effort to prevent the collision of the two worlds, a series of chain link has been erected that formally fragments the little openness that remains. Approximately 100 feet away, all four of us spotted a coyote running away from our position parallel to the fence; whose activities were soon interrupted by the spouting of whines from our pseudo-children. A brief hesitation was followed by a sprint towards the open zone as the coyote retreated in the opposite direction of his intentions.

Upon closer inspection, we soon realized that a portion of the fence had rolled upon itself and left a sizeable area to sneak back and forth from blacktop to soil. As we peered through the holes in the fence trying to glimpse the rogue canine, we were startled by a second coyote running parallel along the fence in our direction. As we remained motionless (except for the escalating antics of the shorthairs of course), the coyote abandoned his efforts upon our visual identification and watched, much to his chagrin, dinner escape between our legs. Literally running for life, a rabbit passed between our posse without so much as the slightest alteration to its trajectory.

It was at that moment that we realized the two coyotes had been working as a team to flush the rabbit along an inescapable path. They effectively set up the typical “pickle” until urban sprawl squandered their game. Through a series of unfortunate events, namely my wife, our dogs and I, the coyotes went without supper. As soon as the incident passed, my wife asked if I was happier for saving the rabbit’s life or more saddened by the fact that we caused the coyotes to go hungry.

I am ashamed to say that I may be guilty of falling into an observational torpor and have completely failed to recognize the lack of recent local wildlife sightings. As I sit here racking my brain to identify the last time I saw a rabbit, a burrowing owl or a coyote, I can’t help but remember their abundance one and two winters ago. Whether by day or night, I was accustomed to the visual stimulation of spotting a burrowing owl poised either on the post of a fence, or, as I neared, darting from their earthen hideaway to a rock that serves as an observation station, a pair of coyotes shadowing my moves at a distance, and rabbits scattering from fresh grasses to leafy thickets for cover.

Come to think of it, there was a time that an ambulance or fire engine post-sunset would set off a chain of coyote howls that would drown out the sirens. Now, sirens simply pierce the nighttime silence, fence posts remain unadorned, and the fields are free of curious canines. However, these open spaces do continue to propagate and are now host to an ever increasing population of blacktop and streetlights. So I guess the question ‘Where’s the wildlife?’ has a rather obvious answer.

Unbridled development and urban sprawl are at the forefront of environmental tribulations; causing habitat fragmentation, destruction of open spaces, wildlife displacement, pollution, etc. By carving neighborhoods, roads and shopping centers into once continuous blocks of forests and grasslands we are dividing critical habitat into ever smaller blocks. Yet, we are amazed when some suburbs experience an increase in negative human-wildlife interactions and others lose the splendor of nature we once so enjoyed.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, most woodlands in the East are less than 100 acres in size, 95% of tallgrass prairies have been destroyed or converted to agriculture, and 94% of native grasslands in San Diego County have been developed. Additionally, the U.S. Forest Service states, “Between 1982 and 2001, approximately 34 million acres of open space (an area the size of Illinois) were lost to development – approximately 4 acres per minute or 6,000 acres a day. Specific to forests, over 10 million acres were converted to houses, buildings, lawns, and pavement between 1982 and 1997, and 26 million acres more are projected to be developed by 2030. The total loss of forests from 1982 to 2030 will be close to the size of Georgia.”

There is no doubt that amplified habitat fragmentation as a result of urban development is a danger to biodiversity and if we are not careful we will awaken to find ourselves alone on a nature walk.