Burrowing Owl Preservation Society

Burrowing Owl Preservation Society (BOPS) was founded to increase public awareness of this adorable little owl. Burrowing Owl conservation and legal protections are sorely lacking. Through education, advocacy and hands on conservation efforts we strive for owl-people compatibility. BOPS has provided Burrowing Owl education in K-12 class rooms, eco-fairs and libraries. We facilitate installation of burrows on private and public land by students, citizens and Boy Scouts. We coach citizens on California Environmental Quality Act participation to advocate for Burrowing Owl mitigation. BOPS advocates for mitigation of habitat lost by giving public comment to Lead Agencies and submitting EIR comment letters. We have banded owls and monitored banded owls. We have facilitated releases of rehabilitated burrowing owls from the California Raptor Center in Yolo County and the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Contra Costa County. BOPS has been an active participant in the California Burrowing Owl Consortium since 2005. BOPS has planned and organized Consortium meetings including the October 2015 Consortium Conference at San Jose State University. BOPS was a local area coordinator for the Institute for Bird Populations 2006-2007 state wide census. We also donated to the publication of the Proceedings of the Burrowing Owl Symposium in 2003. The Burrowing Owl is a very adaptable little bird. When their natural habitats are altered, they can survive in places compatible with human uses. Burrowing Owls have done well on golf courses, some types of agriculture and air ports. Human land uses can accommodate Burrowing Owls if we will give a little thought and planning. We work toward owl-people compatibility.