Albany Bulb

Albany Habitat Set Aside for Owls Going Unused
A field set aside as a habitat for the Western Burrowing Owl sits empty near the Albany shore, and some locals say the project doesn’t make any sense

Watch the CBS5.com piece about the burrowing owl habitat

I haven’t heard of anyone who has seen “the owl” yet?

Sightings anyone?

An interesting read in the The Journal today:

A conversation project under way at the Albany Plateau has pitted dog walkers and recreational users against environmentalists and local city and park officials.
The project mitigates for the lose of burrowing owl habitat at the Gilman Street Playing Fields in Berkeley… but many reject the assertion that owls used that area and any mitigation is needed.

dog walker and recreational user viewpoint: “The concept of making these areas of landfill, a dump, into preservation habitat where people cannot go, where fencing keeps people out, is really an insidious part of what passes as environmentalism these days,” said Jill Posener, a Berkeley resident who walks her dogs at the Plateau. “It’s really sad.”

Albany Waterfront Committee member, Clay Larson: “I don’t think that there was any real, scientific evidence that there was an impact on the bird…”

local city and park officials: Roger Miller, senior management analyst for Berkeley’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Waterfront, said mitigation is required…
Miller said, a biologist hired by the city of Berkeley saw one owl in 2006 and a second biologist said he had seen a burrowing owl in the area in 2004.
Brad Olson, spokesman for East Bay Regional Park District said there was no guarantee the owls would move.

Read the full article: Conversation Project at Albany Plateau Riles Dog Owners