Type: report
Article abstract: We report on the second year’s progress in a multi-year program with the goal of developing a model program to assist in the recovery of Western burrowing owls (BUOW; Athene cunicularia hypugaea) and their grassland ecosystem in San Diego County. Current BUOW management is dependent on continued human intervention and may not be self-sustaining. Because the California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) is a keystone species that helps engineer California grassland ecosystems and provides critical resources for burrowing owls, reestablishment of this species is a crucial component of any sustainable recovery plan for burrowing owls and the larger ecosystem. Over time we plan to develop a set of protocols and strategies that can be adopted by managers in San Diego County and in other areas where BUOW conservation management is warranted. Our longterm goal is to assist in the establishment of a more natural grassland ecosystem in San Diego County by re-establishing ground squirrels and, ultimately, BUOW. The work described here is the product of the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research (ICR) and its partners, in particular, its research collaborators at San Diego State University (SDSU). Hereafter, we use the term “we” to describe activities conducted jointly by ICR and SDSU.
Authors: Wisinski, Colleen; Montagne, J.P.; Marczak, Susanne; Shier, Debra M.; Nordstrom, Lisa A.; Swaisgood, Ronald R.;
Year: 2012
Publisher: San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research
Notes: Otay Mesa Grassland Mitigation Fund, 6649
Prepared for: The San Diego Foundation;
Prepared by: San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research;
Species: Western burrowing owl
Projects: