Phase II
As a result of our fieldwork last year with the San Diego Zoo, 19 burrowing owls have moved into the Otay Mesa Preserve. Although our focus is no longer field work, we are still proud of our accomplishments, and hope that the local burrowing owl colony will prosper! These owls have all been captured and banded, and over 350 squirrels have been relocated to preserves. We’ve educated 200 local students and adults about the plight of the burrowing owl, collected and sent letters of activism, and organized local activities incorporating singing, dancing, musical chairs, and owl sketching activities to enhance the learning process. educational. By this time of submission, we have distributed about 250 STOP owl awareness wristbands, as well.
We have created an online "Choose Your Own Adventure Game" which can be found at www.owlgame.weebly.com. This interactive, online resource will provide a way for local students and kids to stay involved with the burrowing owl, thus extending the educational process.
Additionally, we have created a petition which can be found at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/174/554/099/save-western-burrowing-owls/ aimed at creating stricter enforcement of construction laws governing construction on lands inhabited by owls. This has been signed by over 100 people already, all of whom have received further information about burrowing owl conservation.
We educated many of our peers at Canyon Crest Academy through an article that was accepted for publication in Catalyst, the school science magazine, which has a circulation of around 500 students. When it was published, in late March/early April, many of our peers approached STOP members to inquire further about our work. Several expressed an interest in joining, as well. Clearly, the article incited great interest and discussion about the significance of the Athene cunicularia to our community… which is just what we aimed for.
We are currently working on a YouTube documentary about our works to further raise awareness and are planning to organize a local movie night showing the movie Hoot, in addition to our documentary. We are also continuing to add to our line of owl-themed merchandise, with a new version of the owl keychain coming out, as well as a small educational owl "kit" for students with crafts and conservation information. We are in the process of having more articles published in local newspapers and posting flyers and posters around our community.
We have created an online "Choose Your Own Adventure Game" which can be found at www.owlgame.weebly.com. This interactive, online resource will provide a way for local students and kids to stay involved with the burrowing owl, thus extending the educational process.
Additionally, we have created a petition which can be found at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/174/554/099/save-western-burrowing-owls/ aimed at creating stricter enforcement of construction laws governing construction on lands inhabited by owls. This has been signed by over 100 people already, all of whom have received further information about burrowing owl conservation.
We educated many of our peers at Canyon Crest Academy through an article that was accepted for publication in Catalyst, the school science magazine, which has a circulation of around 500 students. When it was published, in late March/early April, many of our peers approached STOP members to inquire further about our work. Several expressed an interest in joining, as well. Clearly, the article incited great interest and discussion about the significance of the Athene cunicularia to our community… which is just what we aimed for.
We are currently working on a YouTube documentary about our works to further raise awareness and are planning to organize a local movie night showing the movie Hoot, in addition to our documentary. We are also continuing to add to our line of owl-themed merchandise, with a new version of the owl keychain coming out, as well as a small educational owl "kit" for students with crafts and conservation information. We are in the process of having more articles published in local newspapers and posting flyers and posters around our community.