Help the owls survive. I also love the Canadian Geese. It was nice to see them at Shoreline Park. When I visited with my kids and grand-daughter I enjoyed pointing them out to them. Be kind (not cruel) to them also, as they are a delight to adults and kids alike. If the city takes action against the couple of hundred Geese now, some sadists may go after thousands of privately owned horses, and millions of cats and dogs afterwards!! Stop that, and bring them back to this city. Remember, they were all here before any of us (or horses, cats or dogs) got here.

Isn't Google planning to build all over the owls nesting grounds? The poor owls chances are doomed. They are beautiful birds that deserve a helping hand at survival.

Yep! We have already been through this with Google. How we as a society prioritize, how we value, is ultimately based not on "how good it is," but "how much money will we make" or "what will be be my Return On Investment (ROI)." So much for the poor owls.

While the planned google development would certainly be considered to be on BO habitat, I have really not seen any in that area over the years walking the perimeter road at NASA. Used to see a lot more of them than today, but they have always been on the airfield and in and around the golf course on the east side of the airfield. I've seen a fair number of feral cats on the soon-to-be google side of Ames, so maybe they avoid that side?

I am very appreciative of the time and energy being taken by all members of the community to protect the Western Burrowing Owls. My thanks to local and state government officials for working to implement the preservation plan, which can serve as a model for other cities. We are so lucky to have these very interesting birds in our immediate environment and protecting them will enhance the overall health of our Bay ecology.

A thank you to the staff at the City of MV and the Shoreline golf course managers for your attention to and work on preserving a bit of wildness on the last fringes of our city. I've lived and worked in Mountain View since the early 80's and have enjoyed getting out to the bay, taking in the vistas, watching birds, and especially looking for the Burrowing Owls. It's getting harder and harder to see these special residents of our city. They are not only delightful but an indicator of a healthy habitat. Thanks also to our elected city representatives and Assemblyperson Fong for their work helping the critters as well as the people who enjoy them.

Thank you to Santa Clara Valley Audubon and the City of Mountain View for taking steps to save the Burrowing Owls. I hope that these efforts will be fruitful and if so, might also be used in Palo Alto's historic burrowing owl habitat.

Thanks to Audubon for providing the info and the City of Mt. View for listening and reacting. Understanding that wildlife and its habitat are 'stakeholders' too will make our urban areas vital and diverse. Clean land, air and water for all. Good work by all involved.

Great article! WE hope the preservation plan moves forward quickly and successfully and that other cities will follow Mountain View's lead, including San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Palo Alto at Byxbee Park.

Thank you Assembly member Fong and Mountain View city council members for working with the Audubon Society to help preserve these beautiful owls.
We should strive to provide future generations with the same beauty we are lucky enough to have now. The Aflight exhibition sounds wonderful and I look forward to seeing the different species of birds that make use of the parkland.

Your article is very helpful for those of us who are not aware of the plight of these attractive owls. Thank you Mountain View for being at the forefront of Burrowing Owl protection in our county and setting an example to other nearby cities. Please keep up the good work.

It's amazing when Assemblymen, City Council members, wildlife organizations and the public get together what they can achieve, it's so nice to hear a positive story for a change, I hope these beautiful birds can be saved so we can always enjoy seeing them at Shoreline Park, I have not seen any owls there for several years now.

Thanks first to Daniel Debolt for a well written article educating all of us about burrowing owls. Thanks to Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society and especially Shani Kleinhaus for their advocacy and to Assemblyman Paul Fong for carrying it to Sacramento. And thanks to the City of Mountain View and its Shoreline staff for setting an example for other bayside cities to follow, protecting the owls and their habitat. May their plans be implemented quickly, and the burrowing owl population increase!

These beautiful and HELPFUL owls deserve our protection, and I am grateful for the foresight of the City of Mountain View and Assembly Fong for their support - along with the Audubon Society. The balance of nature benefits us all.

I have the privilege of studying burrowing owls in the wild, and they are fascinating creatures. More tenacious and resourceful than one would think, and mysterious as well. There is much we still do not know about their ecology. I hope more research on these charismatic birds will guide us toward a plan that will help us - owls and humans - live together in a peaceful, mutually beneficial way.

Santa Clara is at the forefront of Burrowing Owl conservation. When I moved to Mountain View in 1966 we had Burrowing Owl colonies on every highway clover leaf. Caltrans wipe them all out. The ranch's along the bay all had Burrowing Colonies city governments, elected offices, city planners and developers all wiped them out. Now Santa Clara Audubon is providing the last measures of civic duties in managing the few remaining Burrowing Owls asking government to have a heart, to be wise , to train your landscape crews to get the rhythm of the Burrowing habitat during breeding periods. Santa Clara Audubon is a leadership organization, let us praise their efforts.

Thank you to the many organizations and people who have demonstrated leadership in addressing the crisis facing our county’s burrowing owls. These include the Mountain View City Council, Mayor Siegel, the staff of Shoreline Park, biologist Phil Higgins, and SCVAS environmental advocate Shani Kleinhaus. Without your efforts, we would surely lose our owl population. Let’s work to get other Santa Clara County cities to follow Mountain View’s lead.

Santa Clara Vally Audubon Society has produced an award winning short documentary on the plight of the burrowing owls in our county,
see
"Reversing the Trend" - Web Link

I hope every teacher in our area would show it to her classroom!!!

Can't humans learn to be more ecologically astute? Saving the Western Burrowing Owl is as important as building a new house. Think about it.

As a nearby resident, I've been enjoying the Burrowing Owls at Shoreline Park for nearly 20 years. But, unfortunately, their numbers have been decreasing to the point that they may soon no longer inhabit the park. Action is required immediately. I applaud the work of Santa Clara Audubon and fully support their efforts to save this precious bird. Mountain View has an opportunity now set an example for other local communities where the Burrowing Owl has likewise suffered.

Congratulatiions to all the individuals and organizatiions who have kept the issue of the burrowing owls before the public. Without their dedication these amazing birds would long ago have disappeared from our area. Let's work toward bringing even greater awareness to the plight of the owls so that we can see an increase rather than a decrease in their numbers! Enlarging their range would be a positive step in that direction.

Thank you so much for the great article on Mountain View's efforts to save the Burrowing Owls. Keeping this issue in the public eye is incredibly important, and the volunteers who work tirelessly to help preserve these and wonderful birds deserve all the support possible!

Enjoyed the article on the Burrowing Owls.... Glad Assembly Fong is involved... I have enjoyed watching the owls at Shoreline and hope they can be saved.. Please keep us informed of the plight of these remarkable birds. Thanks to all who are involved in trying to save them, SCVAS, Phill Higgins, Biologist and the many who support this project.

To know them is to love them! See the movie "Reversing the Trend", stop by the Rengstorff House, Shoreline at Mountain View this month to view the birds of Shoreline display. Thanks to Assemblyman Fong and all who are working so hard for the preservation of this very special animal. Shoreline has tried for many years to protect the owls. The realization is that they cannot do it without community effort. Let's all help our feathered friends.

Very good story; thanks for writing. I will support anything that Mountain View and other communities can do to protect burrowing owls.

Santa Clara Valley Audubon and the City of Mountain View have been instrumental in taking steps to save the Burrowing Owls. I can only hope that someone listens to them and helps to save just a bit of nature for all of us.

Great write-up - I hope it brings more attention to the plight of these birds and to the good work being done by the City of Mountain View Council and the Shoreline staff to help the owls survive. Mountain View is setting an example that will hopefully be followed by San Jose, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto at Byxbee park, and other communities around the bay to protect the burrowing owls and the habitat that they need to survive.

We must have nesting grounds for these creatures!

Shoreline Park is a major destination for birders and managing for wildlife should be the highest priority in the park. I applaud the efforts of Mountain View city leaders and Assemblyman Paul Fong to take the plight of species such as Burrowing Owls seriously. Thanks, Shani and Santa Clara Valley Audubon, for leading the discussion and suggesting actions. I hope that other cities would follow the lead -- for example, San Jose. I cringe whenever I see a new office building along highway 237....once prime owl habitat, now home to unoccupied office space.

I remember when you could take visitors to Shoreline and guarantee them an owl sighting; now I haven't seen a bird there in years. I sincerely hope these efforts are successful and that these wonderful birds are able to hold on to what little habitat they have left in the county. Thanks to Audubon for their countless hours of advocacy.

I am shocked to see such low #'s for the B owl population. I'd like to thank the City of Mountain View Council and Shoreline for their concern and attempts at protecting the owls and their habitats. Now that I am aware of the dire situation I am going to follow their plight and Paul Fong's attempt at addressing the issue in Sacramento.

We can thank google for this! Taking over all that breeding ground so they can have a recreational campus for their employees..

A good wildlife photographer should always put wildlife first. Get a very good lense so that you can take your pictures from a safe distance. It's also a good idea to take pictures from a parked vehicle or a nearby building. Never disturb the bird/animal that you are photographing-this can easily result in their injury or even death. Be respectful of the breeding season when parents are busy feeding and protecting their young. The last thing they need is a person calling attention to their burrow, nest or den. Let's work together to protect our wildlife for future generations!

I'm so happy to hear of so many people working to bring the owls back. Keep up the good work!