At last count, there were 11 Burrowing Owls (at least 4 breeding pairs) in residence at the Kiper Homes Blue Ridge Development site in Antioch, California. Burrowing Owls are officially classified as a Species of Special Concern in California, and their numbers are declining rapidly, primarily due to habitat loss.
Burrowing Owls are the only owls likely to be seen in daylight. These 8 - 10" tall birds have very long legs, brown speckled plumage and bright yellow eyes. Burrowing Owls often dwell in ground squirrel burrows in open grassland. Unfortunately, prime ground squirrel and Burrowing Owl habitat is also prime housing development land, especially in California's crowded Bay Area.
Environmental Impact Report
The last Environmental Impact Report (EIR) done for the Blue Ridge Development site in Antioch was completed 12 years ago. Not only was this EIR commissioned by the previous developer, it was completed before any owls had taken up residence in the area.
Kiper Homes has not been required to conduct a new EIR for their project, despite the fact that these Burrowing Owls have lived and nested on the site for several years.
Development Moving Forward
Despite protests from wildlife advocates, Kiper Homes has decided to move forward and evict the 11 owls without any plans to relocate them or mitigate their loss of habitat. The tragic thing is that breeding season is only about two weeks away so the displacement of these owls is potentially catastrophic for the individual birds and the local ecosystem.
Kiper Homes should take responsibility for disturbing the habitat of a threatened species and commission an Enviromental Impact Report (EIR) to assess the best way to mitigate harm to the owls. At the very least they should agree to abide by EIR recommendations.
As required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), please require Kiper Homes to complete a new Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that reflects the changed, current conditions on the site, including the actual presence of these Burrowing Owls.
Please halt the Kiper Homes project immediately, until a comprehensive, updated EIR and environmental analysis can be prepared, which includes the design and implementation of adequate, enforceable, and monitorable mitigation measures (i.e. a preserve on the site or a properly-done relocation offsite).
We also urge the city of Antioch to work to be a part of the solution for owl protection at this site (and throughout the city!), as opposed to contributing to the decline of owls throughout the Bay Area and state of California.
Ed Hobaugh, VP/CFO Kiper Development, Inc. Kiper Homes (925) 648-8888 ext.13 ehobaugh@kiperinc.com
Please call, email or fax members of the Antioch City Council.
Mayor Pro Tem Mary Helen Rocha P.O. Box 5007 Antioch, CA 94531-5007 Tel (925) 207-7220 mrocha@ci.antioch.ca.us
Council Member Brian Kalinowski P.O. Box 5007 Antioch, CA 94531-5007 Tel (925) 584-5430 bkski1@comcast.net
Council Member Reginald L. Moore P.O. Box 5007 Antioch, CA 94531-5007 Tel (925) 706-7040 reggiemoore35@msn.com
Council Member Martha Parsons P.O. Box 5007 Antioch, CA 94531-5007 Tel (925) 890-2665 mparsons@ci.antioch.ca.us
Sample Letter
Dear Antioch City Councilmembers:
We are writing to express our outrage and concern over the eviction of the burrowing owls at the Kiper Homes project in your City. These owls are a species of concern in California, and are not only rare, but declining in population numbers at a staggering rate due to habitat disturbance and elimination. The Kiper Homes project is just the type of situation that results in the loss of yet more owl individuals - thereby impacting species integrity as a whole - and the project developer's "mitigation" techniques are simply inadequate for preventing harm to these birds. These mitigation techniques were were prepared long ago, prior to current the knowledge about burrowing owl habitat, and about the specific owls at this site.
As required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), we urge you to require a new Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that reflects the changed, current conditions on the site, including the actual presence of these owls there. We also urge that you halt the Kiper Homes project immediately, until a comprehensive, updated EIR and environmental analysis can be prepared, which includes the design and implementation of adequate, enforceable, and monitorable mitigation measures (i.e., a preserve on the site or a properly-done relocation offsite).
We also urge the city of Antioch to work to be a part of the solution for owl protection at this site (and throughout your city!), as opposed to contributing to the decline of owls throughout the Bay Area (and state of California).
