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Contact: Jason Marton
jason.marton@tamuk.edu or 361-593-4143

Students, faculty part of multi-agency effort to support rare bird & plant species

Planting to help create owl habitat to occur Sept. 27-28


KINGSVILLE (September 22, 2006) — The western burrowing owl has looked to the native grasslands of South Texas as one of its main locations to spend the winter. Unfortunately for this bird, which requires mammal burrows to survive, much of this natural habitat and associated burrows have been lost to agriculture.

Recognizing the problem, a coalition of local governments, state and federal agencies and businesses have worked together in an effort to aid the western burrowing owl by installing artificial burrows in a Robstown park. South Texas ambrosia, a plant species which is on both the federal and state endangered lists, will also be included in the artificial burrow enclosure of the park.

Some of the participants that have been involved in the effort up to now include the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department (USFW), Nueces County, the City of Robstown, San Antonio Botanical Gardens, the Kika de la Garza Plant Materials Center, Flint Hills Resources and Naismith Engineering.

Next week, the effort grows larger, with assistance from students and faculty of Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s fall ecology class, the A&M-Kingsville biology department and the Science Club. They will be in North Robstown County Park, planting South Texas ambrosia plants grown at San Antonio Botanical Gardens in the artificial burrowing owl habitat. In addition, a mix of grasses native to the short grass prairie will be planted as well by the Kika de la Garza Plant Materials Center. The students will be unloading and measuring the plants Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 27, then planting Thursday, Sept. 28.

After that, the artificial owl habitat will be closely monitored over the coming months by both A&M-Kingsville and Robstown High School students. The data gathered by the students will be used by TPWD, USFW, non-profit conservation organizations, local governments and private landowners in making management decisions that could affect these species. The data also will be used in future efforts to increase the size of known populations and reintroduction of new populations.

This page last updated 22 September, 2006