What is the degree of overlap between burrowing owl habitat and potential areas for solar projects in Arizona? Renewable energy developers are considering solar projects around this species. If so, what mitigation and habitat restoration opportunities should be planned?
These are some of the big questions Arizona State University students ask. Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences At the Polytechnic Campus, I began working on a new research project funded by a grant to the ASU Foundation. oerstedis a leading clean energy company. Science-Based Targets InitiativeThe project builds on the expertise and interest of the students and faculty members of the Applied Biological Sciences program at the home university. Burrowing Owl Conservation Project.
A burrowing owl stands near the entrance to an underground burrow on the ASU Institute of Technology campus in August 2021.Photo Credit: Deanna Dent/Arizona State University
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Burrowing owls — the only species of owl in the world that nest and live in underground burrows — are abundant in southern Arizona, including the metropolis of Phoenix. However, increased development of open deserts and grasslands has led to habitat loss, and burrowing owls have been called a ‘species of concern’. The owl population, once the most abundant in the continental United States, has dwindled to less than 1% of the U.S. population 150 years ago.
Joanna Grabsky, Dean of the School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, said: “Career-related learning and industry partnerships are at the heart of many degree programs at the university. For the student body of the ASU Polytechnic Campus and students of the Applied Biological Sciences Program, the Burrowing Owl Project is a sure source of connection and unity.” Learning about owls and what we can do to help this species fascinates the ASU community as well.”
In May 2021, in partnership with Wild at Heart Raptor Rescue, the ASU Polytechnic Campus will successfully open a burrow for a pair of owls that need to be relocated due to development elsewhere in the Phoenix area. Set up an owl habitat to dig into. The students assessed the best sites to find a habitat, helped build it, and helped feed and maintain the owls as they settled in their new habitat. Over the past two years, multiple classes have been involved in restoring their habitat, studying owls and their chicks by observing and analyzing trail camera footage in real time.
“Biodiversity conservation can coexist with the green energy we need, just as burrowing owls coexist with prairie dog communities,” says Oersted’s local biodiversity specialist. Daniel Willard says. “We believe it is important to prioritize wildlife conservation and biodiversity support while developing renewable energy projects. It will help us better understand how best to minimize the risk to visiting species and help restore the habitat they need to thrive.”
Student researchers were selected for the project in February and will now begin collecting data to identify high-priority habitats for burrowing owls and other sensitive species, as well as locations with high solar energy potential. increase. These include areas with flat land, limited vegetation, potential for development, and close to substations. This information will help energy companies better understand the location and extent of burrowing owl habitat as they develop projects in Arizona.
“In Applied Biological Sciences at ASU, we are research-driven and want to ensure that students have the opportunity to collect data and analyze their research,” says Adam, one of the faculty members who oversees student research. Professor Stein said. in a project. “To quantify the potential overlap between high-quality burrowing owl habitat and land with high solar potential, Professor Fabio Albuquerque took the lead in designing heat maps and using powerful GIS. We plan to use programming.Our students are very active in learning to work.Use this powerful GIS tool and adapt it to your real situation.”
Career learning
ASU Senior Kylie Fleckenstein, one of the students who will be working on the grant project, is excited.
“I started putting together a plan to create several different species-occurrence models to superimpose with hotspot analyzes of where solar plants would be most ideal,” said Fleckenstein. . Department of Applied Biological Sciences completing the Natural Resource Ecology ConcentrationLast semester, she worked on a project similar to that of Prof. Stein and Prof. Albuquerque, modeling how future climax variables affect the distribution of five-striped sparrow species over the next 60 to 80 years. focused on.
“This modeling is exactly what I want to do when I graduate,” said Fleckenstein. After starting the university’s Applied Biological Sciences major as an online student in Washington, she came directly to ASU to complete her degree in Natural Resource Ecology at the Polytechnic campus. There is much more to be here in person!
To develop a clear benchmark for successful translocation, the researchers compiled a comprehensive list of techniques that have been shown to successfully translocate burrowing owls and determined where these were geographically. Students will also identify renewable energy developers who have successfully reduced impacts on burrowing owls during the construction and energy production phases, providing opportunities to protect and restore habitats. Explore.
“Students will get outside of theory and science and start to understand how many disciplines are relevant to issues like this,” Stein said. Collecting unpublished knowledge and interviewing conservationists, who think about biological principles and how they can generate new solutions, hopefully this research will We spur the imagination of these students moving forward. We are optimistic that we can solve the energy crisis without further involvement in the biodiversity crisis.”
Oersted is currently building the Eleven Mile Solar Center in Pinal County, Arizona. In addition to leveraging in-house expertise, Ørsted has partnered with environmental consultancy Western EcoSystems Technology (WEST) to avoid and minimize impacts on burrowing owls on projects. WEST and Ørsted worked together to develop and implement a project-specific burrowing owl management plan based on state and federal protocol.
“To do the best job in the most thoughtful way, it is important to learn as much as possible about the burrowing owl and other wildlife of the Southwest. It’s a win-win because we can do it, and the next generation of scientists and green energy advocates will be involved in our work from the start.”
