BC First Nation takes species-at-risk recovery into new territory

The Upper Nicola Band is celebrating the first ever release on their land of critically endangered Burrowing Owls on Sunday.

This is the first time Burrowing Owls have been reintroduced onto lands controlled by a First Nation, and is the culmination of more than two years of preparation. The Upper Nicola Band partnered with the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC, local species-at-risk biologists, and the federal Interdepartmental Recovery Fund to plan and implement the reintroduction program.

According to traditional ecological knowledge, Burrowing Owls were historically present on Upper Nicola reserve lands, but no wild owls were observed during a 2014 survey for the species. Owls are deeply woven into the culture of the Upper Nicola and other Interior Salish people. They are considered guardian spirits for hunters and warriors, and are sometimes spirit carriers and guides to other worlds.

“The culture that has always given us strength and supported us is based on coexistence with the land that has always sustained us,” says Upper Nicola Chief Harvey McLeod. “We must give it support in turn. It means we have the responsibility to be stewards of the world around us, and to reclaim where we can what we have lost, and to rebuild what we are losing.”

Burrowing Owls are small, brown and white owls with long legs, a round head, white eyebrows and bright yellow eyes. Unlike most birds of prey, this charismatic species spends a great deal of time on, or near, the ground. They make their home below ground, usually seeking out burrows abandoned by badgers or marmots.

In preparation for the release of the first set of Burrowing Owls, Upper Nicola field technicians and cultural advisors helped to survey the band’s eight reserves and identify suitable habitat. Community members also helped to build nestboxes and prepare artificial burrows. The burrows will be home to the first three breeding pairs of Burrowing Owls, which were hatched and raised by volunteers of the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC.

Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC Director Mike Macintosh says, “these small birds are part of the rich weaving of life in BC’s grasslands. They’re predators and prey, and they’re disappearing from Canada as a result of habitat loss and environmental threats. We’ve been learning what it takes to bring them back. It starts with conserving grassland habitats, and with the work of people like members of the Upper Nicola Band and volunteers with the Conservation Society.”

The Band and Society will continue to work together to feed the owls until they can survive without supplements, and to monitor them through the summer until they migrate.

The goal of both the Upper Nicola Band and the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC is to reverse the continuing decline of the Burrowing Owl populations in Canada, and help establish and maintain a self-perpetuating, well-distributed population of owls in British Columbia. Additionally, the goal Upper Nicola Band species at risk program is to build capacity, increase knowledge of culturally and ecologically important wildlife, and encourage community-based, hands-on conservation.