Description
The Hungry Owl Project (HOP) is a WildCare program conceived and managed by dedicated volunteers who have a special interest in owls, raptors and other beneficial predators. HOP works to educate the public about issues such as secondary poisoning of raptors by rodenticides and has worked with individuals, wineries and golf courses to install nest boxes to attract Barn Owls, Western Screech Owls, American Kestrels, Western Bluebirds, and bats as part of a non-toxic Integrated Pest Management (IPM). HOP engages the community and schools in building nesting boxes that are then sold to fund the project. Assisting WildCare staff, we reunite downed juvenile raptors with their natural families and hack out baby Barn Owls. We use an educational, non-releasable Barn Owl to engage schools and the public through our presentations, and hold an annual fund-raising event featuring live owls and owl-related speakers with a dinner, donated wine, and silent auction.
The Hungry Owl Project is a grassroots organization that works with the community to recognize and address environmental issues including the use of pesticides and rodenticides and the lack of natural tree cavities for beneficial predators.
The mission of the Hungry Owl Project is to reduce the need for harmful pesticides and rodenticides by encouraging natural predators, through conservation of habitat, erecting nest boxes when appropriate, through research and education, and providing a resource of help and information on alternative methods of sustainable pest management.
