Lemon Bay Conservancy is taking a lead role in a recently launched initiative to help protect a small colony of Florida Burrowing Owls living in a developing area off Gasparilla Road. Our plans include a $100,000 fundraising goal to purchase and maintain properties for permanent Burrowing Owl Habitat Protection.
4 owlets at their burrow
These charismatic little owls live in underground burrows and hunt insects and rodents in the surrounding grasslands. They are listed by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission as a state-threatened species, primarily due to habitat loss. They lay their eggs underground and welcome the fragile new owlets to the area around their burrows.
Only one small group of Burrowing Owls, with fewer than 50 adults, live in western Charlotte County.
In June 2024, Susy d’Hont, LBC member and birding enthusiast, called together local environmentalists and representatives from Lemon Bay Conservancy, Peace River Audubon, and the Conservancy of North Port, with the goal of creating an action plan to help protect our local owls as the area around them develops. A set of action plans, discussed below, developed out of that meeting.
Map and Monitor the Colony: We recognized the need to establish a full understanding of the local colony by identifying and monitoring all known burrow locations. To fulfill that objective, a spreadsheet with all known burrow locations was created and, since December 2024, volunteers from LBC and Peace River Audubon have been visiting each location an average of four times a week to record the number of adult owls and owlets present. Over time, this ongoing tracking will allow us to determine nesting success and monitor the health of the colony.
Clearly Mark Burrow Locations: Wooden stakes have been placed to establish a 10’ perimeter around burrows so that landscapers will avoid driving any heavy equipment over the burrows, which can cause burrow collapse. A wooden t-post has been placed near each burrow entrance to provide a perch for the owls to better observe the surrounding area for potential predators.
Burrowing Owl returning to the burrow with food
Begin Community Outreach: In cooperation with Peace River Audubon, an educational brochure about the owls was created and mailed to all local homeowners. The published state regulations for protecting the owls and their burrows were discussed with the property owners’ association and with their mowing contractor.
Connect with Outside Experts: Susy d’Hont reached out to a statewide Burrowing Owl non-profit, known as Project Perch, for ideas on installing artificial burrows to provide better protected homes for the owls. We have also reached out to government representatives from Charlotte County Natural Resources and Florida Fish & Wildife to discuss ideas for protecting the colony.
Peace River Audubon President, Bren Curtis, an active member of our team, has studied procedures used by the Audubon Burrowing Owl team on Marco Island and created an extensive information section on Burrowing Owls on the chapter website at: PeaceRiverAudubonSociety.org/birds-in-peril
Through Project Perch, we have engaged with researchers from the University of Idaho who are doing genetic testing to better understand both Florida and western Burrowing Owl populations (which are different species) and have hosted the researchers to band and take genetic samples from members of our local colony.
Acquire Lots to Provide Permanent Owl Habitat: Lemon Bay Conservancy has established a program to acquire selected lots to provide permanent protected habits for the owls. We have sent letters to long-time lot owners asking them to consider donating their property to the Conservancy and have, so far, received one donated lot through this campaign.
Thanks to very generous donations from a small group of initial financial contributors, as of October 2025, we have purchased four additional lots. We have placed artificial burrows on each of these lots and are excited to report that the owls have already been seen checking out their new “digs”.
Lots in areas near the owls are currently selling in the $15,000 to $20,000 range. Our goal for 2026 is to raise $100,000 to fund additional property purchases and to provide for ongoing ownership costs.
A Few Quick Facts about Florida Burrowing Owls:
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 A young burrowing owlet |
Want to Learn More or Help Us Out?
Learn: If you’d like to learn more about this exciting project, mark your calendar to join us for our LBC annual meeting on January 22, 2026, where our Burrowing Owl Initiative will be the featured topic. Click here for meeting details:
LBC Annual Meeting
Volunteer: We need volunteers to help with burrow monitoring, burrow maintenance, and spreadsheet data entry. We invite you to come out and help our volunteer team! Please send us an email to info@LemonBayConservancy.org, or call the office at 941-830-8922 if you’d like to get involved.
Donate:
- To make an online donation: click here: Burrowing Owl Habitat Protection Fund
- By mail, send your donation, marked for Burrowing Owl Habitat Protection, to our P.O. Box:
Lemon Bay Conservancy, P.O. Box 1458, Englewood, FL 34295. - By phone, call us at 941-830-8922. Please leave a message if necessary and we will return your call.
For donors considering major contributions, we can arrange a private tour to visit the owl burrows and learn more about these amazing creatures. Please email or call us using the contact information shown above.
A special mention: Our sincere thanks to Realtor Jayne Neville, LBC member and nature lover, who has spent many, many hours working without commission to help us find owners and negotiate property purchase transactions to help protect the owls. Thank you Jayne and Paradise Exclusive Real Estate!
A closing note: You may remember the 2006 movie Hoot, partially filmed on Boca Grande. That movie was about a group of young children trying to protect Burrowing Owl habitat from destruction!