Give a Hoot

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has granted Florida Atlantic University (FAU) a permit to “nonlethally harass” burrowing owls on campus to encourage them to vacate areas slated for construction. Methods include using loud noise, inserting video scopes, and filling burrows with sand to prevent renesting. 

In her final semester atFAU, senior biology major Juliana Soto describes herself as a once-detached observer of the natural world - until she discovered that burrowing owls were being harassed to make way for campus development. 

“I wasn’t someone to take action,” she says. “I just let things be until I found out that there were burrowing owls at school.” Once aware, she says, “My heart just sort of… called.” 

Ironically, FAU’s 2019 Boca Raton Campus Master Plan Update specifically acknowledges burrowing owls as a protected species, alongside gopher tortoises. The latest Protected Species Assessment (2018) estimated 24–28 burrowing owls and 154 gopher tortoises on campus.  

Still, some conservation land is eligible for “land swaps” if new structures are needed. This means owl and tortoise habitats could be lost in one area but replaced with “larger acreage and greater wildlife usage” elsewhere. 

When plans first emerged to build a parking lot along Tortuga Trail, Soto and a sustainability club successfully halted the project by going public, calling news outlets to raise alarm. FAU’s PR responded by saying the plan was scrapped. Instead, construction was simply shifted to the southeast portion of campus, near the start of the El Río Trail. Soto’s request for public records from FWC has been pending since early July, with no response as of now. 

In theory, these swaps are supposed to maintain or even enhance conservation value by trading one parcel for another. In practice, they often result in fragmented, less functional habitat, with wildlife pushed into smaller, disconnected tracts that cannot support long-term survival. 

The term “nonlethal harassment” may seem benign on the surface. But Soto has seen burrows left unprotected and others sand-filled, with owls forced onto perches nearby before being driven away altogether. The result, she says, is displaced owls and destroyed breeding territory. 

Soto also raises a larger environmental and cultural grievance: invasive iguanas eating owl eggs, and the university’s refusal to act, citing that euthanizing iguanas would be considered “inhumane,” even though volunteers from Project Perch offered help. She frames this as negligence that endangers the owls. 

“It’s not just about the owls; Florida is being sold when we could be coexisting with nature.” 

Institutional ties between FAU and GEO Group evoke broader questions about priorities and values - particularly in a university setting where activism and environmental stewardship should be foundational. 

Soto highlighted that GEO Group, a private prison and detention company, briefly held naming rights for FAU’s football stadium in 2013, under a $6 million deal. That agreement sparked campus-wide protests under the banner “Stop Owlcatraz.” Amid widespread opposition, GEO pulled the donation in April 2013. 

Most recently, FAU announced its new president is Adam Hasner, a former Republican lawmaker and previously a vice president at GEO Group. His appointment, announced in February 2025, drew criticism for his lack of academic leadership experience and his ties to GEO. 

Soto finds the convergence unsettling: “[The FAU president] is a top executive for GEO Group… it’s weird. I see an interconnection and it isn’t looking right.” 

Soto wants FAU to improve transparency- publicize existing parking availability, explore humane alternatives, and recognize that wildlife matters too. She suggests features like shaded breezeways, better communication about facility usage, and avoiding needless development on sensitive natural zones. 

For Soto, the fight is not only about stopping one parking garage - it’s about setting a precedent for how Florida’s universities treat the state’s native wildlife. She and other advocates have launched a petition calling on FAU to halt development of the two fields on the southeast side of campus and instead transform the area into protected viewing zones for the owls. 

The group emphasizes that if you do visit the owls, you should stay at least 75–100 feet away and use binoculars to avoid stressing the birds. 

By signing, supporters demand that FAU choose alternative construction sites that do not require the harassment or relocation of burrowing owls, while embracing the opportunity to showcase one of Florida’s most unique native species. To sign, visit change.org/p/save-fau-burrowing-owls.