Marco Owl Watch Volunteers Celebrated

The Audubon of the Western Everglades Owl Watch Program was recognized by Marco City Council with a Proclamation of an Owl Watch Volunteers Appreciation Day on Monday, May 19, 2025. City Council Chair Erik Brechnitz read the Proclamation to a room filled with Owl Watch Volunteers proudly wearing their blue field/volunteer shirts.

It was an April 16, 2025, memo from Councilor Stephen Gray that proposed awarding the Owl Watch Program.

It all started on April 16, 2025 when Councilor Stephen Gray’s memo was read into the minutes of the Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee. Gray’s memo said the following:

“Thank you to the Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee for your dedication and commitment. I wanted to take this opportunity to recognize Marco Island’s Owl Watch Program. I am proposing an award from the City for their Conservation and Stewardship Program and their model Citizen Science Program for the Burrowing Owls and Gopher Tortoises on Marco Island. Starting in 2016, the Owl Watch Program and its dedicated island volunteers, working very closely under the supervision of the Audubon of the Western Everglades and Field Biologist, Brittany Piersma, are to be commended in making sure the burrowing owls of Marco (a state threatened species) are protected.

Many of us saw the NBC/BBC “The Americas, The Gulf Coast” series aired in mid- March highlighting Marco’s burrowing owls. My mother was a lifelong admirer of owls and she passed that affection to me.  I want to draw focus to Marco’s Burrowing Owls along with the gopher tortoises living next door to us – iconic symbols of what makes Marco’s wildlife unique.

I give thanks to everyone who has donated their time and devotion to protecting our wildlife.  My goal is for Marco Island to be a model of conservation and stewardship for all our wildlife, particularly our protected and endangered species.  I plan to initiate a Recognition of Service Award for Marco’s Owl Watch Program and will continue to highlight the importance of keeping them safe by protecting their food sources from rodenticide, along with an education campaign to protect their habitat.”