Rally to Save Owls to be held at Sands Park Saturday
The Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife will host a “Rally to Save Owls at Sands Park” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 18, at the park site.
As part of the city’s $60 million Parks Master Plan, the city has plans to create a park in the area off of Sands Boulevard bordered by Southwest 43rd Terrace, Southwest 26th Court and Southwest 45th Street rally organizers wrote on the Friends Facebook page.
“The plan includes paved pathways. Five burrowing owl burrows happen to be in the way. The City wants to collapse those burrows. Three of the burrows have pairs of owls,and the other burrows are satellite burrows,” the rally announcement states.
“Your CCFW Board is concerned about the impact this project will have on our City’s Bird, the burrowing owl. This bird has been given a designation of “Threatened” on the endangered species list. This means the owl may become extinct in the foreseeable future if the human assault on it’s habitat continues.”
Burrowing owls are not the only issue, the organization contends.
“This area is one of the last contiguous undeveloped land parcels in the City. The City’s concept of what this park should look like is in opposition to the vision of the nearby homeowners, Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, other organizations and individuals who care about wildlife and the environment. (remember wildlife also need habitat (green space) to provide food-squirrels, rabbits, etc.)
“Currently this land is surrounded by established homes. The folks that live there are upset about the City of Cape Coral’s plans. They look out their windows and see butterflies, wildflowers, burrowing owls and many other species of birds. Beautiful native trees and bushes are also a part of their vista.”
Those planning to attend are urged to get there early and to park along Southwest 26th Court.