For the past six months, two South Florida community members have fought to protect burrowing owls on the university’s Boca Raton campus and petitioned for more sustainable ways for the university to expand. 

Driven by FAU’s obtaining of a permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Sept. 30, 2024, allowing them to relocate a cluster of owls for the construction of its newest dormitory, Talon Hall. Juliana Soto and Theo Quenee have urged the institution to prioritize the preservation of the owls through a petition, amid planned construction projects on campus.

Soto, a senior biology major, posted her first TikTok in May, where she broke her silence about the increase in construction around campus. “I can’t be silent anymore, “Soto said in her first video. “All of this construction and development is causing the displacement of owls. But it does make sense when you know that all of this development is happening in Florida. We’re displacing Mother Nature.”

After amassing more than 1.3 million views on her TikTok page from her various owl activism videos, Soto caught the attention of Quenee, a local South Florida wildlife photographer and editor. On July 7, Quenee launched a petition, titled “Save the Burrowing Owls,” which has garnered more than 13,000 signatures.

With this petition, Quenee is calling on FAU to preserve an area labeled Lot 4, a grassy space located north of Indian River Street, on the southeast side of the Boca Raton campus near the University Village Apartments. The same lot of land, which is currently being eyed for a performing arts center, is mentioned in FAU’s Boca Raton Campus Master Plan, which details the university’s strategic plan to become the “country’s fastest-improving public research university.”

Due to the time specificity of the FWC Incident Take permits, the university would need to obtain another permit before construction if it plans to relocate the burrowing owls currently nesting on Lot 4. The chosen area currently houses approximately four burrowing owl nests, as marked on the habitat plan using blue circles with an “X” over them. 

It’s unclear if the burrowing owls on Lot 4 will be relocated, as university spokesman Joshua Glanzer didn’t confirm the university’s plans for construction on the lot or the acquisition of a new Incidental Take permit by the FWC. 

The same lot is also listed on the campus master plan. The project, identified as “Project W,” is a “Mixed Use Development” building located west of University Drive and is being considered as a near-term project. It is unclear exactly what a Mixed-Use Development building is or what FAU will be using it for. 

A near-term project is one that was planned to be developed within the next 10 years but, upon closer examination, will be completed within the next five years. Despite responding to other questions in a timely manner, Glanzer did not confirm or deny the construction plan for Lot 4.

The space south of Indian River Street, labeled as Lot 5, does not currently have any prospective projects planned for it. However, according to the Habitat Management Plan, provided by Glanzer, it houses 10 burrowing owl burrows. 

As reported in a previous University Press article, although the building and land plot haven’t been confirmed, the university also plans to develop an “Owl Village”, which could include a restaurant, retail space, and a hotel supported by FAU’s lodging and hospitality programs. 

According to the campus master plan, within the next year, Lot 6, home to one burrowing owl nest and approximately five gopher tortoise nests, will become a “Mixed-Use Development” construction plot.   

“But while balancing responsible growth with environmental stewardship,” Glanzer wrote in an Oct. 7 email to the University Press. “FAU takes great pride in the burrowing owl being a symbol of the university and remains committed to protecting the species on our campus.”

According to Larry Faerman, vice president of Student Affairs, as part of the 2021 Campus Master Plan, FAU selected the site for the Mixed Use Development plot. The selection included input from students, faculty, staff, and the host community. The selection was also presented at two public hearings prior to final approval by the university’s Board of Trustees.

Although the university takes owls into consideration during its expansion, Quenee has continued publicizing the petition in hopes of stronger preservation efforts from FAU, hoping they will protect the owls rather than relocate them.

“It’s a win-win for the community, the school, and the owls,” said Quenee to the University Press. “Whether it’s restructuring their building plans to accommodate a small protected area, or creating a legitimate protected facility or fenced-off area.”

While Quenee petitions, Soto is at the forefront of raising awareness for the burrowing owls through her advocacy on social media. Soto says she felt called to help the owls as they were being removed from their land, which inspired her to take physical action.

“It was starting to ache, it was like a toothache,” Soto said. “There’s gonna be more people now, and there’s gonna be less parking. That’s all I could think about. I was thinking about the owls.” 

Now, with Talon Hall under construction and more development planned for FAU’s future, the pair continues to advocate for the owls, though work and personal responsibilities have kept them from committing as much time as they once did. Soto and Quenee, both Florida natives, continue to see the disregard for the burrowing owls as part of a larger issue across Florida, driven by further development.  

Quenee worries about the future of Florida’s greenery and the native animals that rely on it. Bringing attention to the burrowing owls only emphasizes the issue with the destruction of Florida’s natural landscape. 

“The owls are just a great gateway because they’re cute, they have big eyes. They’re our mascot for a reason,” said Quenee. “The development side of it, the companies behind it, they’re not thinking about the long-term effects. It’s going to come back to harm us one way or another. We’ll feel those actions down the line.” 

It’s not just the owls that are important to Quenee; he says it’s also the gopher tortoises and the Florida panthers, both native Florida species that are facing extinction. “All these species that rely on little pockets of greenery within South Florida and across the state. We’re not giving them the ability to migrate and survive,” said Quenee.

Soto shared the same sentiment, hoping that FAU would’ve set an example for the rest of Florida by prioritizing environmental preservation, but feels as though the university has instead mirrored the broader trend of development over Florida’s natural spaces.

For Soto, the burrowing owls no longer inhabiting FAU connect to a larger issue that mirrors the increase in development in Florida. “I love the owls. They’re very special to me, but it’s just bigger than that,” said Soto. “It’s Florida, they’re really selling Florida, and it’s so sad to see.”

Kaii Thompson is the Culture Reporter for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email kaiiliburdthompson@gmail.com.