Owls may find salvation at Utah chemical weapons depot

STOCKTON — Once home to the nation's largest stockpile of chemical weapons, the Deseret Chemical Depot sits on a sprawling expanse of nearly 20,000 acres that double as home to an antelope herd, a clan of badgers and multiple species of birds.

The avian population includes the burrowing owl, which is listed as a "sensitive" species in Utah because of threats to its habitat.

Amid the daily work of destroying mortars and bulk containers of mustard agent — nearly 74 percent of the total stockpile has been eliminated — are the lesser-known conservation efforts embraced by the depot through integrated natural resources and cultural resources plans.

Enter the owl, the badger and structures abbreviated as ANBs — artificial nest boxes.

Boyd White, an environmental scientist at the depot who did his master's thesis on burrowing owls, caught a presentation about ANBs and owls that was undertaken in Oregon at the Army's Umatilla Chemical Depot to save the raptor from predators.

Aware of the same threats to the depot's owl population, the scientist, who works closely with state and federal wildlife agencies, enlisted the help of colleagues and the support of management to put similar protections in place.

The owls, which typically return to the depot in March to nest, often choose abandoned badger dens to take up temporary residency. That can prove problematic if the badger returns.

"The badgers will barricade the entrance with dirt and then they will eat them," White said.

Umatilla came up with a structure that replicated a den but provided a safe haven for the owl.

The Utah depot jumped on board, taking 55-gallon plastic drums that were then cut in half and connected to pieces of 4-inch corrugated pipe.

"This allows them a place to be safe because it is too small for badgers," White said. "In our own way we're trying to help Mother Nature a little bit, doing our part to help wildlife."

White likened the idea to the installation of bird houses on residential property. "People do that because they like to see them and keep them safe. We hope we attract a whole bunch."

Close to two dozen sites for the ANBs were selected in trenches dug by a backhoe and then covered in dirt.

"You can hardly tell they're there," White said. "It is just a little mound of dirt as if a badger had dug it. It simulates the den."

While not quite as nervous as mother hens, White and his colleagues are anxiously checking the sites for any sign of the new residents moving in, hopeful that the accommodations are satisfactory.

"They know what they want and if they don't like the situation, they won't use it. They will find something more suitable."

In addition to the burrowing owl project, White said other conservation efforts are in the works at the depot, including the installation of platforms for migrating swallows and putting in "raptor protections" on power lines.

The depot is also evaluating possible plans to allow grazing on its fenced property and growing crops to feed area wildlife.

e-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com