Council to consider agreements benefiting burrowing owls.
Funds appropriated to help protect the city of Cape Coral’s official bird may finally take wing Wednesday.
Two resolutions are on Wednesday’s Cape Coral City Council agenda that, if approved, will further protect burrowing owl habitats.
The resolutions are memorandums of agreement.
The first resolution, 196-24, is between the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, Inc., the City of Cape Coral and the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast., Inc. This resolution authorizes the city manager, or designee, “to execute the Memorandum of Agreement, purchase and sale agreement for parcels itemized in the agreement, any and all documents necessary to close on the itemized parcels, conservation easements for each itemized parcel, and any other documents required to fulfill the city’s obligations within the Memorandum of Agreement.”
According to the city, “within 90 days post-acquisition,” they are required to “convey a perpetual conservation easement on each parcel to the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, Inc, with third party enforcement rights to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.”
In addition, the city will pay the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, Inc. a one-time $50,000 stewardship fee, which will cover the properties purchased under the Burrowing Owl Habitat Protection Grant.
The second resolution, 236-24, is between the city and the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, Inc. “for burrowing owl habitat protection activities on grant funded properties.” The resolution will also accomplish “burrowing owl preservation and maintenance.”
The city received the FWC Burrowing Owl Habitat Protection Grant in July 2023 – a total funding limit of $900,000. Since then the city has been working on establishing an agreement to “provide mutually beneficial support in efforts to protect habitat for the burrowing owl.”
The grant funding can be used for property acquisition costs – “including, but not limited to appraisals, surveys, title costs, initial maintenance costs and other direct costs.” Council decided at a January meeting that the “city will purchase properties within existing utility assessment areas.”
The Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife began advocating for this grant three years ago.
According to CCFW, the funds come from mitigation fees paid to FWC “when residents and builders obtain incidental take permits to remove owl burrows from their land.”
The maintenance, monitoring and reporting of each site will be monitored by CCFW. The organization has more than 70 lots that were acquired from its sister organization, Cape Coral Wildlife Trust that support the burrowing owls, among other animals.
The public is invited to take part a fund raising celebration with CCFW directly after the City Council vote at Maria’s Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant, 1224 SE 46th Lane in Cape Coral from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Attendees may purchased menu items at the pizzeria which will donate a portion of the proceeds to CCFW.
The City Council meeting is set for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, in City Council Chambers, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd. The meeting is open to the public.