FRIENDS OF LATODAMI ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION CENTER

On Saturday, October 23, a representative of the Moraine Preservation Fund brought Annie, one of Moraine’s barn owls, to Latodami.

Telemetry information on Barn Owl positions.

Owl’s Eye View

Map of Barn Owl locations

Live Owl and Nature Cams

Barn Owl pictures please click here

Latodami has joined in the effort to re-establish a population of self-sustaining Barn Owls (Tyto alba) in Western Pennsylvania. The Barn Owl is a nocturnal grassland species that relies on open fields and grasslands for its survival.  Feeding primarily on small mammals including voles, moles, young rats and various species of mice the owls once flourished in Pennsylvania. However, their populations have dwindled drastically chiefly due to loss of habitat. Predation, road fatalities, harsh winters and the use of rodenticides also have negative impacts on populations. The Barn Owl is listed as “Endangered” in several states and is considered a species of “special concern” in Pennsylvania.

As part of Latodami’s reintroduction efforts, an owl nesting box was installed in the Nature Center barn during Latodami’s Earth Day celebration on April 17, 2004. The box was constructed and installed by volunteers in order to entice Barn Owls to take up residence. Other nesting boxes will be erected inside various structures throughout the park.

Latodami has arranged to receive four young owls. They are being provided by the Moraine Preservation Fund, a breed and release foundation. On Saturday, May 15, many volunteers, participating in the Pittsburgh Cares Servathon, cleaned out Latodami’s storage building in preparation for the owls. The owls will be housed in this building until they are ready to hunt on their own. It is hoped that once released, they will decide to make Latodami their home. Without the hard work of volunteers this project would not be possible.

Taylor Sandora, a member of Boy Scout Troop 335, has contributed greatly with improvements that he designed and implemented in his Barn Owl Construction Project. This work is being done as his Eagle Scout Project. Taylor has installed a safe environment for the Barn Owls as well as an indoor viewing area for the public to observe the Barn Owls while they are at Latodami. We wish to thank him for his efforts in helping the Barn Owl Project become a reality

Special thanks also go to Emily Bayer, Kevin Cook, Johanna Shaffer, John Ward and Tim Jobe for their hard work and continued participation on this project.

The Barn Owls arrived on Sept. 1^st, 2005. An OwlCam has been set up to provide live images from the Latodami Owl Barn.

On Friday, September 16 a Barn Owl program was given. A second program will be presented on Friday, Sept. 23 from 7- 9pm.

On Monday, September 19 the satellite telemetry was activated. We will be able to track the Barn Owls after their release on September 25.

Latodami is also involved in an effort to restore grassland habitat for Barn Owls and other grassland dependent flora and fauna. Please see our Grassland page

The Latodami OwlCam is being brought to you by the Friends of Latodami and is powered by Nauticom Broadband DSL.