Sophomore Liam Buchanan teamed up with Oak Park High School woodshop students and the district’s Integrated Management Program to install 12 owl boxes across district grounds for his Eagle Scout Project in an effort to address the area’s growing rodent infestation.

First created in 1995 by Steve Simmons, a Merced High School woodshop teacher, owl boxes mirror the process of cavity nesting –– where birds can nest in natural cavities without changing the habitat around them. These boxes are located in secluded and shaded areas away from the traffic of school activities and power lines so that owls are granted clear flight paths and a comfortable living space to reproduce during nesting seasons in the springtime.

“There’s nowhere around here for barn owls to nest. They can nest in trees, but there are other owls that nest in trees,” Principal Kevin Buchanan said. “Barn owls like to nest in barns or up in the rafters of buildings.”

The National Audubon Society wrote that barn owls can nest year-round in Southern California. Although owl habitats are under the threat of being overrun by human-made structures, California residents like Liam Buchanan are using owl boxes to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Owl boxes are designed to attract Barn Owls and Western Screech Owls because they are cavity nesting birds whose young can consume up to 70 pounds of rodents daily. Studies have shown that the average barn owl family consumes 1,300 rats per year and 3,000 rodents during breeding season. Liam Buchanan said the district hopes to target 1,500 rodents per nesting season to aid the district’s rodent issues.

“Most eagle projects have to do with landscaping or redoing gardens. Mine was actually part of the district to help with the pest management system,” Liam Buchanan, who has been a boy scout since he was eight, said.

Owl boxes create an alternative to pesticides. California Food and Agricultural Code 13181 states “that effective least toxic pest management practices should be the preferred method of managing pests at school sites,” and the district’s Pesticide Free Policy “does not allow for the use of toxic pesticides unless an EMERGENCY situation exists.”

California Ed Code states that unless the California Department of Pesticide Regulation approves a permit for pesticide use, Oak Park IPM coordinators are not allowed to use pesticide on school grounds.

As of now, Liam Buchanan and his team are still finalizing the locations for the owl boxes because they require the environmental conditions to be just right. After final installation of the owl boxes, there will be one at Red Oak Elementary School, two at each other elementary school, two at Medea Creek Middle School and three at Oak Park High School.

Two owl boxes can be crafted from a single sheet of plywood.

“Liam drew out his template and made two owl boxes: one model and one kit which has all the pieces and dimensions,” Kevin Buchanan said.

Designing the owl boxes included taking into account external conditions. Not only do the owl boxes have to be weatherproofed and safe from predators, but they also need to be a certain height off the ground.

“It can’t be too hot or the [owl] eggs will fry,” Kevin Buchanan said.

By participating in the Wood Shop Regional Occupational Program, Oak Park woodshop students gained community service hours from working together to construct the owl boxes.

“We also redesigned the owl boxes to fit together better, last longer and use the skills that the students are taught in the classroom,” woodshop teacher Allan Prescott said. “Students liked the fact that they were building something that would benefit the school’s environment. You can tell by the quality of the Owl Boxes produced that the students took pride and craftsmanship in the work that they produced.”