For decades, burrowing owls have made their home on the campus of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton. So much so, the owl was officially adopted as FAU’s mascot in the mid-1980s, following a 1971 designation of the land as a burrowing owl sanctuary by the National Audubon Society.
But now, students and environmental advocates say the school’s latest expansion plans are threatening to push the iconic birds out.
On the southeastern edge of FAU’s campus—where the university plans to build parking garages and a new dormitory —small, sandy burrows dot the grassy fields. One already filled in…