For the past six months, two South Florida community members have fought to protect burrowing owls on the university’s Boca Raton campus and petitioned for more sustainable ways for the university to expand.
Driven by FAU’s obtaining of a permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Sept. 30, 2024, allowing them to relocate a cluster of owls for the construction of its newest dormitory, Talon Hall. Juliana Soto and Theo Quenee have urged the institution to prioritize the preservation of the owls through a petition, amid planned construction projects on campus.
Soto, a senior biology major, posted her first TikTok in May, where she broke her silence about the increase in construction around campus. “I can’t be silent anymore, “Soto said in her first video. “All of this construction and development is causing the displacement of owls. But it does make sense when you know that all of this development is happening in Florida. We’re displacing Mother Nature.”…