The second annual Western Summit, held in Missoula, Montana, on July 6-7, 2011, was assembled to recognize the work accomplished by the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), its members and partners in the last year and to plan for deepening partnerships and commitments in the years ahead. More than 40 people involved in habitat enhancement, biodiversity and conservation education in the intermountain west participated in the Summit, including representatives from WHC’s corporate members, non-profit organizations and government agencies. The U.S. Forest Service Region 1 staff kicked off the Western Summit with a field trip for Summit participants on the afternoon of [more...]

The IBM Almaden Research Center, located in San Jose, California, is pioneering the design of artificial nest boxes by partnering with a dedicated volunteer.  Steve Simmons of Merced, California, developed a Barn Owl box plan that has been in extensive use throughout the Central Valley after years of experimenting with and documenting the siting, mounting, and design of artificial nest boxes for Barn Owls. As a shop teacher, he organized the student production of over 10,000 Barn Owl boxes, which were sold to local ranchers for pest control. The sales from the boxes provided over $168,000 in scholarship money for [more...]