U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Recognizes Hanford Site for Giving a Hoot

RICHLAND, Wash. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management’s (EM) Hanford Site is this year’s recipient of the Presidential Migratory Bird Federal Stewardship Award, in recognition of the site’s migratory bird protection and artificial burrow systems for burrowing owls.

The award from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Council for the Conservation of Migratory Birds honors the Hanford team for noting a negative trend for the western burrowing owl population and taking steps to reverse it.

Taking action, the team created artificial burrows, increasing opportunities for breeding. To date, the team has installed and updated more than 70 burrow systems, leading to a tenfold increase in the number of active nests. This made 2024 the year that Hanford recorded the largest count for breeding pairs of western burrowing owls.

The annual award recognizes an action conducted by, or in partnership with, a federal agency, which meets the intent and spirit of Executive Order 13186 by focusing on migratory bird conservation. The council oversees implementation of the executive order.

The environmental team with EM contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions produced highlights of the project for this year’s nomination, which can also be seen in the slideshow above.

The collaborative effort has produced a program of avian protection, sensitive species conservation, education and habitat improvement that far exceeds the expectations of the executive order, making Hanford a leader in migratory bird protection and conservation across the DOE complex.

-Contributor: Cerise Peck