Owlian Encounters: Species Concern Across Disciplines

Speakers: alejandro t. acierto, Heather Bateman, Jennifer Clary-Lemon, & Marcel O’Gorman

The Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) is a small, light brown, long-legged bird that lives underground in self-made burrows or occupies the burrows of other creatures such as prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and tortoises. The unique below-earth habitat of this yellow-eyed raptor makes it an alien of sorts among its Strigiforme peers such as the more common Barn Owl and Great Horned Owl. But its earthy habitat also makes the Burrowing Owl uniquely susceptible to displacement by human infrastructure, which explains why it is a species of concern in the ever-sprawling state of Arizona.

This panel looks to the Burrowing Owl and its cthontic lair as a site of both conservation action and reflection about interspecies relations. Through a discursive assembly of ornithology, rhetorical studies, art, and design, the panelists will demonstrate how “concern” takes shape across disciplines and between species. We will explore how human growth marginalizes Athene cunicularia, discuss the institutional and infrastructural politics of owl “rehoming,” and unearth the ad hoc “artificial burrows” designed to persuade this alienated species to stay.

Exact day/time of panel is TBD