Help protect the Northern Spotted Owls

Hi, our names are Lexi and Abi. We are seniors at Archie Williams Highschool and are currently working on a project for our Environmental Science class. The project is partnering up to find a real-life issue in our surrounding ecosystems that we are able to solve. We are both frequent visitors of Bolinas Fairfax Ridge, and it has bothered both of us by the amount of trash that is constantly littered in such a beautiful place. We originally planned to collect waste and data as well as advocate for trash cans that the surrounding wildlife wouldn’t be able to break into. We picked up over 35 pounds of waste and trash on the Ridge. As we continued to research, we found a more pressing issue, protecting the Northern Spotted Owls. Many hiking trails surround the Bolinas ridge, and with hikers comes a shocking amount of dog waste bags littered on the mountain. The Northern Spotted Owls are currently a threatened species, and they can be found in the trees on the Ridgecrest. The owls are extremely sensitive to animal scents and have been known to abandon their nests and fledglings from dog waste scents. The State Parks on Mt. Tamalpias asked us to fundraise for dog waste stations that can be placed on several trailheads. Each station costs about $450, we are hoping to raise enough money to put a station at the beginning of at least two trailheads on Mt. Tamalpias.