Growers attending a beneficial bird workshop at Omeg Orchards, The Dalles, Oregon, examine a barn owl box. Note the box’s sun shield on the top and side. Providing bat, owl, raptor, and bird habitat are good conservation practices, but they come with a cost. Growers must be able to pay for their conservation efforts and stay in business, says a habitat biologist. “It’s about economics, as well as some altruistic benefits for wildlife,” said Jeremy Maestas, Oregon’s upland habitat biologist. Fortunately for growers, assistance and funding to improve wildlife habitat are available from federal conservation and natural resource programs. Both […]