Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow

MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. -- There are predators stalking the base. They awake at night and prey on the most defenseless creatures. And they actually help the day to day operations of the base.

They are owls. In the warehouses in Nebo and Yermo, owls rule the roost by nesting in the high crevices.

They help the base by controlling the rodent population in the warehouses. In fact, according to Art Gleason, environmental protection specialist on base, most warehouse employees keep the owls a closely guarded secret because they don't want any visitors to disturb them.

"We've had Great Horned Owls and Barn Owls regularly nest in the warehouses," said Gleason.
Recently, a family of Great Horned Owls consisting of the mother and two babies, nested in one of the warehouses at Nebo. Gleason observed them, but one day found them missing.
"The owls weren't quite full grown, and all of a sudden they disappeared from the nest," said Gleason.

Not long after, people from the warehouse found one of the babies was in a warehouse on a forklift and called Carol Reynolds, who is a licensed animal handler at Fort Irwin's Animal Recovery Center. The owl was taken there so it could get back on its feet.

The next day, Eric Fortin, base pest control officer, found another baby owl on the street outside Warehouse 2. He took in the owl and found it to be the other missing baby owl. That owl was taken to the Animal Recovery Center Monday. The mother has yet to be found.

The baby owls are not yet ready to go on their own in the wild. They still lack the necessary hunting skills to find food, and are not strong enough to fly far distances.

"We are not licensed to handle raptors," said Gleason.

Raptors are birds of prey, like eagles, hawks and falcons.

"There are strict laws, local laws and even international treaties, that provide big restrictions in handling raptors," said Gleason.

Under the law, the birds had to go to a licensed handler, so the birds went to Fort Irwin. Also the law states when the birds are capable of living on their own, they must be released where they were captured. So when they can fend for themselves, they will be released on base.

There are laws governing other animals on base too. Desert Tortoises are known to be on the MCLB rifle range and have also been seen in base housing. They are on the endangered species list.

There is even a law that states if three Desert Tortoises get killed on the rifle range, the range must shut down for the rest of the year.

"If you see a tortoise where he doesn't belong, you can call Eric Fortin or myself," said Gleason.

"Any animal protected under the Endangered Species Act - and the Desert Tortoise is the only one in this area - you are not allowed to interfere with in any way," said Gleason.

"That means you can't do anything except look at them," said Gleason.

There are special considerations to the rule though.

"What if you find a tortoise in the road?" questioned Gleason.

"Nobody has ever been arrested for rescuing an animal," said Gleason. "If you find one in the road, pick him up and move him out of the way in the direction he was going."

Learning to co-exist with wildlife is a part of this base. Enjoy them and appreciate them for what they do.