What could be better than a ready-made homesite, complete with a warning sign to improve security, all provided free-of-charge by the government? Burrowing owls, which use burrows created by small mammals for their nesting sites, are a Species of Concern in California. Agriculture and development have reduced the ground squirrel population, thereby eliminating nest sites for the owls. Nearly every time I have visited this spot, I am heartened to see a burrowing owl guarding the entrance of its makeshift home. But I often wonder why, on a wildlife refuge, someone might want to fill, bury or gas the wildlife.