By Bryan Denson
The Oregonian
PORTLAND, Ore. — A Beaverton company recently installed a pair of “owl boxes” on the Oregon Department of Corrections gun range and obstacle course on the edge of Salem to kill rodents before they chew up the training grounds.
Putting owls to work eating rats, mice and voles is a natural alternative to poisons that can harm the environment, according to Eric Ufer, president of Beaverton-based Pest Solutions Inc.
Owls can eat roughly one-third of their body weight a night.
The boxes attract owls, which feed on rodents in rural fields and other spots, Ufer explained.
Chad Naugle, the sustainability director for the Department of Corrections, pointed out that the non-toxic alternative to poisons helps the department reduce toxins, part of an executive order by the governor.
One of the owl boxes was placed on a pole near a wood-chip running path to prevent voles from causing ankle-twisting ruts, Naugle said. Another rises from a nearby field.