Manteca has a gopher problem.

And no one — except perhaps the Manteca Unified School District and almond growers — faces as big a challenge in eradicating the rodents than the City of Manteca.

The approach of spring means park crews are now ramping up their annual battle with gophers.

The subterrain rodents feast on the roots of shrubs, flowers, grass and even trees.

That damage is bad enough.

What is worst are the holes they pocket the ground with — including playing fields and expansive grass areas in parks — that creates a tripping and safety hazard for park users.

The city and school district can’t use poisons under state law.

That leaves only two alternatives.

The main one is the use of traps.

The city will be placing  them in all 77 city parks, along the Tidewater Bikeway, and even in landscaped areas throughout Manteca.

They use orange safety cones to warn park users where the traps are placed.

The other option is to bolster the numbers of the gopher’s biggest natural enemy.

While cats and even dogs have been known to take out gophers, the natural option is owls.

In order to encourage more owls to make city parks their home, Manteca is looking for volunteers to build and help install owl boxes.

A previous effort that was an Eagle Scout project saw five owl boxes built and put in place.

Two of those were damaged and vandalized over the years.

An owl box is a nesting box that provides a safe place for owls to raise their young. Owl boxes can be made for different species of owls, such as barn owls and screech owls.

Owl boxes offer a safe place for owls to raise their young and keep other mammals away.

Owls are natural predators of rodents — gophers, rats, and mice. They are viewed as a natural and cost effective way to help control rodent populations. 

Depending upon the owl box, they cost between $100 and $400 to make.

One of the remaining owl boxes is along the Moffat Boulevard leg of the Tidewater Bikeway protected by trees. It is atop a pole to avoid the owls that use it from being disturbed or the owl box being vandalized.

If you are interested in assisting with the building and installing of owl boxes, contact the Manteca Parks Department at (209) 456-8636 for more information.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com