I firmly believe I now have a perfect example of the whacko environmentalists crossing the line, their common sense being lost.

A Jan. 8, 2005, article in the Argus newspaper of Fremont, Calif., concerned Ohlone College wanting to expand its campus on land it already owned. The title of the article was "Ohlone to spend nest egg on homes for owls." Seven burrowing owls had made a home on the land where the college was to build.

With their population declining, the owls are considered a "species of special concern" by the California Department of Fish and Game, meaning Ohlone is responsible for finding the owls a new home, and not just any home will do.

State regulations call for providing 6½ acres of land for each owl or mated pair of owls. Think of it as a circle with a radius the length of a football field. Because two pair of owls have become mates, the college is on the hook for five owls, or 32½ acres of suitable habitat. The new habitat has to be within 40 miles of where they were found, and they prefer flat grassy areas where they can find plenty of holes in which to burrow.

The situation could get even worse, should the burrowing owl become classified as an endangered species. Any new regulations could tie up development for years.

Complicating matters even further, the owls' mating season begins Feb. 1 of each year. If they are not gone by then, they can't be moved until after the summer, which was to delay the center's groundbreaking, set for April.

Based on a tight time frame, the school entered into an agreement with Wildlands Inc., a company that maintains suitable habitats for owls and other threatened animals.

I called Ohlone College and talked to Sarah, the secretary to the college president, and she verified what was written above. On Jan. 18, 2005, the board of trustees met and decided to pay $390,000 to Wildlands Inc. out of the contingency fund.

The good news is the new campus will open next month.

I was especially interested in this because I lived just two miles from Ohlone for 44 years.