The Northwest Spotted-Owl Wars: No Happily Ever After – CrossCut

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Al Bergstein

NW Environmental writer Dan Chasen puts together a good look at the Spotted Owl controversy and what is in store for the endangered bird.

So, where does this leave us? The most prominent environmental battle of the late 20th century; the most ambitious ecosystem management plan ever attempted; the most acres of critical habitat for a listed species; the only environmental conflict that has been the subject of a conference led by the President and attended by a good deal of the Cabinet; a species in a steep, scientifically-acknowledged and widely-reported decline — even with all those factors the FWS can’t find time to boost its status from “threatened” to “endangered?” This is bizarre. But hardly surprising.

https://www.postalley.org/2021/12/17/the-northwest-spotted-owl-wars-no-happily-ever-after/

Filed under: Clallam County, Environmental Activism, environmental education, Environmental Protection, Jefferson County, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Conservationists sue to save spotted owl logging protections -AP

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Al Bergstein

So we are back in court again. The never ending battle by the timber industry to cut the last of the old growth on the Olympic Peninsula continues. Got news for the industry, overturning the protection of the Spotted Owl, which was impacted by rampant clear cutting of the Peninsula for raw logs to send to Japan and China is not going to save your jobs. The last “one log truck” left a mill in the early 70s, long before the Spotted Owl issue was decided. 

Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to preserve protections for 3.4 million acres (1.4 million hectares) of northern spotted owl habitat from the US-Canada border to northern California, the latest salvo in a legal battle over logging in federal old-growth forests that are key nesting grounds for the imperiled species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cut the amount of protected federal old-growth forest by one-third in the final days of President Donald Trump’s administration, a move that was cheered by the timber industry. Gillian Flaccus reports. (Associated Press)

https://www.opb.org/article/2021/03/24/conservationists-sue-to-save-spotted-owl-logging-protections/

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | Comments Off on Conservationists sue to save spotted owl logging protections -AP

Spotted Owls Still Losing Ground In Northwest Forests – Earthfix

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Al Bergstein

Humpty Dumpty (meaning all the people with the best intentions of protecting the rapidly diminishing species) doesn’t seem to be able to put the spotted owl back in the picture again. What it needs is old growth, and lots of it. Something that is an unintended consequence of  our decision to turn the Olympic Peninsula in to a tree farm. Look for more restrictions and more cutting in anticipation of those restrictions.

Northern spotted owl numbers are declining across the Northwest, and the primary reason is the spread of the barred owl, according to a new analysis published Wednesday.   Federal scientists have been keeping tabs on spotted owls for more than 20 years now. “We have a lot of data that suggests that they’re in real trouble,” said study co-author Eric Forsman, a retired U.S. Forest Service biologist. Jes Burns reports. (EarthFix)

 

http://www.opb.org/news/article/spotted-owls-still-losing-ground-in-northwest-forests/

Filed under: Endangered Species, Puget Sound | Tagged: , | Comments Off on Spotted Owls Still Losing Ground In Northwest Forests – Earthfix

Spotted owl numbers not only down but also at faster rate – Earthfix

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Al Bergstein

For a variety of reasons, including the near total decimation of old growth timber by our demand for it over the last century, along with invasive species that have outcompeted the spotted owl, we are still on track to wipe out the species sooner than later. Rather than rejoicing the timber industry and their allies should be concerned, because this situation will likely thwart any of their attempts to open the forest to even more exploitation, which is their goal. As if, with the huge tracks of forest cut on the Olympic Peninsula and near record stockpiles in NW mills, we need more cutting of the remaining old growth.

Scientists report that after two decades of attempts to save the species, northern spotted owl numbers in the Northwest are still on the decline — and at a faster rate. The threatened bird nests in old trees and is at the heart of a decades-long struggle over the fate of the region’s old-growth forests. Scientists at a conference Tuesday in Vancouver, Washington, reported that owl numbers are now dropping at an annual rate of 3.8 percent, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Glen Sachet. Five years ago, the rate was 2.8 percent. Tim Fought reports. (Associated Press)

See also: Where Things Stand For Northwest Forests Under The Clinton Plan

http://kuow.org/post/where-things-stand-northwest-forests-under-clinton-planJes Burns reports. (EarthFix)

Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Timber Group Challenges Spotted Owl Plan

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Al Bergstein

Not much news on this yet.

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A timber industry group has filed a lawsuit challenging the latest habitat protections for the northern spotted owl, a threatened species.

http://earthfix.kcts9.org/flora-and-fauna/article/timber-group-challenges-spotted-owl-plan/

Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Timber Group Challenges Spotted Owl Plan