In the ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest, spotted owls, a rare and fragile subspecies of spotted owls, are being forced out of their limited habitat by their northeastern cousins, barred owls. Opportunistic barred owls have been migrating into spotted owl grasslands for more than half a century, competing with local residents for food and space, outnumbering and outbreeding them, and inevitably driving them from their nests. Barred owls have also been identified as a threat to the California spotted owl, a closely related subspecies, in the Sierra Nevada and coastal and southern California mountains.
Concentrated in marginal areas and suffering from wildfires, northern spotted owl populations have declined by up to 80% over the past 20 years. There are only 3,000 left on federal lands, compared to 11,000 in 1993. The northern spotted owl has disappeared from the wild in British Columbia. There is only one female left. If this trend continues, the northern spotted owl could become the first owl subspecies to become extinct in the United States.
In a last-ditch effort to save the northern spotted owl from oblivion and protect California's spotted owl population, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is calling for the cull of a massive number of barred owls on 11 to 14 million acres in Washington, Oregon. suggested. And in Northern California, owls that the agency considers invasive are being invaded. The critical management plan calls for the eradication of up to 500,000 owls over the next 30 years, or 30% of the population over that period. Owls are dispatched using the cheapest and most efficient methods available, from large-bore shotguns fitted with night sights to capture and euthanization.
Carla Bloom, executive director of the International Owl Center in Minnesota, is conflicted about killing one species to protect another. “The concept of shooting birds is horrifying,” she said. No one wants that,” she said. “But none of the alternatives have worked and no other alternative is feasible at this time. “Extinction is forever.”
Bob Sallinger, executive director of Bird Conservation Oregon, agreed, but emphasized that culling should complement restoration and conservation of the few remaining old-growth forests. “The science clearly shows that for the northern spotted owl to survive, its habitat must be protected and increased, and to some extent, striped owls must be eliminated,” he said.
The agency's plans, outlined last fall in a draft report assessing environmental impacts due for final review this summer, say they will benefit both species and animal advocates who consider the proposed scale, scope and schedule unsustainable. It made conservationists stand out. .
Last month, a coalition of 75 wildlife conservation and animal welfare groups wrote to Home Secretary Deb Haaland urging him to scrap the “grossly reckless action” of requiring a permanent kill program to maintain owl numbers. Checking. Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and author of the statement, said it is dangerous for the government to “begin managing competition and social interactions among North American species, including species that have expanded their ranges in part as a result of human disturbance.” . ” of the environment. “I can’t see how this will succeed politically because of the price tag and enormous ambition,” he said in an email.