A coalition of conservation organizations has stepped into a legal battle that could jeopardize the protected status of nearly 3.5 million acres of land across California, Oregon, and Washington. This land is part of a broader ecosystem critical for the survival of the northern spotted owl, a species already under threat.
Tom Wheeler, executive director of the Arcata-based Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC), criticized the timber industry for its ongoing attempts to manipulate legal frameworks to promote logging on public lands. “We have stood up for the northern spotted owls and science for decades, and we aren’t backing down,” he stated in a joint press release from the coalition.
EPIC is joined by several environmental advocacy groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity and the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center. Together, they are acting as defendant-interveners in the case, supporting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as it defends its stance against a lawsuit from the American Forest Resource Council and a coalition of counties from the three states.
The lawsuit claims that a rule change by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in November 2021 was unlawful. This rule reversed a decision made shortly before the end of the Trump administration, which had sought to exempt significant parts of crucial habitats from protection. Ultimately, the USFWS narrowed down the protected areas, reducing them by 204,294 acres instead of the threatened 3.5 million.
The northern spotted owl has been under the protection of the Endangered Species Act since 1990, with its critical habitat adjusted in 2012. Chelsea Stewart-Fusek, an endangered species attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, underscored the broader implications of forest protections. “The forests these precious owls depend on also provide clean water, recreation, jobs, and climate resiliency,” she said. She further criticized corporate timber interests for reviving their efforts against the protections intended for the owl’s habitat.
In an April press release, the American Forest Resource Council argued that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service overlooked crucial scientific data by designating vast areas as critical habitats. The Council maintains that the most significant threat to the northern spotted owl comes not from logging, but from competition with the invasive barred owl and the risks posed by catastrophic wildfires.
President of the American Forest Resource Council, Travis Joseph, emphasized the need for a science-based approach to habitat designation. “For the spotted owl to survive, we need a 21st-century forest and species conservation strategy to confront modern challenges, rather than relying on outdated methods,” he stated.
While the northern spotted owl is recognized as a threatened species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has noted that the species may be eligible for upgraded protections but has yet to implement more stringent measures.
The coalition’s motion to intervene has drawn significant attention as it raises critical questions about land use, conservation strategies, and the future of the spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest.
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