U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Reviews the Draft Recovery Plan for Northern Spotted Owl
After receiving over 80,000 comments from the public, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) contracted with Sustainable Ecosystems Institute (SEI) to facilitate a process to review the 2007 Draft Spotted Owl Recovery Plan. SEI held a two-day meeting in Portland in January 2008, where a hand-selected panel of reviewers heard presentations and discussion from a variety of sources concerning the biology and ecology of the owl. SEI will make recommendations to the USFWS by March, allowing the agency to release a proposed final plan in April 2008.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Released Draft Recovery Plan for the Owl and Critical Habitat
The USFWS released the draft recovery plan for the Northern Spotted Owl on April 26, 2007. Under the Endangered Species Act, the USFWS is required to outline the goals and objectives that must be met in order to recover an endangered species. The USFWS also released its revised designation of Critical Habitat on June 12, 2007.
Recovery Plan Names the Barred Owl as Greatest Threat to Northern Spotted Owl
Recently, scientists say the larger and more aggressive Barred Owl is the most important threat currently facing the Northern Spotted Owl. The range of the Barred Owl now completely overlaps that of the Northern Spotted Owl. The presence of the Barred Owl negatively affects the spotted owl by competing for prey and habitat. Significant effects on reproduction, survival, displacement from nest sites, and the likelihood that spotted owls will not call or hoot during standard survey methods, is making it difficult to detect whether spotted owls are actually there. The Barred Owl range and numbers are expanding rapidly, moving west from the eastern United States, through Canada, and now into the Pacific Northwest. This cousin species lives in similar types of habitat as the spotted owl and eats the same type of prey. Barred Owls are also less susceptible to diseases such as West Nile Virus, and have been known to attack the spotted owl.
Northern Spotted Owl Listed as ‘Threatened’ under the Endangered Species Act
The Northern Spotted Owl was listed as ‘threatened’ under the Endangered Species Act in 1990, which was again affirmed in the 2004 status review. The owl can be found in Washington, Oregon, Northern California, and some parts of western Canada. They live in conifer and mixed forests and nest in tree snags or hollow trees. For food, the Northern Spotted Owl preys on small mammals such as flying squirrels, woodrats, pocket gophers, and deer mice. The owl is a medium-sized, dark brown owl with a barred tail, white spots on the head and breast, and dark brown eyes. Males and females have similar feathers, but females typically weigh more than males.
Northern Spotted Owl Struggles Despite Private Forest Landowner Efforts
The Northern Spotted Owl received a lot of national attention when it was listed on the Endangered Species List. Results from the listing require that forest landowners leave trees around owl nest sites or leave thousands of acres of forest habitat to protect the owls. Although timber harvest has been reduced more than 80% on 24.4 million acres of federal forests across Washington, Oregon and Northern California, the owl population continues to decline.
There were other factors contributing to the decline of the spotted owl. In 1990, when the owl was listed as threatened in this three-state range, it was because of loss and modification of suitable habitat due to timber harvesting and other catastrophic events such as fire, volcanic eruptions, and wind storms. Now, the draft recovery plan says, “The most important threat currently facing the spotted owl is competition from the Barred Owl.”