Reprinted from my Aug 5, 2007 column in the Morgantown Dominion Post
In the early 1990's a major bird-tree battle took place in the Northwest. Timber companies wanted to harvest more old growth timber, and environmentalists wanted to stop them. Enter the spotted owl. This owl was rather rare, and at that time everyone (well, almost everyone) thought that they needed old growth timber to survive. As an aside, let me add something about this owl. I’ve always thought they were a small owl, spending their days perched in protected roosts, foraging over rather large areas for mice, insects, etc. But they are not small. They are 18 inches in height and as owls go, they are very large.
Back to my story. Once the spotted owl entered the picture, studies were started, reviews done, and national-level committees formed to review the matter. It was a major political battle and in the end, millions of acres of timber were set aside to protect the spotted owl (which by now was declared an endangered species).
Once the bird was declared endangered and seven million acres of old growth timber made off limits to timber companies, researchers found lots of owls in younger forests causing the timber companies to cry "foul." After the fact people realized that although they did use old growth timber, they were also found in a wide range of forest types, causing the debate about the status of this bird to be even more controversial.
No matter. Timbering was curtailed and by the late 1990's, things quieted down and we didn’t hear much about spotted owls. Well, not until now. Various agencies have conducted surveys and today we believe there are 100 pairs in British Columbia, 500 pairs in Washington, 1,200 pairs in Oregon, and 560 pairs in California. One problem in counting spotted owls is that there are two subspecies, one in California and one in more northern areas. And these subspecies apparently crossbreed. The northern spotted owl is listed as an endangered species, while the one found in southern Oregon and California is not. Just last year the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service refused to list the southern version as an endangered species, an act that has led to law suits against the wildlife service.
This all sounds great except for one thing. Even though populations are higher than what was believed in the early 90's, the numbers of spotted owls is on the decline. One interagency report shows that numbers dropped by 7.5 percent each year since 1990 in Washington, 2.8 percent per year in Oregon and 2.2 percent a year in California. The big question is why.
There are several possible reasons. We still see a loss in old growth timber. We also have huge fires in areas where these birds reside. Then there is West Nile Virus that kills millions of birds and lots of owls in the East, and it has now been found in the Northwest. Even though all of these factors may be impacting the spotted owl, the biggest threat is another owl ... barred owls.
Yes, the same barred owl we have in our area is threatening spotted owls. It seems that this bird has spread to the Northwest where they eat, seriously compete with, and evening hybridize with spotted owls. One federal wildlife ecologist stated that the invasion of barred owls may be the end of spotted owls. One option in a new spotted owl recovery plan is to shoot hundreds of barred owls. Some spotted owl lovers approve, other do not. Pro old growth timber folks believe this is a diversion to allow more timber cutting while making the barred owl the scape goat.
The result will probably be a compromise where some old growth timber is protected, but shooting of barred owls also takes place. It’s all under review and may take several years to sort out. Meanwhile, barred owls are replacing spotted owls and many scientists believe that the best possible way to save spotted owls is to shoot one owl to save another.
