Agreement Leads Federal Agency to Implement Some Safeguards
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it will protect the California spotted owl under the Endangered Species Act. The owls have seen their numbers dwindle because of logging and climate change, among other threats.
Today’s proposal would list the owl’s southern/coastal population as endangered. The Sierra Nevada population would receive threatened status, but a 4d loophole would exempt many logging operations from having to comply with the Act’s rules.
This announcement stems from a legal agreement that was reached between the Service and Sierra Forest Legacy, Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity, which were represented by Earthjustice. The lawsuit sought to push the agency to reconsider its 2019 decision not to protect the owl.
Today’s decision marks the culmination of more than 20 years of advocacy by environmental groups to achieve protections for the owl to address its rapidly declining population. The California spotted owl is one of three spotted owl subspecies and the last to be protected under the Endangered Species Act.
California Spotted Owl Gets Endangered Species Act Protections After 23 Years
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it will protect the California spotted owl under the Endangered Species Act. The owls have seen their numbers dwindle because of logging and climate change, among other threats.
Today’s proposal would list the owl’s southern/coastal population as endangered. The Sierra Nevada population would receive threatened status, but a 4d loophole would exempt many logging operations from having to comply with the Act’s rules.
This announcement stems from a legal agreement that was reached between the Service and Sierra Forest Legacy, Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity, which were represented by Earthjustice. The lawsuit sought to push the agency to reconsider its 2019 decision not to protect the owl.
Today’s decision marks the culmination of more than 20 years of advocacy by environmental groups to achieve protections for the owl to address its rapidly declining population. The California spotted owl is one of three spotted owl subspecies and the last to be protected under the Endangered Species Act.
California Spotted Owl Gets Endangered Species Act Protections After 23 Years