The Klamath National Forest covers roughly 1,700,000 acres between California and Oregon. Besides the usual recreational activities open to the public, the Forest "also helps to meet local and national needs for timber, gold, and other natural resources, explains the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (FS). http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/klamath/about-forest
What the federal agency fails to mention is that sometimes these "needs" for natural resources trump sound science and environmental stewardship. Most recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) gave the FS the green light "to kill up to 103 threatened http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489595
northern spotted owls http://www.care2.com/causes/the-northern-spotted-owl-remains-on-the-road-to-extinction.html …show more content…
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2016/northern-spotted-owl-02-23-2016.html
Ugh.
Timber Profits are More Important Than Protecting a Threatened Owl Species?
The official project is known as the Westside Fire Recovery Project, and it will clear-cut 6,800 acres near the Klamath River -- and in spotted owl territory. While the recovery project is being promoted as something positive for the environment (e.g. reduce hazardous fuels and fire danger), ulterior motives could be at play: the FS advertised timber sales last year, says the Center for Biological Diversity.
According to the press release, in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's biological opinion, the Westside project's "post-fire logging may 'incidentally take' 74 adult owls and up to 12-29 juveniles." ("Take" is just a nice way to say kill.) While wildlife officials maintain that the project won't negatively impact the owl's future, some scientists aren't as confident.
From 1985 to 2013, the spotted owl's …show more content…
Officially listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1990, http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489595 two of its main threats are "habitat loss and competition from the barred owl," says the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office. http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489595 Before they were protected under the ESA, rampant timber harvesting and land conversions were driving that habitat loss. Consequently, when the owls are forced to live closer together in smaller forest patches, "they become more susceptible to starvation, predation, or further loss of habitat due to natural destruction such as windstorms," explain Oregon wildlife officials. http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489595 In a nutshell, the problem of habitat loss contributing to the owl's decline hasn't been solved -- it's just being managed and limited (by the same officials who are entrusted to protect
What the federal agency fails to mention is that sometimes these "needs" for natural resources trump sound science and environmental stewardship. Most recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) gave the FS the green light "to kill up to 103 threatened http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489595
northern spotted owls http://www.care2.com/causes/the-northern-spotted-owl-remains-on-the-road-to-extinction.html …show more content…
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2016/northern-spotted-owl-02-23-2016.html
Ugh.
Timber Profits are More Important Than Protecting a Threatened Owl Species?
The official project is known as the Westside Fire Recovery Project, and it will clear-cut 6,800 acres near the Klamath River -- and in spotted owl territory. While the recovery project is being promoted as something positive for the environment (e.g. reduce hazardous fuels and fire danger), ulterior motives could be at play: the FS advertised timber sales last year, says the Center for Biological Diversity.
According to the press release, in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's biological opinion, the Westside project's "post-fire logging may 'incidentally take' 74 adult owls and up to 12-29 juveniles." ("Take" is just a nice way to say kill.) While wildlife officials maintain that the project won't negatively impact the owl's future, some scientists aren't as confident.
From 1985 to 2013, the spotted owl's …show more content…
Officially listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1990, http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489595 two of its main threats are "habitat loss and competition from the barred owl," says the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office. http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489595 Before they were protected under the ESA, rampant timber harvesting and land conversions were driving that habitat loss. Consequently, when the owls are forced to live closer together in smaller forest patches, "they become more susceptible to starvation, predation, or further loss of habitat due to natural destruction such as windstorms," explain Oregon wildlife officials. http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489595 In a nutshell, the problem of habitat loss contributing to the owl's decline hasn't been solved -- it's just being managed and limited (by the same officials who are entrusted to protect