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The Trump administration is acknowledging that the northern spotted owl may soon go extinct and deserves additional federal protections. But administration officials say they won't move to further protect the owl, citing a lack of resources, and will instead focus on protecting other "higher priority" species.
Spotted owl populations have plummeted in the Pacific northwest, where 70 percent of the species' habitat has been lost due to logging and development. Now, climate change and severe wildfires are pushing the owl even closer to the brink of extinction. For decades, efforts to protect the owl have been met with strong opposition from logging interests, sparking sometimes intense controversy.
Instead of moving to further protect the spotted owl, as government scientists say is warranted, the Interior Department is currently trying to cut protections for more than 200,000 acres of the owl's critical habitat—a proposal reached in a court settlement between the Trump administration and the timber industry.
Reducing protections for species in deference to logging, drilling, and mining companies could soon become more common, thanks to another Trump administration proposal. The Interior Department is preparing to finalize a rule to increase consideration of economic factors when deciding which habitat to protect or not protect, essentially allowing the rationale for removing spotted owl habitat to be applied to all species going forward.
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Since [Representative] Rob [Bishop] has been in Congress, production of oil, gas and coal are all down and the amount of land with protection is significantly up in Utah.”
