Posted on 07/06/2024 5:38:50 AM PDT by Libloather
To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, US wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan: hire trained sharp-shooters to assassinate its rivals.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service strategy released Wednesday is meant to prop up declining spotted owl populations in Oregon, Washington state and California.
Trained shooters will be deployed to the dense forests of the West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their endangered cousins.
Documents released by the agency show up to about 450,000 barred owls would be shot over three decades — a solution designed to level the playing field after this invasive species of owl from the eastern US encroached into western territory.
Both of the Pacific coast's smaller native owls, the northern spotted owls and California spotted owls, have proven unable to compete with the invading barred owls, which breed in larger numbers and need less room to survive.
Past efforts to save spotted owls focused on protecting the forests where they live, sparking bitter fights over logging but also helping slow the birds' decline.
The proliferation of barred owls in recent years is undermining that earlier work, officials said.
'Without actively managing barred owls, northern spotted owls will likely go extinct in all or the majority of their range, despite decades of collaborative conservation efforts,' said Fish and Wildlife Service Oregon state supervisor Kessina Lee.
But the notion of killing one bird species to save another has divided wildlife advocates and conservationists.
It's reminiscent of past government efforts to save West Coast salmon by killing sea lions and cormorants that prey on the fish, and to preserve warblers by killing cowbirds that lay eggs in warbler nests.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
“Oregon, Washington state and California”
Could residing in Hell be worse than living in one of these states?
“hire trained sharpshooter to assassinate it’s rivals” Is one possible future move by the left against the right. gotta wonder if the “sharpshooters” are being screened for their political affiliations...you know, for future use. it is government after all.
I thought “invasive species” are ones which are moved by man to places they would likely not get to without help?
I’m starting a Save the barred owls foundation
Mao and the sparrows would like a word.
Spotted Owl meat is leaner, and more prone to over cooking.
I agree, it’s a hoax, designed to cripple the timber industry.
I was hired in 1979 by the Forest Service for a spotted owl survey of the Deschutes National Forest in central Oregon. By the time we were done, I knew that the whole fable of spotted owls needing vast tracts of undisturbed old-growth forest was nonsense. I’ve seen them in cut-over areas and in fairly young second-growth. In fact, the first nest I saw was in a Ponderosa snag in the middle of a clear cut; the birds had been reported to the USFS by the loggers who cut that sale.
Species compete. It’s what they do. If the barred owls are better at owling than spotted owls, so be it.
You do realize that we are talking about 200,000 sq miles of forests.
“Trying to control nature using the same philosophy they use to control the economy..”
Same ignorant filth who push global warming.
Examples are Cow Birds, Grackles, Cormorants.....
Leave it up to the individual states to set the rules......
Survival of the fittest.
“I like how they use the word “officials””
The “authorities”.
It’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature.
Ummmmm... No! Let nature take it’s course. Only the strong survive!!
No one has the right to put this kind of plan in motin. An injunction needs to happen.
The owls are demanding to know hoo is behind this decision.
It would appear, that solution didn't work.
The demise of the spotted owl doesn't seem to be linked to logging.
Since these two species of owl can inbreed and produce off spring that can also reproduce that shows they are simply variants of the same species.
Offspring of DIFFERENT species, but closely similar produce sterile offspring.
Anyone ever see a thoroughbred mule? Sterile offspring of a horse and donkey.
Leave it to the US government to screw up nature. Remember 100 years ago when they banned hunting north of the Grand Canyon and an ecology disaster happened?
https://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/kaibab.html
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.