Earlier this year we published a column by Liam Hutcheson, "Conserving our owls from invasive species," about the proposed killing of Barred Owls as part of the recovery plan to recover the endangered Spotted Owl. To say the least, Liam’s column resulted in a “lively” exchange of views on the proposal.
Spotted Owls are rare birds, and there have been no recent identifications in Thurston County. The only possible location in our county would be the narrow strip of forest, including some owned by the U.S. Forest Service, south of Alder Reservoir. However, Spotted Owl surveys there have not found any birds.
This past August, the environmental review was finalized, and the permit to “take” Barred Owls was approved. In an article recently published in Post Alley, "No, they’re not really going to shoot 450,000 owls," author Stephen Carr Hampton discussed the entire proposal and its likely implications in detail. His laudable purpose was to defuse some of the tension surrounding the topic. Rather than try to summarize his points, we sought permission for The JOLT to republish it.
Before getting too wound up about killing owls, I urge you to read Hampton’s entire article and to realize that the number of Barred Owls killed, if any, will be extremely small and only in areas where there is a possibility of direct conflict with territorial Spotted Owls.
George Walter is the environmental program manager at the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s natural resources department; he also has a 40+ year interest in bird watching. He may be reached at george@theJOLTnews.com
Photos for this column are provided by Liam Hutcheson, a 17-year-old Olympia area birder and avid photographer.
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Snevets
Thank you for an update.
3 hours ago Report this