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Northern spotted owl. Photo courtesy USFS.
Latest critical habitat designation reverses politically tainted Bush-era plan
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — Nearly four years after President Barack Obama took office, federal agencies are still trying to undo some of the environmental mischief from the Bush era. Last week, for example, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated more than 9 million acres of critical habitat for threatened northern spotted owls.
The designation, spread across federal lands in Washington, Oregon and Northern California, replaces a 2008 designation by the Bush administration that ignored years of scientific evidence showing that spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest needed more, not less, old-growth forest habitat protection.
The Bush-era critical habitat designation was based on a recovery plan for the owl that was widely criticized by the scientific community. Congressional hearings later showed that the plan was shaped by political interference designed to undermine the protective measures of the Northwest Forest Plan.
Conservation groups, represented by Earthjustice, challenged the 2008 plan, resulting in last week’s designation, which is a substantial increase from both previous designations. (more…)
Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Environment, federal government, forests, public lands | Tagged: biodiversity, Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice, endangered species, northern spotted owl, Northwest Forest Plan, Pacific Northwest, United States Fish and Wildlife Service | 2 Comments »
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