Court Orders Endangered Species Decision for California Spotted Owl

Court Orders Endangered Species Decision for California Spotted Owl

Trump administration must finalize protections for the owl next year.

Contacts

Andria So, Earthjustice, [email protected]

Noah Greenwald, Center for Biological Diversity, (503) 484-7495, [email protected]

In a win for California's forests, a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to finalize protections for the California spotted owl under the Endangered Species Act by April 30, 2027. The owl was proposed for protection in 2023 which triggered a one-year deadline that is now more than two years overdue.

"I'm so relieved California spotted owls will finally get the protection they need," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species codirector at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Since we first petitioned for their protection more than a quarter century ago the threats to these beautiful and curious owls have only mounted."

California spotted owls were proposed for endangered status in central and southern coastal California and threatened status in the Sierra Nevada. The Center and partners first petitioned to protect the owls in 2000.

"Now, more than ever, it is critical that California spotted owls receive increased protection to ensure their continued survival. Human-caused threats like logging and climate change jeopardize the owl's habitat, and President Trump's attacks on environmental protections like the roadless rule underscore this urgency," said Andria So, an attorney at Earthjustice.

Like their northern cousins, California spotted owls only live in mature and old-growth forests where they're threatened by historic and current logging practices. They're also harmed by the impacts of climate change including uncharacteristically large and severe fires, prolonged drought and higher temperatures.

California spotted owls are also increasingly threatened by invasive barred owls, which have been decimating northern spotted owl populations for decades. Because barred owls are still relatively few in number in the California spotted owl's range, the Service's unfortunate yet necessary effort to cull the invasive owl is particularly important for the California spotted owl's survival.

The U.S. Forest Service and the timber industry have instituted some protections for the spotted owl's habitat, but damaging clearcutting and salvage logging persist. These practices, combined with the increased risk of severe fire because of climate change, are resulting in continued loss of spotted owl habitat.

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