Spotted Owl

2 Pages 579 Words

ENVR 100
INTERNET ASSIGNMENT


Website 1: “Brighter future for Spotted Owl in British Columbia” 31-10-2002
http://www.birdlife.net/news/news/2002/10/705.html

Fact 1:

Interfor says it will withdraw operations from designated Spotted Owl management areas.

Fact 2:

There are currently fewer than 25 breeding pairs of Spotted Owls in south west BC.


Explanation:

Interfor logging company has planned to stop logging in some areas that are home to some of the last remaining Spotted Owls of BC. Although environmentalists feel this is a step in the right direction, the logging company plans to follow the BC Government’s Spotted Owl Management Plan which has apparently been criticized in the past for itself contributing to a population decline of over 70% in the last seven years.

Research on the Northern Spotted Owl has documented its dependence on coastal old-growth forests and the majority of old-growth in this owl’s range has already been logged. Those owls that remain are in some jeopardy as their populations will continue to decline as long as long as old-growth forest logging continues.

Website 2: “Spotted Owls Going Extinct in Canada” 17-09-2002
http://www.forestethics.org/html/eng/434.shtml

Fact 1:

The plight of the owl is an indicator of both the poor health of BC’s forest ecosystems and the unwillingness of federal and provincial governments to protect endangered species.

Fact 2:

Eighty-seven per cent of spotted owl habitat loss is due to industrial logging.

Explanation:

A report was released by Sierra Legal Defence Fund, Western Canada Wilderness Committee and Forest Watch of British Columbia about how the Spotted Owl is on a fast-track to extinction due to BC Forestry practices. Our forest ecosystems are in bad shape as we continue to log what is left of our old-growth forests. These same old-growth forests are home to a much endangered species of BC, the Spotted Owl. ...