Northern Spotted Owl
The
mere mention of the creature’s name
brings shudders to loggers and some local
inhabitants, fear over its
existence has incited rallies, garnered the attention
of three government
agencies, and caused people to tie themselves to trees. On
April 2, 1993,
President Bill Clinton embarked on a quest to settle a
long-standing battle.
The environmentalists on one side, and their attempts to
protect natural
resources, and the timber industry’s desire for the same on
the other.
Unemployment and economic devastation was said to surely follow, due
to the
loss of timber industry jobs. No trees were allowed to be cut within 70
acres
of The Northern Spotted Owl’s nest. Other laws protected trees in
a
2,000-acre circle around the birds. Listed as "threatened" under
the
Endangered Species Act, the Northern Spotted Owl has inadvertently
landed in the
in middle of the complicated debate over logging in the Pacific
Northwest. Under
the Act, logging of many old-growth forests has been
suspended to protect the
bird and its remaining habitat. Survival of the
Northern Spotted Owl The
Northern Spotted Owl can only live in old growth
environment, it is considered
an "indicator species": The health of the
Northern Spotted Owl population
indicates the health of the old-growth forest
ecosystem. An individual Northern
Spotted Owl needs more than 3,000 acres
of old growth to survive, because of its
scarce food supply. The Northern
Spotted Owl is found in the cool, moist
woodlands on the Pacific Northwest.
The habitat of the Northern Spotted Owl can
be described as trees relatively
large in diameter in the stand, multi-layered
canopy, large tall live trees
with cavities, broken tops, mistletoe, or
platforms of branches capable of
holding accumulated organic matter suitable for
use as a nest, dead standing
trees and fallen decayed trees to support abundant
populations of prey
species, especially northern flying squirrels and woodrats.
The Timber
Industry In May 1991, Federal District Judge William Dwyer issued a
landmark
decision finding that the Forest Service had violated the National
Forest
Management Act by failing to implement an acceptable management plan for
the
northern spotted owl. His decision forbade timber sales across the
spotted
owl region until the Forest Service implemented an acceptable plan.
An
injunction blocking timber sales in Northern Spotted Owl habitat affected
17
national forests in Washington, Oregon and Northern California. The
consequences
for the rural economy in many areas of the Pacific Northwest
were devastating.
As many as 135 mills were closed, pushing unemployment
up to 25 percent in some
small communities. The mill closings affected
cutters, loggers, and truck
drivers, including other businesses that provided
services to them were also out
of work. Conclusion It makes sense that
wildlife needs a healthy forest in order
to survive. Wildlife, however, also
plays an important role in maintaining a
forest's health. Clearcutting is
ecologically unsound because it destroys a
complex ecosystem and endangers
many of the species that rely on it. Managing
forest habitats for owls also
provides many other wildlife species with places
to live. Because it is such
a stable and unique community, it provides a habitat
for many organisms that
are only found there. Old growth forests are also
valuable in the maintenance
of watersheds. Without the ground cover and
extensive root systems associated
with old growth, water runs off steep
hillsides much more rapidly and causes
extensive erosion. Many streams in old
growth forests are important for fish
spawning, and the excess sediment loads
can completely destroy spawning
areas. Some species of salmon are now seriously
endangered, primarily as a
result of excessive logging activity. Another value
that is a little less
tangible has to be experienced to be appreciated. Just
walking into an old
growth forest causes most people to catch their breath and
they feel as if
they have entered a cathedral. It's easy to feel that you are
the only person
on earth as you walk beneath the silent mammoths towering above.
Knowing
that the trees you are looking at could be 2,000 years old makes you
feel
insignificant. Economic setbacks due to saving complex echo systems
and
endangered species is a small price to pay. If we continue to focus on
quantity
rather then quality, we will exhaust the earth’s environment. At
this point we
have caused extensive damage to the environment, plants and
animals due to greed
and commercialism it is certainly time to pay our
share.
Bibliography
Des Jardins, J. (1997) Environmental Ethics
Power, T. (1995) Economic
Well-Being And Environmental Protection a
report By 60 Northwest Economists,
Reviewed by George McKinley Sweet Home
hard hit by federal, state logging
restrictions available on-line at
http://www.sweet-home.or.us/forest/owl/index.html