Intertribal Timber Council Opposes Congressional Review Act Measure That Threatens Northern Spotted Owl Habitat

Strategic Insights -

The Intertribal Timber Council (ITC) has strongly opposed the Congressional Review Act measure, S.J.Res.69, which would invalidate a federal wildlife management plan to prevent the extinction of the Northern Spotted Owl (NSO) in the Pacific Northwest. The ITC is grateful to Senators who voted to defeat the bill, which would have severely impacted federal forest management in the region. The invasive barred owl poses a direct threat to the ecological integrity of tribal, federal, and private forestlands, and the federal management strategy is a critical tool to protect the NSO, which is listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Key Takeaways:

  • The ITC opposes S.J.Res.69, a measure that would invalidate a federal wildlife management plan to prevent the extinction of the Northern Spotted Owl (NSO) in the Pacific Northwest.
  • The invasive barred owl poses a direct threat to the ecological integrity of tribal, federal, and private forestlands.
  • The federal barred owl management strategy is a critical tool to protect the NSO, which is listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
  • There is substantial scientific evidence from long-term demographic studies, meta-analyses, and experimental removal trials indicating that the NSO faces a high risk of extinction without management of barred owls.
  • On the Warm Springs Reservation in central Oregon, breeding pairs of the NSO have declined from 24 to just one, largely due to barred owl competition.
  • ITC and many of its member tribes support barred owl removal as a humane and effective measure to recover the NSO and restore ecosystem integrity.
  • The Hoopa Tribe in northern California has been involved in the Barred Owl removal program since 2013 and is observing trends toward population stabilization.
  • Contrary to claims that the management plan is an expensive "billion-dollar scheme," the program's cost ranges between $4.5 and $12 million annually, shared among federal, state, tribal, and private partners.
  • Congressional elimination of the barred owl management plan could lead to NSO extinction within 50 years and limit Indian tribes and federal agencies from implementing forest health, fuels reduction, and restoration projects on federal lands.
  • The ITC applauds the defeat of S.J.Res.69 and the upholding of the science-based management framework to allow tribes and federal land and wildlife management agencies to recover the NSO and wisely manage natural resources.

Statistics:

  • The cost of the barred owl management program ranges between $4.5 and $12 million annually.
  • The program's cost is shared among federal, state, tribal, and private partners.
  • The Hoopa Tribe has been involved in the Barred Owl removal program since 2013.
  • Breeding pairs of the NSO have declined from 24 to just one on the Warm Springs Reservation in central Oregon due to barred owl competition.
  • The NSO is listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Sources:

  • Intertribal Timber Council (ITC)