One Step Forward, Two Steps Back?
No, it's not the cha cha, it's the good-news-bad-news dance for wildlife this month. Straight from our monthly email missive, Conservation Connection...
Declining spotted owl popoulations mean it is time to be improving, not removing, protections for old growth. Photo Alan & Susan Carey
In some parts of the state, the backcountry is getting wilder as we witness the return of wolves and wolverine. On the Olympic Peninsula, native fisher were recently reintroduced to much fanfare and excitement. Unfortunately, there are the spoilers out there...and the Bush administration is number one on the list.
The Bush administration is once again out to plunder the Endangered Species Act, America's safety net for the most endangered plants and animals. Proposed regulatory changes would exempt from independent reviews by biologists and members of the public tens of thousands of publicly funded projects. We hope the courts strike this one out. Until then, take action at Defenders for Wildlife.
The recently released "recovery" plan for northern spotted owls cuts protection for one-fifth to one-half of the endangered bird's critical habitat, most of it in Oregon–not inconsequentially where some of the biggest remaining old-growth trees remain. Spotted owl populations are declining by 4% a year in the Northwest. It's time to be improving, not removing, protections for old growth.
