Saving the Spotted Owl

The majestic spotted owl had been the focus of heated debate between loggers and environmentalists ever since the fate of this small bird, barely 8 ounces, has come into question.  The ancient forest of the Pacific Northwest has always been home to the spotted owl but over the last 150 years, as a result of heavy logging, these ancient forests have decreased drastically. Society has deemed this incredibly diverse and beautiful landscape as economic property, worthless unless it is generating revenue for the owners.  For generations loggers and mill workers have relied on the seemingly endless bounty of trees that encompasses the Pacific Northwest to support their families.  As this sacred, ancient forest meets the angry bits of steel the population of spotted owls is in terrible danger of losing their stable ecosystem which they rely on for shelter and food.  Spotted owls cannot survive in young forests, and loggers need old growth forest trees because the quality of wood is better, and their machines were made to process thick trees.  Both the owl and the logging industry need the precious trees of old growth forests.  But whose need is greater?

The Northern Spotted Owl was listed federally as a threatened species in 1990 because suitable habitat was declining throughout its range and there was evidence of declining populations.  Saving the spotted owl will save an entire ecosystem on which plants, other animals, and humans depend.  "The spotted owl is almost certainly just the tip of the iceberg," says the Forest Service's Jerry Franklin quoted from “Who gives a Hoot” in Time magazine. "There are probably dozens of other species just as threatened as the owl."  The spotted owl is considered an indicator species -- a gauge of the health of the ecosystem that provides its habitat. It has been estimated that within 30 years the last of the ancient forests outside of protected areas will fall.  It has taken centuries for old growth forest trees to grow which cannot ever be replaced in our lifetime.  Many mills may be forced to close eventually unless they adapt their machinery to work with second growth trees.  "We've been running an ecological deficit, and the bill has come in," says Jerry Franklin, a research scientist with the Forest Service. "There's going to be pain for owls, for people and for trees."  The owl dispute has not caused the problem but forced people to realize the inevitable crisis facing the Pacific Northwest. 

Works Cited

http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v4n1/

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,970447,00.html#ixzz17BXphFwv

http://communty.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archine/?date=20000806&slug=4035697