Killing Barred Owls to Save Spotted Owls

Two decades ago, environmentalists successfully campaigned to save the endangered and dying-off spotted owl in Pacific Northwest old-growth forests.

Decision-makers were persuaded that logging was the greatest threat to the spotted owl and large tracts of federal land being logged were designated as off limits.

Consequently, the lumber industry and supporting communities took huge hits as tens and thousands of jobs disappeared. The cessation of logging was justified as necessary to save the spotted owl from extinction.

Unfortunately, populations of spotted owls have not recovered, rather they continue to die off despite the prohibition on logging.

Turns out the major culprit in its demise was evolution — in the form of the barred owl, a closely related species that is bigger, more omnivorous, and generally all around superior to the spotted owl.

Barred owls (Strix varia), also native to North America, seize spotted owl habitat and out-compete the endangered species.

Of course, this is bad news for environmentalists devoted to the spotted owl. In the words of Lowell Diller, with Green Diamond Resource Co.,

"We have a huge amount of resources committed to protecting that species," Diller says. "Then we have the barred owl show up."

To remedy the situation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is soon expected to issue guidance to blast the barred owls with shotguns. Possibly 1,200 to 1,500 barred owls will be killed in several study areas and impact will be gauged.



Killing one owl species to benefit another is controversial and not supported by some wildlife and environmental activists. It's such a troubling issue that an environmental ethicist has been retained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.