Retrospective on spotted owl

Author: Reed Hopper

Ever wonder how those massive logging restrictions in the Pacific Northwest panned out for the endangered spotted owl?  Political AP has an interesting article that answers that question:  After 20 Years of Protection, Owls are Declining but Forests Remain.

 "Nothing we do seems to work for the spotted owl," Forsman said.

"The fight over the owl, however, perhaps the fiercest in the history of the Endangered Species Act, was always about more than just protecting a surprisingly friendly, football-sized bird with dark feathers, dark eyes and white spots.

"It also was about the future of the ancient Douglas fir, red cedar and Western hemlock forests that once stretched from northern California through Oregon and Washington state into British Columbia, and the habitat they provide for hundreds of species."