Natural History Wanderings

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service announced that 9 million acres of land in Oregon,Washington and Northern California will be defined as critical habitat for the Spotted Owl. This is less than the 14 million proposed last February but more than the 5.3 million proposed in 2008.

Conservation groups are concerned that there are gaps in the plan due to exemptions for private forest lands and most state forests. Past protections have clearly been inadequate as the population of Snowy Owls as decreased by 40% over the last 25 years. Read more at: Feds aim to double habitat for spotted owl | Local News | The Seattle Times