For Immediate Release:
September 3, 2003
Contacts: Noah Greenwald, Ctr. for Biological diversity, 503-243-6643
Craig Thomas, Sierra Forest Legacy 530-622-8718
Greg Loarie, Earthjustice, 510-550-6725
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TO SUE TO PROTECT CALIFORNIA SPOTTED OWL
BUSH ADMINISTRATION LOGGING PROPOSALS HEIGHTEN THREAT TO SPECIES
The Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Forest Legacy and 6 other groups today filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for wrongfully denying protection for the California spotted owl under the federal Endangered Species Act. The notice to sue challenges the Fish and Wildlife Service’s February 12, 2003 decision denying protection for the owl, which was in response to a petition filed by the groups. The owl, which inhabits old growth forests in the Sierra Nevada, is threatened by logging on Forest Service and private lands.
The Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision not to protect the owl was based on the assumption that the owl’s habitat in the Sierra Nevada would be largely protected by the Clinton Administration’s Sierra Nevada Framework, a plan that restricted logging to protect the owl’s habitat. However, the Bush Administration, as part of its Healthy Forests Initiative, has proposed a substantially weaker plan that would triple logging of national forests in the Sierra Nevada. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service relied on the Framework to deny protection for the owl, even though they knew these protections were on the Bush Administration’s chopping block,” states Noah Greenwald, a conservation biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity. “This decision flies in the face of common sense.”
The Framework provides protection for the owl, while at the same time allowing for substantial progress towards reducing risk of destructive forest fires, by protecting fire resistant medium and large trees across the landscape, and focusing fuel treatments around communities where they are needed most “The Bush Administration is scrapping a balanced plan with broad support from environmentalists, the state of California, the public and scientific community to reward his campaign contributors in the timber industry,” states Craig Thomas, executive director of the Sierra Forest Legacy. “The Framework Plan focuses on protecting and restoring old forest, which is key habitat for the owl, fisher and a host of other species, while the Bush plan aims to cut them down.”
Unlike the northern and Mexican subspecies, the California spotted owl has never been listed under the Endangered Species Act. Like its cousins, however, the California spotted owl is closely associated with old-growth forests. Over a decade of studies have determined that the owl’s population is declining and is cause for significant concern. “The California spotted owl is in serious trouble and needs protection under the Endangered Species Act,” concludes Greenwald.
In a related matter, the groups filed suit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to provide documents under the Freedom of Information Act related to their decision to not protect the owl. The Groups filed their request for information at the time of the decision over six months ago, but have not received a response. “The Bush Administration is one of the most secretive presidencies in history, refusing to release documents to Congress and the public and sealing presidential records,” states Greg Loarie, an attorney with Earthjustice who is representing the groups. “The Bush Administration is blatantly disregarding laws designed to maintain an open democracy.