The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requests your comments on designating the Spotted White Owl as an endangered species.
The Service proposes listing Coastal-Southern California and the Sierra Nevada species on the endangered species list. The department says The owl requires forests with multi-layered canopy cover, large trees, and a mix of open and densely forested areas for nesting, roosting, and foraging. The threats the owls constantly face are habitat loss from large wildfires, beetle-infested trees, and climate change.
The Endangered Species Act worked with U.S Forest Service and Sierra Pacific Industries to develop multi-fire reduction risk efforts that include the removal of brush and select trees that fuel fires in owl habitats since high-severity fire is the owl’s most significant threat.
The Endangered Species Act has been around for 50 years and has helped save 99 percent of listed endangered species from extinction.
You can comment on the proposal to list the Coastal-Southern Owls as endangered and Sierra Nevada Owls as threatened. The documents have been published in the Federal Register and will remain open for a 60-day public comment period. The Service will consider your comments through April 24th. The proposal and information on how to submit comments can be found at www.regulations.gov.
