groups say Oregon logging project endangers northern spotted owl
Monique Merrill
MEDFORD, Ore. (CN) — A southwest Oregon logging project involving the timber harvest of more than 8,000 acres will cause “irreversible harm” to the northern spotted owls and other unique ecological resources, a trio of environmental groups claim in a new lawsuit.
The Bureau of Land Management’s Last Chance Forest Management Project calls for the commercial thinning, timber harvest and hazardous fuels reduction across nearly 57,000 acres within three southwestern counties in Oregon
However, the federal agency, as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fell short of properly analyzing the effect on the northern spotted owl, according to the environmental groups — Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Oregon Wild and Cascadia Wildlands.
“The BLM doesn’t care about fire hazard, wildlife or watersheds,” said George Sexton, conservation director for Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, in an email. “They’re willing to cut corners and lock out the public in order to meet inflated timber targets.”
The Fish and Wildlife Service’s biological opinion, published in July 2023, analyzed just 3,093 acres of the northern spotted owl’s critical habitat rather than the 8,311 acres that will be affected by the project, the groups claim. The discrepancy violates the Endangered Species Act, the environmental groups say.
The plaintiffs also say the biological opinion relied on survey methods that systematically undercount spotted owl pairs, leading the agency to an unsupported conclusion that the project will result in no unintentional harm to the species.
“This is a really important case to push the agencies to actually follow the best available science, acknowledge and incorporate that into their decision-making,” said John Persell, staff attorney at Oregon Wild. “Before the agencies can say that there will be no owls taken, they need to actually acknowledge how many owls are actually on this landscape, as well as the need for as much suitable habitat to be maintained as possible.”
The groups also accuse the Bureau of Land Management of violating the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to prepare an environmental impact statement for the project.
“The project authorizes extensive logging in fire-resilient old-growth forests and serpentine ecosystems that provide essential habitat for imperiled species, and will increase wildfire risk in portions of the project area for the next two decades,” the groups say in the complaint.
The northern spotted owl lives primarily in mature and old-growth forest ecosystems within the Pacific Northwest, historically ranging from British Columbia to Northern California. The species prey on voles and woodrats that live in large, dead wood on the forest floor.
Since 1990, the northern spotted owl has been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Since then, habitat loss has contributed to a further decline in the species’ population.
“It’s on a downward spiral,” Persell said about the northern spotted owl. “The science is pretty clear that for the spotted owl to have any real shot at survival, let alone recovery, we have to conserve as much suitable habitat as currently exists, even if it’s currently unoccupied, because we need those places for spotted owls to repopulate.”
There are 33 known spotted owl home ranges found within the project area, according to the groups.
But owls aren’t the only species the groups say will be affected by the project.
The plaintiffs also accuse the Bureau of Land Management of violating the Federal Land Policy and Management Act by not mitigating threats to the northwestern pond turtle, one of two native freshwater turtle species in Oregon.
Under the 2016 Southwestern Oregon Resource Management Plan, the agency must implement conservation measures to reduce risks to “Bureau sensitive species” — native species found on Bureau of Land Management-administered lands.
While the final environmental assessment acknowledged the turtle is proposed for listing as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, the Bureau of Land Management opted not to implement conservation measures unless the species becomes formally listed, according to the groups.
The project authorizes 28 miles of new road construction and 241 miles of renovation to existing roads. Persell noted that a recent trip to the project area showed road alignments already set in place.
“Not so coincidentally, it seems the road alignments seem to go through the biggest, oldest trees,” Persell said. “That’s particularly heartbreaking because that’s unfortunately a way that the BLM often ultimately ends up targeting some of the biggest, oldest trees on the landscape.”
The groups are asking the federal court to block the agencies from proceeding with the project until it complies with environmental law.
Neither the Bureau of Land Management nor the Fish and Wildlife Service immediately responded to a request for comment Wednesday evening.