{"id":2332671,"date":"2024-08-28T14:43:59","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T18:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-government-prepares-to-kill-452000-owls-in-3-states\/"},"modified":"2024-08-28T14:59:57","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T18:59:57","slug":"us-government-prepares-to-kill-452000-owls-in-3-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-government-prepares-to-kill-452000-owls-in-3-states\/","title":{"rendered":"US Government Prepares to Kill 452,000 Owls in 3 States"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fus-government-prepares-to-kill-452000-owls-in-3-states%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2332671&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Beginning next year, U.S. wildlife officials \u2063will significantly \u200cincrease efforts to remove invasive barred owls from West\u2064 Coast \u200cforests to protect native species, particularly the northern and California <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-want-migratory-bird-treaty-exemption-to-call-in-and-eradicate-american-owl-populations\/\" title=\"Feds Want Migratory Bird Treaty Exemption to Call in and Eradicate American Owl Populations\">spotted owls<\/a>. This plan,\u200d finalized on \u200cWednesday, aims\u200d to eliminate up to 452,000 barred owls across a 23,000-square-mile\u200c area in California, Oregon, and Washington over 30 years. This controversial strategy has a\u200b historical precedent, as it \u200cechoes\u2062 past efforts to save other wildlife by eliminating competing species.<\/p>\n<p>Barred owls, native to eastern North America,\u200c have\u2064 rapidly displaced smaller spotted owls,\u200b threatening \u2062their\u200c survival and impacting local \u200cfrog \u200dand salamander populations. Despite some support among wildlife advocates, others argue\u2063 that killing barred owls is a misguided approach that\u200c distracts from\u200d essential habitat preservation efforts. Those in favor of\u2063 the strategy assert that it could\u2064 help halt \u200dthe decline of spotted owls, which\u2062 are federally protected and \u200dface significant population pressures.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ted-cruz-manages-to-trigger-leftists-by-doing-something-millions-of-americans-do-every-year\/\" title=\"Ted Cruz Manages To Trigger Leftists by Doing Something Millions of Americans Do Every Year\">wildlife service<\/a> plans to use trained shooters to carry out the removals, which will be centralized and controlled \u2063rather than\u2064 allowing public hunting. \u2063The complicated dynamics of species restoration in the\u200c ecosystem \u200band the high territorial nature of barred owls facilitate their targeting,\u200c as researchers note that the likelihood of successfully removing them is\u200c over 95%\u2064 in\u200b detected locations. Although experimental efforts in the past suggested potential success, concerns regarding\u2062 long-term impacts\u200c and effectiveness \u200dremain prominent among scientists and advocates.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>U.S. wildlife officials beginning next year will drastically scale up efforts to kill invasive barred owls that are crowding out imperiled native owls from West Coast forests, under a plan finalized Wednesday that faces challenges from barred owls returning after they have already been removed.<\/p>\n<p>Trained shooters will target barred owls over 30 years across a maximum of about 23,000 square miles in California, Oregon and Washington. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service goal is to kill up to 452,000 barred owls and halt the decline of competing northern spotted owls and California spotted owls.<\/p>\n<p>Killing one bird species to save others has divided wildlife advocates and is reminiscent of past government efforts to save <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/left-wing-nyt-columnist-bemoans-liberals-done-west-coast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">West Coast<\/a> salmon by killing sea lions and cormorants, and to preserve warblers by killing cowbirds that lay eggs in warbler nests. The barred owl removals would be among the largest such effort to date involving birds of prey, researchers and wildlife advocates said.<\/p>\n<p>Native to eastern North America, barred owls started appearing in the Pacific Northwest in the 1970s. They have quickly displaced many spotted owls, which are smaller birds that need larger territories. An estimated 100,000 barred owls now live within a range that contains only about 7,100 spotted owls, according to federal officials.<\/p>\n<p>The newcomers&rsquo; arrival also threatens to decimate frog and salamander species that barred owls prey on.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just one owl versus one owl,&rdquo; said David Wiens, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist who led a barred owl removal study that ended in 2020. &ldquo;Because of their predatory behavior, they are basically eating anything in the forest and this includes amphibians, small mammals, other bird species.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Government officials say 15 years of killing barred owls experimentally, including on Northern California&rsquo;s Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, shows the controversial strategy could halt the decline of spotted owls. Yet researchers warn that few <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-plans-to-kill-hundreds-of-thousands-of-owls\/\" title=\"Biden Administration Plans To Kill Hundreds Of Thousands Of Owls\">spotted owls remain<\/a> in some areas, and it could take years to turn the tide on the barred owls&rsquo; aggressive expansion of their range.<\/p>\n<p>The wildlife service would designate government agencies, landowners, tribes or companies to carry out the killings. Shooters would have to provide documentation of training or experience in owl identification and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/gun-grabbers-lose-big-judge-rules-ar-15-not-assault-firearm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">firearm<\/a> skills.<\/p>\n<p>Public hunting of barred owls would not be allowed.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re talking about managing in less than 50 percent of that northern spotted owl range to try and carve out space for those spotted owls,&rdquo; said Fish and Wildlife Service Oregon state supervisor Kessina Lee. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re still going to have barred owls in the West. This is really just about trying to prevent the extinction of spotted owls.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Some wildlife advocates have backed the barred owl killings. Others say it is a reckless diversion from needed forest preservation and will not stop barred owls from migrating into the region.<\/p>\n<p>Their spread has undermined decades of spotted owl restoration efforts that previously focused on protecting forests where they live.<\/p>\n<p>Northern spotted owls are federally protected as a threatened species. California spotted owls were proposed for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trumps-interior-department-scrapping-federal-protections-gray-wolf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">federal protections<\/a> last year. A decision is pending.<\/p>\n<p>Barred owls are highly territorial, which makes killing them relatively straightforward, according to researchers. Shooters use megaphones to broadcast recorded owl calls at night and lure the birds close to roads where they are killed with shotguns.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The birds will come right in. They&rsquo;re very focused on this recording,&rdquo; Wiens said. &ldquo;If we go into a site and detect a barred owl there, we have over a 95 percent chance of removing that barred owl.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Other potential approaches &mdash; including capturing and euthanizing barred owls, collecting their eggs to prevent reproduction, or hazing them out of areas with spotted owls &mdash; were considered by the wildlife service, but rejected as too costly or impractical.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p>   <script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starting next year, U.S. wildlife officials will significantly intensify their efforts to eliminate invasive barred owls that are displacing endangered native owl species in West Coast forests. This plan, finalized on Wednesday, anticipates challenges from barred owls returning after removal. Over the next 30 years, trained shooters will focus on these barred owls across approximately 23,000 square miles in California, Oregon, and Washington. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service aims to cull up to 452,000 barred owls to help prevent the decline of northern spotted owls and California spotted owls.<\/p>\n<p>The strategy of killing one bird species to protect another has sparked debate among wildlife advocates and echoes previous government actions aimed at saving West Coast salmon by culling sea lions and cormorants or protecting warblers by eliminating cowbirds that lay eggs in their nests. This initiative represents one of the largest efforts involving birds of prey thus far.<\/p>\n<p>Barred owls are originally from eastern North America but began appearing in the Pacific Northwest during the 1970s. They have rapidly displaced many smaller spotted owls that require larger territories; currently, there are about 100,000 barred owls compared to only around 7,100 spotted owls within their overlapping ranges. The presence of barred owls also poses a threat to local frog and salamander populations they prey upon.<\/p>\n<p>David Wiens from the U.S. Geological Survey noted that this issue extends beyond just a competition between two owl species; due to their predatory nature, barred owls consume various forest creatures including amphibians and small mammals.<\/p>\n<p>Government officials cite experimental killings over a span of 15 years as evidence that this controversial approach could help stabilize spotted owl populations despite warnings from researchers about dwindling numbers in certain areas\u2014indicating it may take time before any positive effects can be observed against the aggressive spread of barred owls.<\/p>\n<p>The wildlife service plans for designated agencies or organizations\u2014including landowners or tribes\u2014to conduct these removals with shooters required to demonstrate proficiency in identifying owl species and handling firearms; public hunting will not be permitted for this purpose.<\/p>\n<p>Kessina Lee from Fish and Wildlife Service emphasized that while they aim to manage less than half of the northern spotted owl&#8217;s range for conservation purposes\u2014hoping merely to prevent extinction\u2014they acknowledge that some barred owl presence will remain on the West Coast.<\/p>\n<p>While some wildlife advocates support this initiative against barred owsl others criticize it as an irresponsible distraction from essential forest conservation efforts which have historically focused on protecting habitats where spotted ows live.<\/p>\n<p>Northern spotted ows are federally recognized as a threatened species while California&#8217;s were proposed for federal protection last year with a decision pending. Barred ows exhibit strong territorial behavior making them relatively easy targets for removal; shooters use recorded calls broadcasted through megaphones at night luring them close enough for elimination using shotguns\u2014a method shown effective with over a 95 percent success rate when detected at specific sites according Wiens&#8217; research findings.<br \/>\nAlternative methods such as capturing or euthanizing banned ows were considered but deemed too costly or impractical by authorities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2332672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/c753d5ea8dd4423f9bf9f5247b80e731.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6733,36450,39562,35785,34258],"class_list":["post-2332671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-controversy","tag-environmental-issues","tag-owls","tag-us-government","tag-wildlife-conservation"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/c753d5ea8dd4423f9bf9f5247b80e731.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2332671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2332672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2332671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2332671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2332671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}