Washington’s northern spotted owl populations continue to decline despite decades of conservation efforts, leading the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to recommend keeping it listed as endangered.
The agency invites the public to comment on its draft periodic status review for the northern spotted owl. Feedback can be submitted through Oct. 29 via email, tandepubliccom@dfw.wa.gov, or postal mail to Taylor Cotten, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, P.O. Box 43141, Olympia, WA, 98504.
“Despite management and conservation actions that have reduced the rate of northern spotted owl habitat loss, the Washington subpopulation of spotted owls is still facing challenges that threaten population recovery,” said Cotten, Fish and Wildlife conservation assessment section manager, in a release Tuesday.
Data suggests less than 25 percent of roughly 1,200 documented owl territories in Washington are occupied by the species. The likelihood of northern spotted owls becoming extinct has only increased since the state Department of Fish and Wildlife listed it as endangered in 1988.
