Owl Sinks Jemez Logging (NM timber salvage sale)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | February 6, 2004 | Adam Rankin

[CedarDave]

Concern over federally protected Mexican spotted owl habitat has derailed a logging project in the Jemez Mountains aimed at salvaging about 950 acres of burned national forest.

Late Wednesday, U.S. District Judge M. Christina Armijo ruled the U.S. Forest Service illegally allowed logging on a patch of forest protected as owl habitat.

The project, known as the Lakes and BMG timber salvage, was designed "to recover the timber value of fire-killed trees" and contribute to the regional economy, according to Forest Service documents, by logging trees burned in two 2002 fires. About 4,600 total acres were burned.

Santa Fe-based Forest Guardians and Santa Fe Forest Watch filed suit Jan. 8 alleging the Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the federal Endangered Species Act and several other federal environmental laws by allowing the logging project to go forward.

The groups challenged logging that totaled 200 acres in three forest units. "The Forest Service tried to get away with (logging) by ignoring their own agency biologists," said John Horning, executive director of Forest Guardians. "It is a good ruling and hopefully it will slow the Forest Service down in their rush to log in these sensitive areas."

Court records show that Forest Service officials, when they issued an Aug. 6 finding, knew a pair of owls was living in the so-called "protected activity center" and were raising at least two and possibly three fledglings. The finding stated logging was unlikely to adversely affect owls because their habitat had been mostly destroyed by fire. By Aug. 1, Forest Service biologists had seen at least two fledglings in the area "where there was less fire damage and still quite a few green trees," according to a Forest Service e-mail uncovered during pre-trial discovery

[CedarDave]

Be prepared for more fires in the area as the dead trees dry out and become ripe for a lightening strike or some careless camper. Of course, another fire will likely wipe out what owls are left from the first fire. On the other hand, the fact that owls survived the horrific fire shows that they are more hardy than the envirowackos would have us believe.

[CedarDave]

PING to your lists, please.

[Viking2002]

Activist judges and wetback owls are going to be responsible for even more deaths and millions of dollars' worth of property losses. Let's just divide this country in two and cut our losses, before these pigs drag us all down with them. I'm more convinced than ever before, that this Union will not survive - it's what'll be left that I worry about.

[TigersEye]

If the fire didn't scare the owls away from the area permanently why would a few weeks of logging? That doesn't make sense.

[sharktrager]

Man. First the immigrant people et special status. Now the birds?

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!

[sergeantdave]

Sez da judge:

"We can't log the area because it might disturb owls; therefore, we must allow fire to burn the owls up."

Does this judge drool on the bench?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Clear out some trees, need more space for X-Country skiing!