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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Killing One Type Of Owl To Save Another In Northern California
CBS San Francisco ^ | May 21, 2014

Posted on 05/22/2014 9:53:27 AM PDT by nickcarraway

Killing one species to save another sounds like a drastic solution, but that’s exactly what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is doing in California to protect the Spotted Owl from a predator that happens to be its distant cousin, the Barred Owl. On the Hoopa Indian Reservation near the Oregon border, it’s owl country, but not the kind Mark Higley wants to see.

The tribe’s resident biologist is tracking an invasive species from the east called the barred owl. “Up to the ridge line we have been getting barred owl responses,” he said.

At first the birds were a novelty, but now they’re a huge problem because they are taking over the nesting territory of the native spotted owl, a threatened species. Spotted owl numbers have dropped as much as 80-percent in just the last 20 years. So Mark and his research team are taking drastic action, by using recorded calls to lure the barred owls in, and shoot them. “You want to make sure that you take a clean shot where you know you are going to have a clean kill and not wound birds and have them suffer,” he said.

It’s mating season now so the shooting is on hold. “The permit that we have states that we won’t orphan any young,” said Higley. But this past winter Mark’s team gunned down 71 barred owls.

It’s all part of an experiment recently approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The plan is to kill 3,600 barred owls over the next four years in California, Oregon and Washington.

“I thought it was ridiculous,” said Jennifer Barnes. She’s an attorney with the animal rights group Friends of Animals. “As soon as they stop the shooting more of the owls will come in,” she said.

Her group has filed a lawsuit to stop the killings, claiming barred owls are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

But once you meet a spotted owl face to face it’s easy to understand the urge to protect them. KPIX 5 followed Mark on a hike, along with Fish and Wildlife biologist Robin Bown, to one of the last two spotted owl nests on the reservation. All it took was a mouse to lure one of the creatures out.

She says to save them, “lethal removal” of their aggressive cousins is the only option. “We asked the states back east if they would like some of them back, but they really don’t have any place to put them,” she said.

Mark admits it’s not easy. “Oh its awful, I mean I am a biologist, the barred owl is a wonderful species, it’s a spectacular bird. The only reason I am doing this is that I feel it’s an invasive species,” he said.

So this fall he plans to be on the front lines again, killing one bird to save another.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: bird; conservation; endangeredspecies; owls; wildlife
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1 posted on 05/22/2014 9:53:27 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Is the spotted owl gay, transgender, lesbian, questioning...and the Barred Owl straight, Christian owl...


2 posted on 05/22/2014 9:55:36 AM PDT by areukiddingme1 (areukiddingme1 is a synonym for a Retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer and tired of liberal BS.))
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To: nickcarraway

Some animals are more equal than others.


3 posted on 05/22/2014 9:56:53 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: areukiddingme1

Actually this is classified under -— the dark side of the forest, and the light side of the forest, akin to Star Wars - but since owls are nocturnal, Obama has to set up a committee to study the two owl species for the next two years...


4 posted on 05/22/2014 9:59:04 AM PDT by BigEdLB (Now there ARE 1,000,000 regrets - but it may be too late.)
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To: nickcarraway

Killing the logging industry in the area wasn’t enough. Now they have to kill other owls. These people are freaking insane.


5 posted on 05/22/2014 10:00:41 AM PDT by jdsteel (Give me freedom, not more government.)
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To: nickcarraway

Death Panels for owls?.....................


6 posted on 05/22/2014 10:07:22 AM PDT by Red Badger (Soon there will be another American Civil War. Will make the first one seem like a Tea Party........)
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To: areukiddingme1
Spotted owl numbers have dropped as much as 80-percent

this... is weather forecast LINGO....

did they hire Ed Schlitz here to count the owls???


7 posted on 05/22/2014 10:07:34 AM PDT by MeshugeMikey ( "Never, never, never give up". Winston Churchill)
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To: areukiddingme1

The Koch Owl was found to make some spurious donations to Ted Cruz.


8 posted on 05/22/2014 10:07:49 AM PDT by TurboZamboni (Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.-JFK)
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To: dfwgator

9 posted on 05/22/2014 10:09:17 AM PDT by Red Badger (Soon there will be another American Civil War. Will make the first one seem like a Tea Party........)
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To: jdsteel
the spotted owl

the barred owl

Annnnd.... FIGHT !

10 posted on 05/22/2014 10:09:26 AM PDT by knarf (I say things that are true .. I have no proof .. but they're true.)
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To: jdsteel

WWAD - What Would Athena Do?


11 posted on 05/22/2014 10:10:43 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: jdsteel
Killing the logging industry in the area wasn’t enough. Now they have to kill other owls. These people are freaking insane.

Liberals always have to be killing something, whether it's forests or ghettos. They can't help themselves, they are who they are.

12 posted on 05/22/2014 10:13:15 AM PDT by BerryDingle (I know how to deal with communists, I still wear their scars on my back from Hollywood-Ronald Reagan)
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To: nickcarraway

“The only reason I am doing this is that I feel it’s an invasive species,” he said. “

A natural migration is not an invasive species.


13 posted on 05/22/2014 10:18:28 AM PDT by Rebelbase (Tagline: optional, printed after your name on post)
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To: nickcarraway

To change the song a bit, “He was foully murdered by those counter-evolutionary cads.”


14 posted on 05/22/2014 10:23:17 AM PDT by omega4412
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To: nickcarraway

“We had to kill the owls to save them”


15 posted on 05/22/2014 10:26:01 AM PDT by headstamp 2 (What would Scooby do?)
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To: nickcarraway

Obama’s war on hooters


16 posted on 05/22/2014 10:28:26 AM PDT by tophat9000 (An Eye for an Eye, a Word for a Word...nothing more.)
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To: nickcarraway

Now we kill animals trying to migrate to other areas. An invasive species would be one from another country or non-native to this country.


17 posted on 05/22/2014 10:29:52 AM PDT by headstamp 2 (What would Scooby do?)
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To: nickcarraway

What happened to Natural Selection?

Mockingbirds used to be uncommon here in the Raleigh area. Now they’re everywhere. Cardinals have expanded their range North.
Should we plan on exterminating them in their ‘new’ range ?

Oh that’s right. The gov. can do this as they wish. Remember they approved Golden Eagles being killed in order to stop the wind power controversy.


18 posted on 05/22/2014 10:51:00 AM PDT by Vinnie
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To: nickcarraway

In an administration that gives permits to kill eagles to save the endangered wind turbine, this makes perfect sense. Kind of like killing veterans to save budget money for bonuses.


19 posted on 05/22/2014 10:53:22 AM PDT by DPMD
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To: headstamp 2

First they displace all the people so they can have “migration corridors” and then snivel when the animals migrate.


20 posted on 05/22/2014 10:58:29 AM PDT by Lurkina.n.Learnin
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