[Tweeters] Washington state lands commissioner wary of federal plan to kill thousands of owls | The Daily Chronicle

[HAL MICHAEL via Tweeters]

I tend to support the removal of invasive species, particularly if the invasive is not native.  This has been done successfully in many situations with fish, removal of mice/rats/cats, and such.  My key is that removal is complete and reinvasion prevented.

I have mixed feelings about the owl removal.  The Barred is a native species whose range is expanding. My understanding is that the expansion is due to both climate changes and conversion of habitat from Spotted to Barred.  I would support the removal of Barred only if Spotted habitat was restored and expanded to the point where Barreds would be excluded.

If the changes in habitat such that Barreds are here permanently and they will successfully outcompete Spotteds in old growth then it seems the removal is more of a short-term feel good action and not a solution to the the problem of the continued existence of Spotteds.


Hal Michael
Board of Directors,Ecologists Without Borders (http://ecowb.org/)
Olympia WA
360-459-4005
360-791-7702 (C)
ucd880 at comcast.net


> On 06/23/2024 11:50 PM PDT Dan Reiff via Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:

> 

>  

> Hello Tweeters,

> The following article caught my attention.

> As a person who spends hundreds of hours each year observing and filming owls, I have struggled to conclude my position regarding the removal of Barred owls from historic Spotted owl territories.

> 

> I now have.

> 

> I and others have noted some success in the last five year “Cull of the Wild”program.

> Also, I do not have a link, but there was a longer article in the recent New Yorker magazine (June 17, 2024 – the debate over calling in invasive animals, page 58 ) that began with Spotted and Barred owls then, unfortunately, seemed to review failures more than successes in many other human intentionally or unintentionally introduced invasive species and the human attempts to affect or remedy the problems.

> 

> I am interested in the thoughts of others regarding the complex issues involved in policy decisions  for Spotted and Barred owls.

> Also, please share with me any comprehensive articles that review the many positions on this topic.

> Thank you,

> Dan Reiff

> 

> https://www.chronline.com/stories/washington-state-lands-commissioner-wary-of-federal-plan-to-kill-thousands-of-owls,342477

> 

> Sent from my iPhone

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