TL/DR –
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved a plan in August to protect endangered spotted owls by culling 450,000 barred owls in California, Oregon and Washington over 30 years. The plan has faced opposition from a coalition of Republican lawmakers and animal rights advocates who argue it’s too costly, inhumane, and unworkable, and are urging the Trump administration to cancel it. If they fail, they could turn to the Congressional Review Act to overturn the approved plan, requiring both chambers of Congress to pass a joint resolution to undo it.
An unlikely coalition of Republican lawmakers and animal rights advocates is challenging a plan that aims to protect the endangered owl species by eliminating a more common one. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved a plan last August to kill approximately 450,000 barred owls in California, Oregon, and Washington over the next 30 years. This controversial strategy aims to save the northern and California spotted owls from extinction.
The plan’s critics argue that it is too costly, unmanageable, and inhumane, and they are calling on the Trump administration to cancel it. Last month, federal officials canceled three grants related to owl conservation worth $1.1 million, including one study that would have eliminated barred owls from over 192,000 acres in Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Activists and lawmakers are also looking at the possibility of using the Congressional Review Act to overturn the plan altogether. The Government Accountability Office concluded in late-May that the plan is subject to this Act, which could pave the way for Congress to undo it.
Despite the opposition, the plan has its supporters who argue that without the cull, the northern and California spotted owls are likely to go extinct. A long-term field experiment demonstrated that the population of spotted owls stabilized in areas where barred owls were eliminated, providing scientific evidence in support of the plan.
However, critics of the plan like Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and Center for a Humane Economy, believe the plan is doomed to fail due to the extensive land area and the ability of barred owls from other regions to repopulate the targeted areas. Pacelle’s group estimates that the plan could cost up to $1.35 billion, while a 2024 research paper put the cost between $4.5 million and $12 million per year.
This debate over the management of owl species in the Pacific Northwest continues to unfold, with ongoing lawsuits and a potential Congressional review adding to the complexity of the issue.
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