Restore Critical Habitat to the Spotted Owls
16,768 signatures toward our 30,000 Goal
Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site
Support the proposal to restore 3.4 million acres of protected land to the Spotted Owls habitat.
Close to 3.4 million acres of protected habitat were stripped from Northern Spotted Owls in 20201. With more than 70% of their habitat already gone, these imperiled birds need all of the help they can get2.
There is yet a chance to return those 3.4 million acres to spotted owls. The executive branch has written a proposal to expand their habitat3.
Even before the Trump administration decided to open more than a third of their habitat for logging and development, the spotted owl situation was dire. These birds — known for their white, fluffy feathers as owlets and their beautiful, spotted chests as adults — are slipping toward extinction. Spotted owl populations have dropped by 77% in Washington, 68% in Oregon and 50% in California4.
This species mates for life, and each pair depends on a large territory of their own for hunting and nesting. If they have that, they can protect themselves while feeding and raising their owlets5. Without protected habitat, spotted owl couples could have nowhere to raise their young.
Habitat loss is one of the key reasons we keep losing spotted owls, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service believes that much of their unprotected habitat could disappear as early as 20306.
If the proposal to reestablish the spotted owl's habitat does not pass, these birds could be nudged further toward extinction7.
Sign the petition below and support the proposal to save the spotted owls!
- Lisa Friedman, Catrin Einhorn, The New York Times (13 January 2021), "Trump Opens Habitat of a Threatened Owl to Timber Harvesting."
- Darryl Fears, The Washington Post (14 December 2020), "Spotted owls could go extinct without more federal protection. But they're not going to get it, Trump officials say."
- Joshua Partlow, The Washington Post (19 July 2021), "Biden proposes restoring 3.4 million acres of northern spotted owl habitat, reversing Trump rule."
- Darryl Fears, The Washington Post, (14 December 2020), "Spotted owls could go extinct without more federal protection. But they're not going to get it, Trump officials say."
- The Peregrine Fund, "Spotted Owl."
- Lisa Friedman, Catrin Einhorn, The New York Times (13 January 2021), "Trump Opens Habitat of a Threatened Owl to Timber Harvesting."
- The National Wildlife Foundation, "Northern Spotted Owl."
The Petition:
To the US Fish and Wildlife Service Director and Principal Deputy Director,
Spotted Owls, known for their white, fluffy feathers as owlets and their beautiful, spotted chests as adults, are rapidly slipping toward extinction.
Habitat loss is one of the key reasons we keep losing spotted owls. Even before the more than a third of the Spotted Owls' habitat was opened up for logging and development in 2020, these birds were disappearing at an unprecedented rate. Spotted owl populations have dropped by 77% in Washington, 68% in Oregon and 50% in California.
These beautiful birds mate for life, and build nests in wide open swathes of wilderness to build their homes. But at only 1.5 pounds, these little owls can't stand up for themselves. Without protected habitat, spotted owl couples could have nowhere to raise their young.
I am writing you in support of the Biden Administration's current proposal to restore 3.4 million acres of protected habitat to spotted owls. Thank you for your swift action on this issue.
Sincerely,
