HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.21.22 Board Correspondence - FW_ FYI_ FWS Seeks Public Input on Barred Owl Management Strategy
From:Paulsen, Shaina
To:BOS
Cc:Hauck, Janna
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: FYI: FWS Seeks Public Input on Barred Owl Management Strategy
Date:Thursday, July 21, 2022 9:22:32 AM
Please see Board Correspondence below.
Shaina Paulsen
Associate Clerk of The Board
Butte County Administration
25 County Center Drive, Suite 200, Oroville, CA 95965
T: 530.552.3304 | F: 530.538.7120
From: Snow, Meghan K <meghan_snow@fws.gov>
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2022 9:17 AM
To: Snow, Meghan K <meghan_snow@fws.gov>
Subject: FYI: FWS Seeks Public Input on Barred Owl Management Strategy
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Dear Interested Party,
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public input in the preparation of a draft Environmental
Impact Statement for a Barred Owl Management Strategy to address the threat of the non-native barred
owl to native northern and California spotted owls in Washington, Oregon and California. This
announcement opens a 30-day public scoping period. The notice was posted in the Federal Register
reading room today and will publish in the Federal Register tomorrow.
The Service recently completed a multi-year barred owl removal experiment to test whether northern
spotted owls would benefit from the removal of barred owls. This was the largest field experiment ever
conducted of its kind – taking part in three western states and incorporating 17 years of demographic data
on northern spotted owl. Information from this study is being used in the development of the barred owl
management strategy.
Barred owls have expanded into the ranges of Northern spotted owl and California spotted owl in
Northern California and the Sierra Nevada. Based on their history of invasion and impacts to northern
spotted owl, barred owls are highly likely to continue expanding their range further south, resulting in
increased impacts to California spotted owls. The results from the study show barred owl removal had a
strong, positive effect on northern spotted owl survival, which ultimately stopped population declines in
areas where barred owls were removed. Northern spotted owl populations continued to decline sharply in
control areas where barred owls were not removed.
The Service will hold a virtual public meeting July 28, 2022, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. PT. The meeting will
include a presentation followed by questions and discussion on the Environmental Impact Statement
process for the management strategy. A link and access instructions to the virtual meeting will be posted
to http://www.fws.gov/office/oregon-fish-and-wildlife at least one week prior to the public meeting date.
For more information about the Barred Owl Management Strategy, please visit:
https://www.fws.gov/project/barred-owl-management.
Sincerely,
Meghan
Meghan Snow (she/her)
Public Affairs Officer
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office