Help protect owl's and the Pacific Northwest

Strengthen the Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Plan

ATTN: Robyn Thorson, Regional Director

I am writing to comment on the draft recovery plan for the northern spotted owl. This owl is dependent on old-growth forests for its survival and recovery and has continued to decline with the loss of its habitat to logging, particularly on private and state lands in the Pacific Northwest. If the species is to recover, strong habitat protections must be enacted.

To this end, please consider public and scientific input and incorporate the following into the final recovery plan:

-Protect all suitable habitat across all ownerships. The biggest reason for owl decline is loss of suitable habitat from past logging.

-Protect all owl sites, occupied or not. Owls will repopulate unoccupied owl sites if there is enough suitable habitat.

-Preserve the Late Successional and Riparian Reserve networks of the Northwest Forest Plan as a cornerstone of the restoration and recovery of spotted owls. The reserves should be a building block for owls while we also protect all suitable habitat in the Matrix and on non-federal lands.

-Include the recommendations of scientific peer reviews conducted as part of this recovery plan.

-Develop better science before assuming that aggressive thinning will help owls in drier forests on the eastern edge of the Cascades and in southern Oregon and Northern California. Aggressive thinning in drier forests can cause long-lasting, irreparable harm to existing spotted owl habitat.

Thank you for considering these requests.

Warmest Regards,

[Your name]