PERSPECTIVES ON THE LANDMARK DECISION DESIGNATING THE NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL (STRIX-OCCIDENTALIS CAURINA) AS A THREATENED SUBSPECIES

Following an extensive legal battle challenging its original decision to not extend the protection of the Endangered Species Act to the nort hern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), the US Fish and Wildlif e Service was ordered by the 9th District Court of Appeals to reassess the status of the owl. As a result of the revised analysis, the servi ce proposed the northern spotted owl for threatened status throughout its range. Because of the complex biological issues involved and the p erceived potential for economic disruption in timber-dependent communi ties of the Pacific Northwest, this proposal generated more controvers y and interest than any previous one. In this article I discuss the ra tionale for the service's decision, public involvement in the process, and the mechanisms now available to conserve the northern spotted owl and its habitat under the Endangered Species Act.