A U.S. judge has halted tree-cutting activities across thousands of square miles of the Southwest until federal agencies can get a better handle on how to monitor the population of a threatened owl. The order issued by the U.S. District Court in Tucson, Arizona, covers 18,750 square miles (48,600 sq
1 / 3Threatened Owl Timber ProjectsFILE - In this a July 11, 2002, file photo, Dr. Kathleen Ramsay gets the attention of"Manchado," a Mexican Spotted Owl at the Wildlife Center near Espanola, N.M. A federal judge has halted tree-cutting activities on all five national forests in New Mexico and one in Arizona until federal agencies can get a better handle on how to monitor the population of the threatened owl. The order issued earlier Sept. 2019, out of the U.S.
U.S. District Judge Raner Collins said the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have shirked their responsibility to count the Mexican spotted owl as part of a recovery plan and no longer can use budget concerns as an excuse. Even then, he said companies that cut trees on national forests through logging or restoration contracts could see business decline to the point of closing if the injunction stays in place long.
It was listed as a threatened species in the U.S. in 1993 and is found in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, parts of west Texas and Mexico but not uniformly. The Forest Service's Southwestern Region said it is complying with the order and"is committed to our continued efforts at recovering the Mexican spotted owl." The Fish and Wildlife Service declined comment on the court order, citing ongoing litigation.
The court said Fish and Wildlife and the Forest Service must consult formally about what projects affect the owls and their habitat. The Fish and Wildlife Service's website said that could take up to three months, then it would have 45 days to issue a new biological opinion.
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