I have chosen to do research on the Northern Spotted Owl for my keystone lab. Many factors can influence the life of this species. The Northern Spotted Owl is said to be located in the Old Growth Forests of Northern California, Oregon, Washington and some small areas in British Columbia, and Canada. The northern spotted owl has inhabited these areas for hundreds of years, yet was only found as a species in the early 1900’s. We are all aware the Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) is a keystone species, but it is also known as an indicator species of Old Growth Forests. Thanks to the constant need for lumber from timber companies, the Northern Spotted Owl has been steadily moving towards an eventual extinction. ("Northern Spotted Owl.")
The northern spotted owl is medium in size and is a nocturnal raptor that lives in mature and old-growth forests. Spotted owls hunt voles and flying squirrels in the forests and nest high up in big trees with open spaces. Spotted owls mate for life and live 10 to 15 years. ("Northern Spotted Owl.") For many decades the Northern Spotted Owl has been in danger from the Timber industry. Loggers working for the timber companies do not care if every owl is killed or the last Old Growth Tree is finally cut down, as long as they see a profit from it and not something that will damage their bank accounts. ("Northern Spotted Owl.")
In 1987, when the Endangered Species Act was put into practice, the Federal Wildlife Service refused to list the Northern Spotted Owl. The FWS was then sued by the National Audubon Society to list the Species. During this time period, it was discovered that when examining the Northern Spotted Owl for its listing the FWS had looked at both the economics and the politics in ...
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...l keystone includes fungi, Douglas-Fir and the Flying Tree Squirrel. The squirrels eat truffles made by fungi which are of an important tree species. The squirrel then spreads these fungi in the forest by leaving it in its feces. The fungi play a main part in the old growth forests and effect the growth and health of many northwestern trees. ("Northern Spotted Owl.")
Works Cited:
“Basic Facts About Northern Spotted Owls." Northern Spotted Owl. Defenders of Wildlife, n.d.
Web. 3 Mar. 2014. .
"Northern spotted owl." — Conservation Northwest. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
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"Northern Spotted Owl." Northern Spotted Owl. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
The Pacific Northwest is perhaps most commonly known for its awe-inspiring old growth forests that have been gracing the land for hundreds and hundreds of years. The land in British Colombia, Canada, Washington state, Oregon, and parts of Northern California are the only areas in the world where these forests exist. One of the most unique and amazing inhabitants of this age-old forest is the Northern Spotted Owl. The Northern Spotted Owl has been on the endangered species list for over ten years now. The Northern Spotted Owl can only be found in these old growth forests. The northern spotted owl requires many acres old forests to survive, due to its scarce food supply. They are very sensitive to their habitat, and simply cannot survive in any other environment. These owls, as well as the forests have been disappearing at an alarming rate due to the immense logging industry in its area.
Estimates are that at the turn of the twentieth century, over two million wild horses roamed free in the western United States. However, having no protection from their primary predator, man, by the 1970’s their numbers had dwindled to less than thirty thousand. In 1971, after a massive public uproar, Congress by a unanimous vote enacted the “Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act” (Act) that characterizes wild horses and burros as national treasures and provides for their protection. “Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene. It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.”
Rhetor’s since the days of Aristotle and Isocrates have been using their rhetorical situations to deliver messages with a sense of urgency and persuade others to see their point of view. In 1933, Luther Standing Bear published his book “Land of the Spotted Eagle”. In this book, he talks about the terrible conditions under which his people live and how it needs to change. He speaks specifically to this in the excerpt “What the Indian Means to America”. Here he is referencing the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Standing Bear talks about how the European Americans caused these disasters and how the Native American could be the solution to these problems. He uses his rhetorical situation to try and convince the American government to listen
The Northern Spotted Owl can only live in old growth environment, it is considered an “indicator species”: The health of the Northern Spotted Owl population indicates the health of the old-growth forest ecosystem. An individual Northern Spotted Owl needs more than 3,000 acres of old growth to survive, because of its scarce food supply. The Northern Spotted Owl is found in the cool, moist woodlands on the Pacific Northwest. The habitat of the Northern Spotted Owl can be described as trees relatively large in diameter in the stand, multi-layered canopy, large tall live trees with cavities, broken tops, mistletoe, or platforms of branches capable of holding accumulated organic matter suitable for use as a nest, dead standing trees and fallen decayed trees to support abundant populations of prey species, especially northern flying squirrels and woodrats.
In conclusion, owls have shown they are excellent at adapting to any environment by the ability to fly silently to stalk prey. They use camouflaged and insulated feathers to hide and keep warm while hunting. Owl’s excellent binocular vision, and hearing helps to track prey from long distances. The only real risk of extinction of the burrowing owl is if people continue to kill off animals that dig holes for them. They have shown the ability to survive for a long time with the help of other animals digging holes for them. Owl’s will continue to evolve long after humans have
The spotted owl is an eighteen-inch tall bird-of-prey that roams the thick forests of the Pacific Norwest. The adult spotted owl enjoys a life at the top of the food chain for the region. This bird has only one enemy, the logging companies that inadvertently threaten its natural habitat. Clear-cutting operations of old growth forests destroy breeding and hunting areas. Clear-cut logging is the timber industry's version of strip mining. Almost nothing remains that resembles the forest that once stood there except for thousands of tree stumps the size of Volkswagens.
In 1782, the bald eagle was elected as the national symbol of the United States of America, yet by the early 1960’s, it was nearly extinct in the Continental United States. A combination of many dangers, with the main danger being the pesticide DDT, the bald eagle was on the verge of extinction. Yet, through conservation measure applied by the United States government the bald eagle cam back from the brink and was taken off of the endangered species list in 2007.
Schltz Jr, Thomas M. Wofl reintoduction into Yellowstone Nation Park: a symbol of changing values and hiden agendas? 1995.
The author reasons with his thesis by focusing on three main points: lenient standard for becoming a citizen plaintiff, litigation can bring handsome rewards, and endangered species act being imposed and all costs. In section titled The Endangered Species Act’s Lenient Standard for Becoming a Citizen Plaintiff Middleton (2011) paraphrases the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by saying, “The Endangered Species Act’s otherwise minimal pleading requirements have resulted [in]… a ‘cycle of litigation’ that is ‘endless, and is very expensive, thus diverting resources ...
“Many airlines now ban shipments of African “Big Five wildlife trophies. Celebrities around the world, as well as the media, are condemning the illegal killing of animals for sport. The United Nations has also spoken out in a historic resolution on wildlife trafficking by the U.N. General Assembly that “strongly encouraged governments to commit to targeted actions to eradicate supply, transit and demand for illegal wildlife products” (Source 4). Countries, media, and celebrities are now discouraging the illegal killing of large game and urges the governments of many countries to enact laws to stop the black market distribution of these predators. It is important to prohibit illegal trophies and to enforce these laws with punishments and fines to remove species from the endangered species list and stop extinctions. Stricter laws and regulations can protect and save entire species from ceasing to exist. “Just months after the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History accepted a $20 million donation from big-game hunter Kenneth Behring, the Institution sought a FWS permit to import the trophy remains of two endangered wild sheep that Behring shot in Central Asia…After a storm of ugly publicity, the Smithsonian abandoned the permit application” (Source 1). The case of the Smithsonian Museum attempting to import two endangered sheep is just one
“Evans and Emlen (1947) estimated that a Barn Owl in California ate 150 g per day. This may be too high as it was based on two pellets per day and available evidence indicates that American Barn Owls average less than that per day (Wallace, 1948 and this paper).”
There are pieces to this argument that can be supported by Goodpaster. One piece is that all living things have interests (PHIL 314: 26 February Goodpaster reading notes). Spotted owls have an interest in staying alive and not going extinct. The barred owls, however, have the same interest, though they are not at risk of extinction. The pain they may also feel, however small as proposed by the FWS plan, is part of the question as well for barred owls.
The young of bald eagles are called eaglets or eyasses. Bald eagles are warm-blooded and breathe oxygen from the air. A female will lay 1 to 3 eggs every five years, with at least 1hatching. Although all Bald Eagles are consumers, none of them eat plants to get their chemical energy.
On December 28th 1973 the Endangered Species Act, (ESA), was signed into law. * The Endangered Species Act’s powers are divided among several national organizations. It is enforced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (FWS), and the Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The FWS is responsible for the protection of “terrestrial and freshwater organisms” while the NMFS is in charge of “marine wildlife and anadromous fish”. The ESA requires that these organizations develop recovery plans for the species they protect, as well as grants the FWS and the Department of Interior to compile species listed as either endangered or threatened.
This ground nesting bird’s population decreased from 16 million during the 1900’s to nearly 350,000 in 2010. That is nearly a 98% loss of all sage grouse. In 2004, the sage grouse was refused protection under the ESA. However, on Sep. 22, 2015, the sage grouse was found to warrant protection needs and inducted to the federal endangered species list. Amphibians and reptiles in the Southwest United States have posed major survival issues, in particular the Arizona Toad species found in Utah. These toads, as well as many other reptiles and amphibians, are experiencing excessive habitat loss along with other threats to their survival. The Arizona toad is currently under review to determine the severity of it’s threatened state and if it should be protected under the