The Spotted Owl, the Forest's Products Industry, and the Public Policy

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The Spotted Owl, the Forest's Products Industry, and the Public Policy

I. Introduction

A. The Spotted Owl

B. Logging Industry

II. Conflicts of Interest

A. Economic needs

1.Unemployment

B. Preservation Needs

1.Endangered Species Act

2.Special Interest Groups

III. Resolutions

A. Possible Solutions

B. Eventual Outcome

1. Loss of Interest

a. Other Species Demand Attention

2. Migration

3. Repopulation

Abstract

The spotted owl was seen as a symbol of all things environmental during the late 1980's and early 1990's. The logging industry was well on its way to destroying most of the old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. Environmentalists swarmed the area, sabotaging logging efforts and calling for strict limitations on logging in the region. The logging industry "successfully portrayed the animal as the reason for layoffs: "The connection with the spotted owl is jobs vs. environment.""(Brokaw, 1996).

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.

Although the bird is not a key player in the forest ecosystem, many environmental groups have made it a mascot for environmental causes everywhere. If the Spotted Owl were to become extinct, life would go on without ...

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