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  1. Mendobirder

    USFWS Barred Owl Removal Plan

    See my long-winded answer above. tl,dr: Yes, replacement by Barred Owls is already "messing up" (changing) the ecology. The two species have VERY different ecosystem functions. It's not so much loss of the Spotted as the indiscriminate appetite of the Barred that is causing problems.
  2. Mendobirder

    USFWS Barred Owl Removal Plan

    NorthernHarrier has pretty much summed up much of my thinking, especially back in #17. I think we can put aside all the confusion about how the Barred Owl got into the western forests, and how much humans had to do with it, and just ask: What to do now? We can't undo the habitat alteration...
  3. Mendobirder

    USFWS Barred Owl Removal Plan

    Agree that public perception is often driven by emotional factors, such as physical attractiveness. Big brown eyes really swing the voters. However, I think there is more to this decision than pure science. Invasions are a natural phenomenon; every widely-distributed species currently on Earth...
  4. Mendobirder

    USFWS Barred Owl Removal Plan

    Can you elaborate? What assumptions do you perceive we made? Trying hard not to react to your condescending attitude... since the issues around biological invasions have taken up quite a lot of my time and interest over the past several years. If you perceive that we have missed some essential...
  5. Mendobirder

    USFWS Barred Owl Removal Plan

    Indeed. In America the "nativist" community is very strong, driving a lot of public-policy decisions that frequently lead to poor outcomes. Many attempts to eradicate invasive plants have been conducted, and many more are under way or contemplated, even though very few have demonstrated any...
  6. Mendobirder

    USFWS Barred Owl Removal Plan

    All that background is important to understand before contemplating a management action that might be predicated on incorrect assumptions about how the owls got where they are. Is it appropriate to intervene if it's a natural evolutionary event? Will we commit to this intervention forever?
  7. Mendobirder

    USFWS Barred Owl Removal Plan

    Nobody really knows how or why Barred Owls expanded their range and moved into the forests of the Pacific Northwest. The most widely-cited analysis of the matter was published by Kent Livezey of the USFWS in 2009. Part I dealt with the observational evidence for the path of expansion...
  8. Mendobirder

    USFWS Barred Owl Removal Plan

    The United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) is seeking public comment on a draft plan to manage Barred Owls in western US forests: https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-11/service-seeks-public-comment-draft-strategy-manage-invasive-barred-owls More information from USFWS about their...
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