Logging and Shooting Hoot Owls Planned

Logging and Shooting Hoot Owls Planned

WASHINGTON (CN) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a U.S. District Court ordered critical habitat proposal for the endangered northern spotted owl that emphasizes "active management" of potential habitat, which includes logging, and shooting the invasive barred owl, or "hoot owl."

The proposal, which preliminarily identifies areas to be included in the final habitat designation, stresses the benefits of excluding any private lands and importance of economic considerations in indentifying suitable habitat, according to a statement released by the Department of the Interior.

Reinforcing Interior's own emphasis on excluding as much land as possible from designation, President Barack Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar ordering him to pay special attention to the impact on jobs of any plan, and to "give careful consideration to providing the maximum exclusion [of land] from the final revised critical habitat."

In addition, Obama ordered Salazar to break with 30 years of practice and produce an economic impact statement on the proposed rule at the same time the critical habitat designation is made.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/03/01/44340.htm