Spotted owl headed to extinction

BLM plans to triple timber cutting in old growth forests in the pacific northwest and competition from the barred owl, a large and invasive species from the east, could lead to the extinction of the last few northern spotted owls remaining in the wild.

The national forestry service estimates that habitat suitable for spotted owls has declined by 12 percent, and that populations in the Warm Springs, Cascades, and Coast range have declined by as much as half in recent years.