Hoot Hoot.........
You look up to the tree branch above you.
 |
| Northern Spotted Owl |
It's an owl! Well you are in a forest, so that makes sense right?
Well the question you need to ask yourself is what owl are you looking at right now.
In the region you are traveling a threatened species, the Northern Spotted Owl, resides.
But an intruder also has been increasing it's range and calling this region home now too, that intruder being the Barred Owl.
You might think well who cares, they are both owls and both incredibly amazing to see.
But the truth of the matter is the Barred Owl is considered an invasive species, and being such threatens the survival of the Northern Spotted Owl that only resides in this small corner of the world.
Development and urbanization has allowed the Barred Owl to expand it's range and infiltrate habitat that the Northern Spotted Owl is specifically adapted too. We the people of this country who value wild life and caused this problem for the Northern Spotted Owl need to find a corrective action or we could lose this animal to extinction. The Northern Spotted Owl has been considered a barometer for the well being of our old growth forests. What does it say about our priorities and the state of our forests if we lose this animal when we have options to make a change?
