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Revised Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl (Strix Occidentalis Caurina) Cover Photo: © Jared Hobbs, by Permission

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Revised Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl (Strix Occidentalis Caurina) Cover Photo: © Jared Hobbs, by Permission U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Revised Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) Cover photo: © Jared Hobbs, by permission. (www.hobbsphotos.com) Revised Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl {Strix occidentalis caurina) Region 1 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Portland, Oregon Approved: ~~ Regional Dir or, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Date: JUN 2 8 2011 REVISED RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL Disclaimer Recovery plans describe reasonable actions and criteria that are considered necessary to recover listed species. Recovery plans are approved and published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“Service” or “we” in narrative, (except as otherwise indicated) “USFWS” in citations, “FWS” in tables) and are sometimes prepared with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, State agencies, and others. The 2011 Revised Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl (Revised Recovery Plan) does not necessarily represent the view or official position of any individual or organization—other than that of the Service—involved in its development. Although the northern spotted owl is a subspecies of spotted owl, we sometimes refer to it as a species when discussing it in the context of the ESA or other laws and regulations. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery actions. The objectives in this Revised Recovery Plan will be achieved subject to availability of funding and the capability of the involved parties to participate while addressing other priorities. This Revised Recovery Plan replaces, in its entirety, the 2008 Recovery Plan. Notice of Copyrighted Material Permission to use copyrighted images in this Revised Recovery Plan has been granted by the copyright holders. These images are not placed in the public domain by their appearance herein. They cannot be copied or otherwise reproduced, except in their printed context within this document, without the written consent of the copyright holder. Citation U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2011. Revised Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon. xvi + 258 pp. Electronic Copy A copy of the Revised Recovery Plan and other related materials can be found at: http://www.fws.gov/species/nso. ii REVISED RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL Acknowledgments The Service gratefully acknowledges the effort and commitment of the many individuals involved in the conservation and recovery of the northern spotted owl who participated in the preparation of both the 2008 Recovery Plan and this Revised Recovery Plan. Without their individual expertise and support, this Revised Recovery Plan would not have been possible as it is the culmination of many years of labor. This Revised Recovery Plan is the culmination of many hours of discussion, research and analysis by a large number of scientific experts and managers over several years. This revision to the 2008 Recovery Plan has been led by the Service and builds upon the efforts of numerous individuals from several different agencies, academia, State governments and private organizations; their names and affiliations are listed in Appendix H. The Service is indebted to all of these individuals for the information provided during the preparation of this Revised Recovery Plan. Their names, affiliations, and roles are listed below. Their participation in the revision process does not imply these contributors or their sponsoring agencies agree with the recommendations and conclusions of this Revised Recovery Plan. Recovery Plan Revision Lead Brendan White, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Research and Writing Assistance MJ Mazurek, Humboldt State University Dan Hansen, Humboldt State University LouEllyn Jones, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Kent Livezey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service James Bond, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bill Vogel, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Robin Bown, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Richard Szlemp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Jim Thrailkill, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sue Livingston, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Brian Woodbridge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Miel Corbett, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Paul Henson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bob Progulske, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Cat Brown, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Betsy Glenn, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Kim Garner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Primary Modeling Team Brian Woodbridge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Jeff Dunk, Humboldt State University Bruce Marcot, U.S. Forest Service Nathan Schumaker, Environmental Protection Agency iii REVISED RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL Dave LaPlante, Natural Resource Geospatial Modeling Advisory Group Jim Thrailkill, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Brendan White, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ray Davis, U.S. Forest Service Bob Anthony, U.S. Geological Survey Bruce Marcot, U.S. Forest Service Jeff Dunk, Humboldt State University Brian Woodbridge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Katie Dugger, Oregon State University Marty Raphael, U.S. Forest Service Eric Greenquist, Bureau of Land Management Habitat Experts Eric Forsman, U.S. Forest Service Joe Buchanan, Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Trisha Roninger, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Christy Cheyne, U.S. Forest Service Elizabeth Willy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Scott Gremel, National Park Service Brian Biswell, U.S. Forest Service Dale Herter, Private Contractor Janice Reid, U.S. Forest Service Scott Hopkins, Bureau of Land Management Tom Snetsinger, Oregon State University Brian Woodbridge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Joan Kittrell, U.S. Forest Service Nancy Gilbert, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ned Wright, Washington Dept. of Natural Resources Bruce Livingston, Washington Dept. of Natural Resources Bill Vogel, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Dennis Rock, National Council for Air and Stream Improvement Jim Michaels, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lauri Turner, U.S. Forest Service Todd Chaudhry, The Nature Conservancy Larry Irwin, National Council for Air and Stream Improvement Stan Sovern, U.S. Forest Service Mike Simpson, U.S. Forest Service Peter Singleton, U.S. Forest Service Sue Livingston, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Scott Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Steve Ackers, Oregon State University Jen O’Reilly, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Nicole Athearn, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Rick Gerhardt, SageScience Steve Andrews, Oregon State University iv REVISED RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL Jim Thrailkill, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Steve Hayner, Bureau of Land Management Amy Markus, U.S. Forest Service Mike Stevens, Strix Wildlife Consulting Jen Sanborn, U.S. Forest Service Lynn Roberst, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ken Hoffman, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service John Hunter, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lowell Diller, Green Diamond Resource Co. MJ Mazurek, Humboldt State University Robert Douglas, Mendocino Redwoods Company Computer Modelers Dave LaPlante, Natural Resource Geospatial Craig Ducey, Bureau of Land Management v REVISED RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Current Status The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) (spotted owl) inhabits structurally complex forests from southwest British Columbia through the Cascade Mountains and coastal ranges in Washington, Oregon, and California, as far south as Marin County (Appendix A). After a status review (USFWS 1990a), the spotted owl was Based on the best available listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as scientific information, threatened on June 26, 1990 (USFWS 1990b) because competition from the barred of widespread loss of spotted owl habitat across the owl (S. varia) poses a spotted owl’s range and the inadequacy of existing significant threat to the regulatory mechanisms to conserve the spotted owl. spotted owl. Past habitat loss and current habitat loss are also threats to the spotted owl, even though loss of habitat due to timber harvest has been greatly reduced on Federal lands over the past two decades. Many populations of spotted owls continue to decline, especially in the northern parts of the subspecies’ range, even with extensive maintenance and restoration of spotted owl habitat in recent years. Managing sufficient habitat for the spotted owl now and into the future is important for its recovery. However, it is becoming more evident that securing habitat alone will not recover the spotted owl. Based on the best available scientific information, competition from the barred owl (S. varia) poses a significant and complex threat to the spotted owl. Habitat Requirements Scientific research and monitoring indicate spotted owls generally rely on mature and old-growth forests because these habitats contain the structures and characteristics required for nesting, roosting, and foraging. Although spotted owls can disperse through highly fragmented forested areas, the stand-level and landscape-level attributes of forests needed to facilitate successful dispersal have not been thoroughly evaluated or described. vi REVISED RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Delisting In order to consider a species recovered, analysis of five listing factors must be conducted and the threats from those factors reduced or eliminated. The five listing factors are: A. The present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of the species’ habitat
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