The owl: Minor role in big issue Saving an ecosystem is the real crusade By HARRY ESTEVE The Register-Guard

BLUE RIVER — The northern spotted owl is only a tiny piece of the rich mosaic of plants and wildlife that make up an old growth forest, say researchers who are just beginning to understand the complexities of virgin timber stands. Nevertheless, protecting the owl under the U.S. Endan- gered Species Act represents a giant step toward preserv- ing what remains of a unique and scientifically important North American landscape, researchers and conserva- tionists say. "If youre trying to pick a species, I sup- A Noti mill pose the owl is as good owner sees his as any to serve that purpose," said Mark dream fading 4Harmop, an Sen. Hatfield State -University bota- nist whose studies of expects White rotting logs and biolog- House pre- ical decay in Oregons emption. ancient forests are gaining national atten- Chronology of tion. events leading up Most biologists and to Fridays historic ornithologists who StOX photo by Joe .110ns IN rMcKee at the Andrews Experithental Forest. This Is your garden variety old growth forest," McKee said of the site where 450-year-old trees tower 225 feet overhead. decision. have studied the spot- H.J. ted owl believe it re- Page 4A quires large tracts of Forest, a few miles east of Blue River. There, teams of and lichen add nutrients to the soil, as do the decaying old growth forest for OSU scientists and graduate students complete exhaustive logs. studies on everything from the role of lichen In adding survival. The huge "Contrast what we see here with forests we see under Spotted owl nitrogen to the forest floor to the growth rates of partially trees and dense leaf canopies provide protection from intensive management practices," McKee said, referring shaded Douglas firs. update predators, while the abundance of smaller animals that to forests that have been clear-cut, stripped clean of un- live in the undergrowth provides a reliable food source. "This is your garden variety old growth forest," Mark dergrowth, sprayed with herbicides and fertilizers and Yet to Harmon and other scientists, the owl is only a McKee, site manager of the 16,000-acre research reserve, replanted. Effective date listed as supporting character in a cast of thousands of birds, mam- said during a recent visit to a thickly wooded grove near threatened: July 23, 1990 mals, rodents, insects, plants, fungi, lichen and microorga- Blue River Reservoir. "There is nowhere near the diversity" of plants or nisms that interact in the old growth ecosystem. animals, he said. "Youve lost a very complex system. Interim protection plan The 400-year-old trees — Douglas fir, western red Youve simplified the system." due: Tuesday, June 26 Preservation of that ecosystem has been at the heart cedar and western hemlock — tower 225 feet overhead, of the attempts by environmentalists to gain federal pro- interspersed with standing dead snags with broken, jagged In nature, simple rarely is better. Simplified ecosys- Estimated number of Decline in population: Up tection for the spotted owl. tops. tems lack the biological diversity that is necessary for owls: 3,000 to 5,000 "It we protect enough old growth to ensure the surviv- Sword ferns, rhododendron bushes, salmon berry vigorous, productive growth and for animal habitat, to 15 percent per year al of the spotted owl, we will have accomplished a great brambles, moss and a tangle of other plants make up the McKee said. In some areas deal toward protecting the old growth ecosystem," said "understory." Decaying logs and bark add to the soft, Penalty for taking a David Wilcove, senior ecologist for The Wilderness Soci- spongy feel of the ground cover. From the onset of their attempts to gain federal pro- threatened species: Up to Total owl habitat ety, a national environmental watchdog organization. tection for the spotted ow/, conservationists have acknowl- $200,000 plus a year proposed for protection: Each plant has its role, McKee said. The tall trees edged that their underlying goal is to save as much of the Much of the research into the workings of old growth provide shade and shelter and trap moisture, the dead in jail 8.4 million acres ecosystems is centered at the H.J. Andrews Experimental snags provide homes for birds and mammals, the moss Turn to CRUSADE, Page IA Quake toll at least 40,000 INSIDE 2 provinces kill Auto Market 10 Business 15C Iran agrees to accept City/Region Section 8 Classified 2D-8E aid Comics 13C Canadas accord from Community Notes 6B 1,1v MARTIN MORRIS Crossword 100 Confederations unity in ienharriv Page 4A THE REGISTER-GUARD, Eugene, Oregon, Saturday, June 23, 1990 LISTING OF THE SPOTTED OWL CRUSADE Continued from Page One old growth ecosystem as possible. Log shortage I "We believe strongly that we should not cut another old growth tree in the West," said James Monteith, di- rector of the Oregon Natural Re- sources Council. "The partys over in terms of old growth."

Some researchers, such as Fred Swanson, a U.S. Forest Service geolo- gist who works at the experimental forest, believe that the intense atten- tion given the spotted owl has ob- scured and oversimplified a much more complicated issue.

"What were really witnessing is a land allocation battle," Swanson said. The owl debate has polarized factions into those who want to lock up all old growth forests forever and those who would like to clear-cut them for tim- ber, he said.

"Wed be best off as a society if we could look at a whole system and to- gether sort out how to deal with it," he added.

Now that the owl has been listed as a threatened species, the battle to save untouched timberlands may indeed shift away from preservation of indi- vidual animals, Wilcove said. The Pa- cific Northwest forests are being seen as a national, even global, treasure, he said.

"We have lost virtually all of the ancient forests that once covered the United States by essentially cutting from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Pacific," he said. "Now were deal- ing with the remnants."

The whole country, and many other nations as well, will be watching to see how the Northwest handles the old growth issue, Wilcove said.

"If, with all of our tremendous in- tellectual and financial resources, we cant find a way to protect the last of these forests, then we cannot expect staff photo by Andy Nels any nation, whether its Brazil or Ma- Sam Konnie says his Noti mill is barely breaking even if not losing mone. dagascar, to protect their natural re- sources either," he said.

J Continued from Page One ed that federal timber sales in the Northwest would be I think were going to see some real blood on the the iiCtinP slashed in half if previously recommended owl pro- finnr "

from Page One ed that Owl chronology Northwest would be I think were going to see some real blood on the the listing. Summer 1969: Oregon state recommended owl pro- floor." Officials also raised the spectre of logging per- r already planned cut- University Medea Eric Foreman, "Were looking at tens of thousands of families haps being curtailed on private lands, saying they working a summer job near Blue not knowing whether they will be able to make their consider any harvest that significantly disturbs the mortgage payment," said Charlie Janz of the Yellow RIM Mtn! Eugene, begins a view, owls will always owl as an illegal "taking" of a threatened species. 9 study of owl behavior 1, dangered Species Act is Ribbon Coalition in Springfield. Penalties for violating the law range up to $200,000 00004611 not exempteC by Con- Fridays announcement clearly pointed toward that leads him and other biologists and a year in jail. to conclude that over a 20-year i Environmental Law acceptance of recommendations in a scientific re- George Frampton Jr., president of The Wilder- ( , said in a phone inter- port prepared by a team led by Forest Service biolo- period, the spotted owl Is ness Society, praised Fridays owl listing as "an im- threatened or endangered by gist Jack Ward Thomas. In April, the team recom- portant first step toward protecting this nations irre- ) the Oregon Natural Re- mended that 8.4 million acres of old growth forest — placeable ancient forests." However, he said, "we continued togging of Its old ? said, "We dont really including about 3 million acres not previously pro- are alarmed that a political pressure campaign is growth habitat. take the listing serious- tected — be reserved for spotted owl habitat. now being waged by the White House . . . to subvert January 1987: A now-defunct Massachusetts environmental group, the forefront of the owl Turner said the service "intends to use the basics the Endangered Species Act." n said he expects politi- and principles of the Thomas report" in developing a GreenWorld, files the first petition with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Dennis Hayward, director of the North West Tim- t try to compromise the recovery plan, but he stopped short of accepting the have the spotted owl declared an endangered species Northwest ber Association in Eugene, said Friday there is no t .e Endangered Species designated large habitat areas, most of which are conservation groups follow with their own petitions. firm evidence that spotted owl populations are de- 50,000 acres or more in size. clining. "We have never seen a study that has looked Oct. 19, 1987: Eleven conservation groups file a lawsuit in federal court in ): the Associated Oregon Charles Meslow, an Oregon State University biol- at population levels over time," he said. a the timber industry is Portland to halt U.S. Bureau of Land Management timber sales in spotted ogist and spotted owl expert who worked on the Hayward said there are alternatives to the Thom- ii tee of cabinet-level of fi- Thomas report, said Fridays announcement means owl habitat, Many timber sales are blocked by court Injunction until October as report. The large habitat areas could be relocated 1989. The case Is dismissed in 1989. xempt the owl from the failure "because for 15 years weve been trying to to include more land already off limits to logging, for ssen the impact on the prevent this day from happening. As a nation we are example, he said, adding, "A little more risk for the n rnunities that depend on committed to preventing animals from being threat- owl might significantly lower the risk to people." June 7, 1988: Environmental groups file a lawsuit against the U.S. Interior ened or endangered, and this decision means we just Hayward praised legislation introduced Thurs- Department, challenging the refusal by its Fish and Wildlife Service to list :o the Bush administra- lost." day by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., that would direct the spotted owl as an endangered species. A federal court later requires the rid. "We need their help Fish and Wildlife Service officials said they will the Forest Service and the BLM to develop alterna- agency to reconsider its decision, saying the Fish and Wildlife Service failed review by July 23 all the Forest Service and BLM tives to the Thomas report. But Meslow said the to justify its actions. r sident of the American timber sales — including those that have been sold Thomas report remains "the best plan, and we wish Washington, D.C., tim- but havent yet been logged — to see if they meet the to stand by that. We would not be advocating for any Feb. 6,1989: Conservation groups sue the U.S. Forest Service, saying the rid, "In terms of impact, interim guidelines. July 23 is the effective date of modifications." agenCys spotted owl management plan Is Inadequate. The lawsuit Is still pending In U.S. District Court in Seattle. About half the regions timber sates are blocked by court injunction until October 1989. Feb. 24,1989: The fired regional director of the Fish and Wildlife Service says political pressure was exerted by top Interior Department and other 1c1 federal officials in 1988 to not list the spotted owl as a threatened or expects changes in plan endangered species.

June 23, 1989: The Fish and Wildlife Service formally proposes listing the spotted Owl as a threatened species under provisions of the Endangered t ation isnt Specks Act S. Forest rontrover- June 24, 1989: Gov. Neil Goldschmidt, i northern the Oregon congressional delegation, !ncys an- environmentalists and timber industry , ), Oregon and federal officials hold a summit meeting in Salem that produces a I interview compromise proposal. After four sources months of wrangling, legislation is told him signed into law by President Bush I have to lifting court injunctions halting timber at than is sales, setting timber sale targets and i Thomas supposedly protecting significant t at recom- stands of old growth and spotted owl a a threat- habitat. F idangered AprIl 4,1990: A team of top government scientists, led by Forest Service ! will pre- Outlines new timber compromise Special legislation might be needed "Administration is in disarray" wildlife biologist Jack Ward Thomas, releases results of a study showing r. ice) isles- that the spotted owl is Imperiled by continued logging of old growth forests. IS) plan," ties had been set to announce those slashed by nearly 50 percent when the Rep. Ron Wyden said he was dissat- Scientists recommend setting up a system of large owl conservation areas t mplement strategies Friday but the announce- effects of the Thomas report were totaling 8A million acres, including nearly 3 million acres of forest currently n isfied by the White Houses statement ment was postponed Thursday night. combined with new management plans last week that Bush would veto any open to legging, for the regions 19 national forests. The r. ever, that federal legislation designed to aid tim- Hatfield confirmed Friday that the new plans already call for reductions reached. ber workers who lose their jobs be- April 27,1990: Bush makes his first agencies clashed over the plans and in logging. cause of the owls listing. "What really public statement about the spotted owl, 3 mind here that the White House had become in- :c -noon," he The owls listing Friday prompted makes me angry is that President Bush saying, "We cannot turn our back on volved in the dispute. Forest Service reactions ranging from anger to resig- has already told us he is turning his people who are struggling to make ends definitive Chief F. Dale Robertson had earlier nation from other members of Ore- back on any effort to help affected meet " endorsed the Thomas report but BLM gons congressional delegation. workers," he said. s for pro- officials rejected it and proposed a May 3, 1990: Rep. Peter DeFazio said in hugene A report issued by the : n Oregon, strategy that would permit the agency Sen. Bob Packwood said special California to cut more timber than the scientists that the key question is how the Bush Forest Seivice and the Bureau of Land legislation might be needed to convene Management says timber sales would reduction report would allow. a Cabinet-level panel that could ex- administration will respond to the owls listing. He said the Thomas re- be reduced by 40 percent and result in a: can be cut Hatfield also outlined a new timber empt the owl from the endangered port "was not handed down from the the loss otmore than 28,000 lobs by r. fates. compromise he said will be revealed species list. Under current law, the Mount in stone tablets. . . . The pru- the end ot the 1990s if the Thomas I. it would Tuesday. Under that compromise, tim- panel can be convened at the request dent course, the truth, and the science reports recommendations are a Id be har- ber harvest levels will be reduced, but of one of the two affected federal encourage us to seek a middle implemented. d 4 the For- not by as much as called for in the agencies pr by the governor of an af- ground." mario for Thomas report. He said Forest Service fected state. harvests in the Northwest would be re- Meanwhile, Rep. Denny Smith told June 22, 1990: The Fish and Wildlife Service lists the spotted owl as a Packwood said the current process duced by 8 to 13 percent and the re- a Salem timber forum Friday that the threatened species. The Forest Service and BLM announce interim plans n I U.S. Bu- can take up to two years because of duction on BLM land would be 20 to 25 listing will cause an economic crisis in allowing some timber sales to proceed 4 have been "bureaucratic hoops." He said Con- percent. Oregon. "This is D-Day for people who r protection gress could mandate an emergency work in Oregons timber industry," he SOURCE: Register-Guard research n ize the de- The Forest Service had estimated session of the panel to obtain an an- said. "We have a potential here for GRAPHIC: The Register-Guard ll two agen- that logging on federal land would be swer more quickly. economic disaster in this state."