Endangered species legislation and the nothern Spotted Owl
Because Canada has very weak endangered species legislation species at risk such as the spotted owl are left to fend for themselves in a province that allows forestry companies to clearcut log their forested habitat, and where the government itself is the largest logger of owl habitat through its BC Timber Sales program. For the spotted owl to survive the decade the BC provincial government must protect all old-growth forests within all critical spotted owl habitat in British Columbia and immediately halt logging in these areas.
In an attempt to bring the sad plight of the Northern spotted owl to the attention of Canadians, the Wilderness Committee and the Sierra Legal Defence Fund released a report in September 2002 entitled, Logging to Extinction: The Last Stand of the Spotted Owl in Canada. This carefully researched report described the grounds for the owls’ demise. Following the release of the report two of the top industrial loggers of owl habitat, International Forest Products (Interfor) and Canadian Forest Products (Canfor), have temporarily stopped logging in spotted owl habitat. According to Otto Schulte, Vice-President of Interfor's Woodlands Operations, "This voluntary deferral is in effect until further notice. Our decision is intended to give the appropriate provincial ministries time to assess spotted owl habitat issues and provide clear direction on how forest companies are to proceed". The logging companies are waiting for the BC government's Spotted Owl Recovery Team (SORT) to issue interim recommendations to recover the plunging Northern spotted owl population in British Columbia.
On December 6, 2005, the Wilderness Committee and Sierra Legal Defence Fund released a follow-up report to "Logging to Extinction". The new report, "In Defence of Canada's Spotted Owl," clearly shows that the BC government's own BC Timber Sales program continues to log in owl habitat and maintains its status as the largest logger of owl habitat in the entire province.
Based on the conclusions of the report, which showed that the BC government is failing in its obligations to protect the owl, the Wilderness Committee joined forces with ForestEthics, the David Suzuki Foundation, Environmental Defence and Sierra Legal Defence Fund to file a federal lawsuit, the first legal challenge of Canada's newly minted Species at Risk Act (SARA), to compell the Canadian government to step in and use the powers of SARA to protect Canada's most endangered bird.
When SARA was introduced the federal government promised Canadians that no endangered species would "fall between the cracks." Let's hold them to that promise and make sure our children and grandchildren have spotted owls in their future.
