Detection Dogs Spot Northern Spotted Owls, Even Those Alarmed by Barred Owls

ScienceDaily (Aug. 15, 2012) — A series of forest searches by dogs specially trained to sniff out northern spotted owl pellets -- the undigested bones, fur and other bits regurgitated by owls -- improved the probability of finding the owls by nearly 30 percent over a series of traditional vocalization surveys.

Since the 1980s scientists and land managers have relied on vocalization surveys that use simulated northern spotted owl calls to elicit owl responses. As forests have been invaded by barred owls, which displace and even kill spotted owls, concerns have grown that spotted owls may be timid about responding to such vocalization surveys and may open themselves to attack if they do, said Samuel Wasser, University of Washington research professor and director of the UW Center for Conservation Biology.

"Wildlife managers spent years trying to get good forest practices in place that are contingent on spotted owl presence and now the invading barred owl is hindering our ability to show it's there," Wasser said.

"Vocalization surveys have a lot of value and by no means are we suggesting that the dogs should replace the vocalization surveys. But dogs can add value. The dogs have higher detection probabilities than vocalization surveys under some circumstances, can simultaneously detect spotted and barred owls and don't need owls to vocalize to be detected. The vocalization surveys have the advantage of being able to cover a much, much bigger area. The two together would be very complementary."

Continued:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120815174906.htm

Active Forest Management to Reduce Fire Could Help Protect Northern Spotted Owl

ScienceDaily (July 24, 2012) — The northern spotted owl, a threatened species in the Pacific Northwest, would actually benefit in the long run from active management of the forest lands that form its primary habitat and are increasingly vulnerable to stand-replacing fire, researchers conclude in a recent study.

Whatever short-term drawbacks there may be from logging, thinning, or other fuel reduction activities in areas with high fire risk would be more than offset by improved forest health and fire-resistance characteristics, the scientists said, which allow more spotted owl habitat to survive in later decades.

Decades of fire suppression and a "hands-off" approach to management on many public lands have created overcrowded forests that bear little resemblance to their historic condition -- at the expense of some species such as the northern spotted owl, researchers said.

The findings were published in Forest Ecology and Management, a professional journal, by researchers from Oregon State University and Michigan State University.

Continued: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120724144530.htm

Conservation dilemma – Kill to save?

Should we ‘control' species to preserve another?

February 2012. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is contemplating ‘controlling' (Lethal and non-lethal methods) Barred owls as part of an effort to boost the population of the Threatened Northern Spotted Owl. 

The main issue for Northern Spotted owls is that great swathes of their natural habitat, old growth forests, have been cut down. However, it is difficult to recreate new 'old growth forests', so untill more suitable habitat exists the USFWS are contemplating removing Barred owls to boost Northern spotted owl numbers. Overall, northern spotted owl numbers have been declining 2.9% on average per year - leading to an estimated 40% decline in numbers over the last 25 years. The presumed causes of the decline are the continuing effects of lost old growth forest habitat prior to the 1990s and increasing competition from the barred owl.

Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service Dan Ashe said "We can't ignore the mounting evidence that competition from barred owls is a major factor in the spotted owl's decline, and we have a clear obligation to do all we can to prevent the spotted owl's extinction and help it rebound," said Ashe. 

If the barred owl removal experiment proceeds and the effects of removal are positive, the USFWS may consider the feasibility and efficacy of barred owl removal on a broader scale. 

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/spotted-owl.html