I received an e-mail this morning from the Union of Concerned Scientists about a letter they have prepared as c omment on the draft recovery plan for the northern spotted owl. Since you're all (or soon will be) experts on NSO recovery, I thought you might be interested in what they have to say. Click below to read the full entry.
The northern spotted owl, an important indicator of overall forest health, is one of the most intensively studied endangered birds in the world. Unfortunately, according to multiple scientific peer reviews recently conducted by owl experts and several of the nation's leading scientific societies, including the Society for Conservation Biology and the American Ornithologist's Union, much of this science was ignored in the draft recovery plan for the northern spotted owl published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Even more disturbing, an additional recovery option was added to the draft recovery plan by a highly atypical
political appointee-based process as documented in a May 9, 2007 hearing in Congress on the Endangered Species Act.
** Your Chance to Weigh In
The National Center for Conservation Science and Policy (NCCSP) is organizing a letter to Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne from scientists with expertise in ecology,wildlife, endangered species, and forests. The letter expresses scientists' concerns about this draft recovery plan for the northern spotted owl and the widespread effects it would have on Pacific Northwest old-growth forests. The letter also urges Secretary of the Interior Kempthorne to commission a team of scientists to redraft the recovery plan and place related forest management policies on hold until a new draft is proposed.
As a scientist with experience related to biodiversity, your expertise and credentials could be helpful in convincing the Interior Department of the Interior to correct its flawed proposal.
Read the letter:
http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/restoring/spotted-owl-sign-on-letter.html
Review full background information:
http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/restoring/northern-spotted-owl-letter.html
**** To add your name to this letter, please email your
name, area of expertise, highest degree obtained, and any institutional affiliation you have to NCCSP Executive Science and Policy Director Dominick DellaSala:dominick@nccsp.org
Dr. DellaSala is also willing to answer any questions you may have.
FWS policy states recovery plans must be based on the best available science. Not only was this draft recovery plan for the northern spotted owl found to be unreliable by scientific peer review, but the science involved may have been tampered with by high-ranking administration officials. In addition, the plan is a key decision document that could determine the fate of millions of acres of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. I hope you will consider signing on to this letter.
Thank you for your commitment to scientific integrity in
federal government science.
Sincerely,
Dr. Francesca Grifo
Senior Scientist & Director
Scientific Integrity Program
Union of Concerned Scientists