Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • Free Essays • My Term Papers • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Environmental Science Spotted Owl Spotted Owl The Spotted Owl, the Forests Products Industry and the Public Policy The spotted owl was seen as a symbol of all things environmental during the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. The logging industry was well on its way to destroying most of the old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. Environmentalists swarmed the area, sabotaging logging efforts and calling for strict limitations on logging in the region. The logging industry “successfully portrayed the animal as the reason for layoffs: "The connection with the spotted owl is jobs vs. environment."”(Brokaw, 1996). The spotted owl is an eighteen-inch tall bird-of-prey that roams the thick forests of the Pacific Norwest. The adult spotted owl enjoys a life at the top of the food chain for the region. This bird has only one enemy, the logging companies that inadvertently threaten its natural habitat. Clear-cutting operations of old growth forests destroy breeding and hunting areas. Clear-cut logging is the timber industry’s version of strip mining. Almost nothing remains that resembles the forest that once stood there except for thousands of tree stumps the size of Volkswagens. Although the bird is not a key player in the forest ecosystem, many environmental groups have made it a mascot for environmental causes everywhere. If the Spotted Owl were to become extinct, life would go on without it. Other birds of prey, not so dependent on old growth forests, would be able to take up the “slack” from the disappearance of this owl. Many people have wondered why this insignificant owl gets more press than the decimation of salmon streams nationwide, when it would have no economic impact on our society as a whole. The logging industry has made millions of dollars from the harvesting of old growth lumber over the past several decades. Recently, they have become more responsible about clear-cut logging. Harvested forests are often replanted to provide for future wildlife habitat and logging efforts. However, this doesn’t help the spotted owl. It needs old growth forests with their tangle of massive trees and thick dense brush. The logging industry is threatened by this small owl. Thousands of jobs have been lost. Families are starving. Lumber prices have skyrocketed. So this sets up a struggle. Loggers need the lumber for economic prosperity. Environmentalists want to protect this owl. How will both parties win? Can both parties win? There are many issues that arise out of this conflict. The public needs cost efficient lumber. The loggers need their jobs. The spotted owl needs a home. One of the largest concerns, dealing with the spotted owl / forest industry debate, is the loss of jobs. There were 21,000 jobs lost during the time that this debate took place (Ross, 1999). The amount of job losses in the logging and milling industry at this time were not solely attributed to the spotted owl controversy. The downward trend in the timber harvest volumes in the early 1980’s was attributed to significantly high interest rates and a decline in the number of house starts. (Freudenburg, 1998). Another cause for the loss of jobs throughout this period was technology. It replaced much of the labor in the sawmill industry as it did in most every industry during this time. Several people ask whether it is really worth attempting to preserve all of the species facing extinction. One concern that comes to mind is cost. Everyone has to decide what the value of preservation. One example of the monetary value of preservation is with the Mexican spotted owl. Two economists estimated that its preservation cost the average American $40.49 a year. By multiplying the answers across America -- minus the folks who wouldn't pay a dime -- the two economists calculate the owl's national value at a whopping $1.8 billion to $2 billion a year (Hoffman, 1998). Through the entire course of trying to save the owl, American paid approximately $64 million. The largest move in protecting the spotted owl along with other species risking extinction is the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA is often referred to as the nations strongest environmental law. President Nixon signed the ESA on December 28, 1973. The ESA officially expired in 1992, and lawmakers have been unable to craft an acceptable version to succeed it. In the meantime, it has limped along with a series of annual resolutions, each one leaving it in place for another year. The ESA is a unique commitment by society to protect all species of life, even when it is inconvenient to do so, and to help ensure that the U.S. landscape remains biologically healthy. Although the ESA stopped the logging in the Pacific Northwest, a small amount of the total projects, which fall susceptible to it, are stopped. A majority of the projects can be redesigned in some way that it may continue. In a six-year study during which 98,237 formal or informal consultations took place under the ESA, only 55 projects were stopped from going forward in some form (Schlickeisen, 1998). Environmentalists have always played a large role in this controversy. They have fought to prevent the extinction of several different species. Through the years, since the ESA began, they have added several species to the ESA. After doing so, they have managed to file suits against several corporations in order to prevent them from endangering the species listed. The fact that this goes on has sparked several questions on the validity of the environmentalist groups. People are beginning to question whether or not these species need to be saved. According to environmentalist numbers, there are approximately 2,700 owls in 21 million acres of forest in Arizona and New Mexico (Blandford, 1997). This means that there are about 700,000 trees per owl. This fact raises questions about whether this much land is needed in order to preserve these animals. Forestry companies’ state that these animals could thrive on much less land than is allocated. For example, if the owls were cut back to about 500,000 trees per owl, that would be 200,000 trees that could be logged. There is no clear-cut resolution to the debate over the spotted owl. There are several different possible solutions and outcomes but they won't please everyone involved. The most important thing to do is to find a reasonable compromise soon. The environmentalists would like to see the harvesting of lumber in the Pacific Northwest portion of the United States stop completely and the logging industry would like to go back to unrestricted logging but of course neither of these are an option. Erin Bonner of the American Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (AFSEEE) thinks we need to "get across to the public that it's not jobs versus owls it's short-term profit versus destroying ecosystems." If the logging industry learns to work more efficiently they could preserve the forest by cutting individual trees which would produce more jobs in the Northwest region. The AFSEEE believes that thousands of jobs can be created in these areas if they focus on forest preservation instead of clear-cutting a whole area. The consensus among environmentalists is that we should protect the ecosystem of the Northwest at all costs, not just for ourselves but for our future generations. One possible solution is to limit the amount of public land loggers are aloud to use and set aside this land for the spotted owl and the ecosystem of the old growth forests. There are several other species and plant life specific to that region that are at risk besides the spotted owl. Another option would be to modernize the logging process so that the most is made out of a piece of timber. When this issue first became public in the late 80's and early 90's the logging industry was very adamant about how they felt on it. Some workers even adopted the slogan "save a logger-kill an owl". The logging industry thought that the government should maintain or increase the current levels of logging in the old growth forest in Northwest. Lorin Hicks believed that it is possible to "design a timber sale that would maintain spotted owl habitat after harvest" and also gives an example of a case where this process worked. Walter Minnick of TJ International had a different opinion, he believed that we should "set aside . . . some forest preserves . . .. surround these areas with some buffer areas." He also thought that the government should "release the balance- and some old growth-into the commercial timber base" which would help with the employment problem in the area. President Clinton's 1993 Forest Plan planned to reduce old-growth logging by 85% and retrain workers. For example, the state of Oregon lost 14,500 jobs in the timber industry since 1988. But Oregon's economy made up for that loss of jobs in other areas such as the high tech industry and the efficient manufacturing techniques used by the wood-products industry contributed to the economic development in Oregon. Many workers formerly in the logging industry took advantage of the $1.2 billion dollars provided for retraining and now have new careers in accounting, technology etc. Others recycled their logging experience and ventured out into the small business world by manufacturing wood products for retail sales. The government's final solution took several years to be implemented and, of course, it didn't please everyone but both parties involved thought it was good to finally get some law in place. What is to become of the spotted owl? Much stricter logging guidelines were put in place during the 1990’s. Old growth forest logging was nearly brought to a standstill. The spotted owl population continues to decline. Some experts believe the owl is migrating to newer habitats. Others believe the owl still cannot survive in the relatively small forests left when surrounded by vast open plains created by clear cut harvesting. Still others say it is too early to say whether the owl will come back strong if at all. Few Americans even have interest in the Spotted Owl debate of the early 1990’s. Only time will show what will happen to this much-publicized bird. Bibliography: Brokaw, J. (1996, Nov-Dec). Does anybody give a hoot? Mother Jones, Vol. 21 no. 6. [Online] Available: http://web4.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/777/230/28163016w3/purl=rc1_EAIM_0_A18852834&dyn=11!xrn_22_0_A18852834?sw_aep=uphoenixcustom Stone, R. (1993, July 16). Spotted owl plan kindles debate on salvage logging. Science, 261, 287. Hunt, F. (1989, June). A hoot for the future. American Forests, 95, 30. Glick, D. (1995, September). Having owls and jobs too. National Wildlife, 33, 8. McAdoo, M. (1992, April 17). An owl or a job. Scholastic Update, 124, 12. Ross, Mickey (1999, Oct. 23) Report: Spotted Owl Didn't Cause Huge Job Losses. Columbian B2 Freudenburg, W.R. (1998) Forty Years of Spotted Owls? A Longitudinal Analysis of the Logging Industry Job Losses. Sociological Perspectives, vol. 41, no. 1, p.1 Schlickeisen, Rodger (1998, Dec 29) Conservation; At 25, Endangered Species Act Among Our Most Effective Laws Dayton Daily News Hoffman, Ian (1998, Feb 27) Support For Endangered Species Found. Albuquerque Journal Word Count: 1730
Copyright © 1998-2008 College Term Papers, INC All Rights Reserved. DMCA Notifications and Requests