Citing the expense and impracticability of the proposal, a number of Oregon senators are urging the incoming administration to abandon a plan to exterminate almost half a million barred owls on the West Coast.
The congressmen claimed in a letter on Tuesday that the federal plan, which calls for 450,000 barred owls to be killed over 30 years by highly trained hunters, is completely unrealistic and would cost $1.35 billion, or $45 million annually.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the leaders of Trump’s newly established Department of Government Efficiency, were the recipients of the letter.
It simply cannot and will not work. Four lawmakers wrote that it is a budget buster. The letter was signed by Sen.-elect Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro; Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Dexter; Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis; and Rep. Virgle Osborne, R-Roseburg.
In order to lessen competition for food and habitat between barred owls and their fast diminishing cousins, the Northern and California spotted owls, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized the owl kill plan in September and plans to implement it this spring. After the spotted owl lost a large portion of its habitat due to old-growth logging, it was listed as a vulnerable species under the Endangered Species Act in 1990.
The Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action, two Washington, D.C.-based animal welfare organizations, provided the cost estimate. The Hoopa Valley Tribe just received a $4.5 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to kill 1,500 barred owls. The cost of each bird is $3,000.
The lawmakers claimed that in addition to the astronomical expenses, it is not feasible to locate thousands of volunteers willing to kill the owls and pay them.
Numerous animal rights and wildlife conservation groups have already claimed that the plan should be rescinded since it would lead to a never-ending cycle of killing, disturb nesting habits, and result in the incorrect owls being shot. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act also provides protection for barred owls.
The organizations have pushed for non-lethal ways to save the spotted owls, such as preserving their natural habitat.
In recent years, killing one species to rescue another has become a more common strategy to save declining species. Killing cowbirds to conserve warblers and killing sea lions and cormorants to save salmon are examples of similar initiatives.
Gosia Wozniacka discusses a variety of environmental topics, including climate change, environmental justice, and the switch to sustainable energy. You may contact her at 971-421-3154 or [email protected].
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