Saving the California Spotted Owl

The California spotted owl has declined in numbers as logging has accelerated.

Case Overview

The California spotted owl, a cousin of its more famous cousin, the northern spotted owl, has declined in numbers as logging has accelerated in the national forests of southern California and the Sierra Nevada.

Earthjustice brought a series of lawsuits aimed at forcing the U.S. Forest Service to adopt meaningful protections for the owl’s old forest habitat, or else face mandatory restrictions on logging under the federal Endangered Species Act.

We remain committed to preserving this imperiled and majestic species for future generations.

A California spotted owl in the Stanislaus National Forest.
A California spotted owl in the Stanislaus National Forest. (Ryan Kalinowski / U.S. Forest Service)

Case Updates

A California spotted owl perches on a tree
November 19, 2025 Press Release

Lawsuit Seeks Final Protection for California Spotted Owls

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to finalize Endangered Species Act protections for California spotted owls it proposed in 2023

November 19, 2025 document

CBD v USFWS: California Spotted Owl

The Center for Biological Diversity, represented by Earthjustice, brings this action under the federal Endangered Species Act to compel the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take the statutorily required action of making a final determination on the proposed listing of two distinct population segments of the California spotted owl occurring in California and Nevada as endangered and threatened species.

A California spotted owl perches on a tree
March 24, 2023 From the Experts

Protecting the Sierra Species

The California spotted owl is the last of four native Sierra Nevada species to receive Endangered Species Act protection in the culmination of a 30-year legal fight.