Lawsuit Seeks Final Protection for California Spotted Owls

The Center for Biological Diversity, represented by Earthjustice, sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for failing to finalize Endangered Species Act protections for California spotted owls.

“The survival of the California spotted owl hangs by a thread and they desperately need protections,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species co-director at the Center. “For decades the Fish and Wildlife Service has dragged its feet in protecting endangered species, but the Trump administration has made this dire situation drastically worse. The administration’s blatant disregard for the natural world could be the nail in the coffin for the spotted owl and many other precious plants and animals.”

In February 2023 the agency proposed protecting spotted owls in southern California as endangered and those in the Sierra Nevada as threatened, starting the clock on a one-year deadline to finalize protections. Those decisions are now more than two years overdue. The Center and partners first petitioned to protect the owls 25 years ago.

“The California spotted owl is an iconic species that has been declining for many years,” said Andria So, Earthjustice attorney. “The Fish and Wildlife Service’s long delay in granting the owl protections under the Endangered Species Act continues to hinder the California spotted owl’s fight for survival.”

Like their northern cousins, California spotted owls only live in mature and old-growth forests, where they’re threatened by historic and current logging practices and the impacts of climate change, including uncharacteristically large and severe fires, prolonged drought and higher temperatures.

The California spotted owl is also increasingly threatened by the invasive barred owl, which has been decimating northern spotted owl populations for decades. Because barred owls are still relatively few in number in the California spotted owl’s range, the Service’s unfortunate yet necessary effort to cull the invasive owl is particularly important for the spotted owl’s survival.

The U.S. Forest Service and the timber industry have instituted some protections for the spotted owl’s habitat, but damaging clearcutting and salvage logging persist. Combined with the increased risk of severe fire, these practices are resulting in continued loss of habitat.