• A bipartisan group of U.S. federal lawmakers is urging the Trump administration to nix a plan to kill nearly half a million barred owls to save the northern spotted owl from extinction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved the plan in 2024.
• In a letter on Friday, March 7, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and 19 other U.S. lawmakers argued that the plan is too expensive.
• The more than $1 billion cost cited by representatives was pulled from a $4.5 million contract awarded to a California Native American tribe last year to hunt roughly 1,500 barred owls over four years.

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A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging the Trump administration to nix a plan to kill nearly half a million barred owls to save the northern spotted owl from extinction.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved the plan in 2024 to shoot tens of thousands of birds in California, Oregon and Washington over 30 years.

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What did the letter say?

In a letter on Friday, March 7, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and 19 other U.S. lawmakers argue the plan is too expensive, saying that it will cost more than $1.3 billion.

The more than $1 billion cost cited by lawmakers was an estimate based on a $4.5 million contract awarded to a California Native American tribe in 2024 to hunt roughly 1,500 barred owls over four years.

What are supporters of the conservation plan saying?

As Straight Arrow News previously reported, proponents of the plan said scrapping the mass culling means northern spotted owls will continue to be pushed out of their habitat by larger barred owls.

Scientists consider barred owls to be the number one threat to northern spotted owls and could lead to their extinction if left unchecked.

Supporters also cite a recent study which found the cost of the effort is far lower at around $360 million compared to the more than $1 billion figure presented by lawmakers.

Why are some conservationists against the plan?

Some animal welfare advocates, however, do not believe hunting is the answer, citing moral reasons.

While some scientists have presented alternative plans to prevent the spread of barred owls into northern spotted owl territory, pointing to a successful animal control program that worked to save a rare songbird in California through habitat restoration.

How many northern spotted owls are there?

Officials said there are as few as 3,000 northern spotted owls on federal lands and they are listed as threatened under the California and federal Endangered Species Act.