Spotted Owls

Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) were designated as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada in 1986 and subsequently in Schedule 1 of the federal Species At Risk Act (SARA).  Current management is based on a Spotted Owl Management Plan (SOMP) which was developed in 1997 and applied operationally as policy guidance to forest licensees and government District Managers.  In keeping with the Ministry of Forests core function of ensuring the use of appropriate forest management practices to maintain and improve the long term sustainability and health of the province’s forest resources, Louise Waterhouse, the Research Wildlife Habitat Ecologist of the Coast Forest Region, provides consultation services to both the region and districts on the Spotted Owl and is involved with several initiatives that support improvement of our knowledge on Spotted Owl habitat use and status.  Among these initiatives is acting as the Ministry of Forests recovery planning representative on the provincial Spotted Owl Recovery Team. 

 

General Information

Provincial Government Management Information Overview and background information.

Canadian Wildlife Service  This site provides some general information on the Spotted Owl.

Provincial Government Spotted Owl brochure

US Geological Survey  The Biological Resources Division of the USGS provides information on demographic studies in the US.

Spotted Owl Recovery Plan 1997

NCASI Spotted Owl Research Activities and reports

Population status

Blackburn et al. 2002. Population assessment of the Northern Spotted Owl in British Columbia 1992 – 2001

Supplement to the Population assessment of the Northern Spotted Owl in British Columbia 1992-2001

Spotted Owl management and economics

Stone, M and Reid, R. 1997. Opportunity costs of spotted owl management options for British Columbia.

US Publications available on-line

Courtney et al. Sept. 2004.  Scientific evaluation of the status of the Northern Spotted Owl

Lint et al. 1999.  Northern spotted owl effectiveness monitoring plan for the Northwest Forest Plan

Hemstrom, M. & Raphael, M. G. 1998. Late successional forests and northern spotted owls: How effective is the Northwest Forest Plan?

Marcot, Bruce G., Thomas, Jack Ward, 1997. Of spotted owls, old growth and new policies: a history since the Interagency Scientific Committee Report

Ecology and Management of the Spotted Owl in the Pacific Northwest. Proceedings from a conference held June 19-23, 1984.