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Article: The bird of contention. (northern spotted owl) (includes related articles)
- Article from:
- American Forests
- Article date:
- September 1, 1991
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 American Forests. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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For nearly 20 years now, the northern spotted owl has been caught in a love-hate relationship. Environmentalists love this quiet forest bird; those involved in logging old-growth hate it.
Back in the 1960s, when biologists first began studying the northern spotted owl, they were concerned with one thing--just how many owls were out there. But then the researchers began trying to determine what constitutes suitable owl habitat, and that's where old-growth forests came in. And the real trouble began.
Initial findings led the scientists to conclude that old-growth is the only place where owls can survive. The multilayered canopy found in an old-growth ...