About 376,000 acres proposed for special habitat designation includes acreage in Fort Carson, Bureau of Land Management property and U.S. Forest Service land. Biologists have identified the areas as being essential for the survival of the bird, which was listed as threatened in 1993. The designation is unlikely to affect any current recreational, military, forestry or agricultural uses of the lands, U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials said. Any new activity would be subject to federal review, said Terry Ireland, wildlife biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service in Denver. An estimated 25 to 30 Mexican spotted owls live in Colorado, mostly in the southeast.
Biologists think logging and wildfires are decreasing their numbers.
The lands are part of more than 13.5 million acres of federal and tribal lands in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah being considered for designation as critical habitat areas for the owl. The medium-sized birds, with dark eyes and chestnut coloring, live in canyons and mountain forests from southern Utah to central Mexico. The Daily Camera. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of The Daily Camera is expressly prohibited.