Eventually, the service plans to prepare a regional habitat conservation plan to set aside land to protect the bird. But the bulldozing of most owl habitat might continue until that plan is done in a few years. In the meantime, the service has said that it won't stop anyone from developing unless an owl lives within 1,500 feet of a landowner's property. That's how much land the service believes an individual bird needs to survive. It's up to us to show that what is cleared was critical to the survival of the owl,'' said Steve Middleton, a Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement agent.
Environmentalists denounce the service as weak-kneed.
They contend that protecting just the areas around the 12 owls will isolate the birds and make it impossible for young owls to find new homes. They've warned that they'll take big developers to court for clearing owl habitat. We'll have to find an example of someone who flagrantly flubs the law and make a case of that developer,'' said Peter Galvin, a conservation biologist for the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity, whose lawsuits got the bird listed. Hopefully, the agencies will get off their duffs and do their jobs. Copyright 1998, The Earth Times All rights reserved.