California Spotted Owl
The California spotted owl is one of three subspecies of spotted owls that occurs within the United States. The Mexican spotted owl is found in the southwestern states and Mexico. The Northern spotted owl occupies western Washington, Oregon and California. In California the Northern spotted owl ranges in coastal areas from the Oregon border to the San Francisco Bay area. The California spotted owl ranges throughout the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges in California as well as portions of the Southern California coast range. All three subspecies are associated with late successional habitat. Lassen Volcanic National Park is within the range of the California spotted owl. The California spotted owl occurs in a habitat that has a mixture of tree sizes and usually at least two canopy layers, with some very large, old trees present. These old trees provide cavities which are used by spotted owls for nesting. Suitable habitat for spotted owls does exist within Lassen Volcanic National Park. Due to loss of habitat, the Northern spotted owl was officially listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on June 26, 1990. The Mexican spotted owl was officially listed as threatened on March 16, 1993 due to habitat loss as well.
The California spotted owl was petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act on October 12, 2000. The reason stated for the petition was habitat destruction due to logging, urban development, livestock grazing, mining, recreation, and road construction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) made a determination on February 10, 2003 that the California spotted owl does not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act at this time. The California spotted owl is currently listed as a Federal species of concern by the USFWS. It is also listed as Sensitive by the U.S. Forest Service and a species of special concern by the California Department of Fish and Game.
