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CT voters pass no-excuse absentee voting amendment; Biden urges Americans to 'bring down the temperature' after Trump's US election win; As FSA loan changes aim to support farmers, advocates say more needed; As leaves fall in AZ, calls renewed to incentivize electric lawn equipment.

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President Biden asks Americans to turn down the temperature, House Speaker Mike Johnson promises an aggressive first 100 day agenda and Democratic governors vow to push back on Trump's plan for mass deportations.

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Texas women travel some of the longest distances for abortion care, Californians the shortest, rural living comes with mixed blessings for veterans, an ancient technique could curtail climate-change wildfires, and escape divisive politics on World Kindness Day.

CA Spotted Owl Protections Open for Public Comment

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Wednesday, March 1, 2023   

The Biden administration is now taking public comments on a proposal to grant the California Spotted Owl protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The move is a reversal of the Trump administration's 2020 decision to deny the brown-and-white bird further protections, even though its population has been on the decline for decades.

Pamela Flick, California program director for Defenders of Wildlife, noted the proposed listing stems from the settlement of a yearslong lawsuit lawsuit by conservation groups.

"When the species is listed, logging on national forests will have to undergo more scrutiny and be determined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to not cause harm to the owl or their habitat," Flick explained.

An exception would allow some logging to reduce fuel load for wildfire management. The proposal splits the California spotted owl population into two groups: Birds in the Sierra Nevada range would be listed as threatened, while those in the southern/coastal region would be listed as endangered.

The birds have lost significant habitat over the years to logging. They are sometimes poisoned by rodenticides used on illegal marijuana grows, and they also face competition from an invasive species known as the barred owl. Flick emphasized global warming is fueling the biggest threats to the spotted owl's survival.

"The threats that are currently impacting the Sierra Nevada population include large-scale high-severity fire, tree mortality as a result of drought and native bark beetle killing millions of trees," Flick outlined. "Those are impacts that came about from climate change."

The public comment period is open through the end of April.

Disclosure: Defenders of Wildlife contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Endangered Species and Wildlife, Energy Policy, and Public Lands/Wilderness. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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