Word: owls
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Ever since 1989, it became clear that the northern spotted owl was endangered and that much of its natural habitat would be destroyed if unrestricted logging practices continued in Washington and Oregon...
...reclusive owl is fast approaching extinction in places like Forks. Without the tall trees and well-shaded environment of the oldgrowth forest, the owl loses areas needed for nesting, canopy needed for cover and rotting longs needed to support its prey--mice and other rodents--on the forest floor. To put it plainly: no old trees, no spotted owl...
Just bringing up the logging issue with locals unleashes an attack on environmentalists and owls alike. Bob Bray, 46, a gas station attendant who lives in Forks, says if it wasn't for the logging industry there would be no community. "People outside Forks use the owl as an excuse to limit logging." Bray told me this past summer. "If it wasn't the owl it would be something else...
Looking me in the eyes and saying that people from cities just can't understand, Bray says, "Hard to wipe your ass with the spotted owl, huh Michelle...
...whole issue comes down to politics and economics. In a quest to woo voters from the rural Northwest, conservative politicians portray the issue as jobs versus the environment, security versus the owl. The move is on to water down the Endangered Species Act in order to allow the timber industry to retain current employment levels and log the spotted owl into extinction...