Spotted Owl Endangerment Decision Is Overdue, Lawsuit Claims

The US Fish and Wildlife Service failed to make a timely final determination on the proposed listing of two distinct population segments of the California spotted owl as endangered or threatened, a new lawsuit said.

In 2023 FWS found that the California spotted owl was at risk of extinction and issued a proposed rule to protect the two population segments of the subspecies. The agency violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to either publish a final listing determination or withdraw the proposed rule within one year of issuing it, the Center For Biological Diversity alleged in a complaint filed ...