October 20th, 2010

The discovery of a pair of federally-protected northern spotted owls in the Willamette National Forest may derail plans to harvest 157 acres of mature and old-growth forest above the McKenzie River.

A legal challenge by two conservation organizations – Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild – is based on new research showing that the owls have taken up residence in the neighborhood of the planned timber sale. The groups claim that the U.S. Forest Service has ignored new information about the owls that has surfaced since the agency agreed to log the area in 2003.

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