A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to finalize protections for the California spotted owl under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by the end of next April.
Judge Eumi K. Lee of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled in a Nov. 2 motion that USFWS failed to comply with the mandatory statutory deadline to issue a final listing determination for the California spotted owl. The decision comes following a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity.
“I’m so relieved California spotted owls will finally get the protection they need,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species codirector at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Since we first petitioned for their protection more than a quarter century ago the threats to these beautiful and curious owls have only mounted.”
