Outdoor Insights: Fish and Wildlife Service finalizes plans to kill thousands of barred owls

In mid-July, I wrote in this space about a federal proposal to cull barred owls in the Pacific Northwest in the name of saving spotted owls. Last Wednesday, Aug. 28, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized its plan to kill up to 450,000 barred owls during the next three decades in several western states.

Animal rights groups, including Animal Wellness Action, immediately said they’ll fight the plan in federal court. Last week, they sent a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland signed by 164 animal welfare and birding organizations opposed to the kill.

Signatories include 20 Audubon chapters plus other, non-related animal rights groups, including Minnesota’s Howling for Wolves. (Maureen Hackett of Hopkins-based H4Ws told me they’re an environmental group, thus their interest in Western owls.)

The animals rights letter outlined concerns that yours truly mentioned in a previous column, plus it brought up lead shot, even criticizing the USFWS on the unrelated topic of not doing more to limit the use of lead on refuges lands. In its press release last week, the USFWS said owl shooters will use nontoxic shot.

“Barred owl removal will be conducted in designated areas by trained professionals…,” said USFWS Oregon Office State Supervisor Kessina Lee. “No public hunting of barred owls is allowed under the strategy and no lead ammunition will be used.”

MORE COVERAGE FROM MINNESOTA OUTDOOR NEWS:

Minnesota DNR to launch changes to muskie-stocking regimen

Minnesota citizen advisory group gives final report to DNR, state legislators

Early bird hunting in Minnesota just OK despite excellent weather

EASY WAY TO REPORT POACHERS

The DNR Enforcement Division a couple years ago created a handy smartphone app that I’m ashamed to admit I just downloaded last week.

With fall seasons kicking into gear right now, every hunter should have the easy-to-use tool on their phone. The MNTip app allows the user to quickly report specific details and even images of poaching incidents afield. If you prefer to use the good, old-fashioned TIP hotline (printed on the front cover of this paper every week), by all means add that to your phone contacts.

But if you’re out of cell range, you can record details of a poaching scene in the app and it’ll upload once you hit a cell tower or have WiFi access. To download, just search “MNTip” in your app store. (And download the Outdoor News app while you’re there….)

BAFFLED BADGERS. Did you know the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources hasn’t had its top leadership post filled for nearly a year? The equivalent post to our DNR commissioner job (held by Sarah Strommen here for going on six years) is the Wisconsin DNR secretary.

After 10 months on the job, WDNR Secretary Adam Payne submitted his resignation to Gov. Tony Evers effective Nov. 1, 2023, and Steven Little, the agency’s deputy secretary, has been the acting secretary ever since.

There’s been no announcement by Democratic Gov. Evers on a new secretary-designee, maybe because replacements fear being appointed to a position just to be fired by a key Republican-led committee. That occurred to four members of the state’s Natural Resources Board last year. (Evers appointed four others who have remained in the roles.)

Wisconsin Outdoor News staffers tell me there are competent people Evers could appoint that the Senate Environment committee would endorse, but it appears he’s waiting till after the election.

Madison, Wis., is hosting the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies annual meeting Sept. 22-25. You’ve seen AFWA quoted in this newspaper before; it represents North American natural resources agencies in Washington D.C. to promote science-based fish and wildlife management. Too bad the WDNR won’t have a bona fide secretary to welcome the nation’s top natural resources professionals from around the county to Wisconsin’s capital city.