H-1228.2  _______________________________________________

                     HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4013

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1995 Regular Session

By Representatives Thompson, Fuhrman, Horn, Cairnes, Goldsmith, Radcliff, Hargrove, Lisk, Koster, Beeksma, D. Schmidt, Blanton, Stevens, McMahan, Sheldon, Pennington, B. Thomas, Buck, Benton, Smith, Mulliken and Honeyford

Read first time 01/31/95.  Referred to Committee on Natural Resources.

Removing the spotted owl from endangered or threatened species lists.

    TO THE HONORABLE BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

    We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

    WHEREAS, the Northern spotted owl is currently listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act; and

    WHEREAS, Promoters of this listing contended that spotted owls require old growth forests in order to survive; and

    WHEREAS, This contention has proven to be false, and it is now known that spotted owls also thrive in second growth forests which have been logged for over a century; and

    WHEREAS, In the 1970's, biologists believed that no more than 1,500 pairs of owls lived in the three-state region of Washington, Oregon, and California; and

    WHEREAS, As of 1993, over 4,000 pairs of Northern spotted owls, as well as over 2,000 single birds for a total of more than 10,000 Northern spotted owls, have been documented to reside in this region; and

    WHEREAS, Land surveys conducted to be in compliance with the federal act continue to document the presence of more and more owls; and

    WHEREAS, The presence of so many owls on federal, state, and private lands is leading to even greater curtailment of timber harvests in the region; and

    WHEREAS, The restriction on logging because of a perceived but erroneous count of Northern spotted owls is causing severe hardship in the timber industry in Washington state; and

    WHEREAS, The promoters of this listing have an agenda that goes far beyond protection of this particular species;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully ask Congress to take immediate action to insure that the Northern spotted owl is no longer listed as either a threatened or endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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