The Northern Spotted Owl Controversy – Jobs versus Environmental ProtectionIntroductionThe mere mention of the creature's name sends shivers down the spines of loggers and some local residents, fear as Its existence prompted rallies and attracted the attention of three government agencies and caused people to tie themselves to trees. On April 2, 1993, President Bill Clinton embarked on a quest to end a long-running battle. Environmentalists on one side, and their attempts to protect natural resources, and the timber industry's desire to do the same, on the other. Unemployment and economic devastation would surely follow, due to the loss of jobs in the timber industry. No trees were allowed to be cut within a 70-acre radius of the Northern Spotted Owl's nest. Other laws protected trees within a 2,000-acre circle around birds. Listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, the Northern Spotted Owl has inadvertently landed in the middle of a complex debate over logging in the Pacific Northwest. Under the law, logging of many old-growth forests has been suspended in order to protect the bird and its remaining habitat.Survival of the Northern Spotted OwlThe Northern Spotted Owl can only live in an old-growth forest environment, it is considered an “indicator species”: The health of the Northern Spotted Owl population indicates the health of the old-growth forest ecosystem. A Northern Spotted Owl requires more than 3,000 acres of old-growth forest to survive, due to its scarcity of food. The Northern Spotted Owl is found in cool, moist forests of the Pacific Northwest. Northern Spotted Owl habitat can be described as relatively large diameter trees in the stand, multi-layered tree canopy, large living tall trees with cavities, broken crowns, mistletoe or flats. branch shapes capable of retaining accumulated organic matter that can be used. as nests, standing dead trees and fallen rotten trees to support abundant populations of prey species, particularly northern flying squirrels and wood rats. The Timber Industry In May 1991, Federal District Judge William Dwyer issued a landmark decision finding that the Forest Service had violated the National Forest Management Act by failing to implement an acceptable management plan for the spotted owl from the North. His decision banned the sale of timber in the Spotted Owl region until the Forest Service implemented an acceptable plan. An injunction blocking timber sales in northern spotted owl habitat has affected 17 national forests in Washington, Oregon and Northern California. The impact on the rural economy in many parts of the Pacific Northwest has been devastating..