Isabelle Bate
The chances that any individual in British Columbia will ever see a northern spotted owl in their lifetime is extremely unlikely. Prior to decades of clear cut logging, there were approximately 1000 adult Northern Spotted Owls living in southern BC (Cox, âAre you Kidding me?â). Today, there is only one wild-born northern spotted owl left in the province. She is a female spotted owl who lives in the remaining old-growth forests of SpĂŽâzĂȘm First Nation territory in the Fraser Valley (Kamnitzer). The SpĂŽâzĂȘm community call northern spotted owls âSkaloolaâ, and they say that the last living owl in their land is a messenger. In total, there are 37 northern spotted owls remaining in BC. 34 of those owls live in captivity at the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program facility, and two captive bred owls were released into the wild in 2023 (foy). Northern spotted owls are one of the most endangered species in Canada, because the majority of their habitats have been logged.
About the northern spotted owl
The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) is identifiable by its chocolate brown feathers, which have dainty white spots plastered across them (NSO Breeding Program). They have round facial features, dark brown eyes, and no ears tufts. They are medium-sized owls, and have wingspans of approximately one meter long. Spotted owls make unique four-note calls and this is one of the ways that they can be identified. In the wild, these owls typically live around 10 years old, but can live over 20 years in captivity. If they were more widely populated in BC, northern spotted owls would typically be found in old Douglas Fir or Cedar trees that are between 140-300 years old. The northern spotted owl is one of three subspecies of spotted owl, and much like their namesakes, they occupy land that is the farthest north of the three subspecies. There are no northern spotted owls on Vancouver Island because there is not enough old-growth forest left to sustain them.
Old-growth trees are essential to the survival and wellbeing of these owls in the wild. They blend in with the rich dark colours of dense old-growth forests, protecting them from predators and concealing them from prey. The northern spotted owl nests in the naturally occurring cavities of large old-growth trees and often choose cavities with tree debris such as broken branches and pine needles (Cooper 10). Additionally, they benefit from old-growth forests because they primarily take short gliding flights, and they tend to sit and wait for their prey to be in their vicinity (10). Northern spotted owls rely heavily on the large rodent population that exists in these forests. They primarily eat northern flying squirrels, the snowshoe hare, and the bushy-tailed woodrat (Cooper 10). They are a predator species which means that the majority of their meals include smaller mammals. With increased logging and clearcutting, there is a decrease in habitable land for the northern flying squirrel, too.
Historical Context and Mutualism
According to an article by Charlton in the New Zealand Journal of Environmental Law, Deforestation began en masse in Canada throughout the 19th century because densely forested areas were seen as barriers to colonial settlements and capitalist projects. As the Canadian nation state began claiming Indigenous land as its own, the logging industry began mapping out more and more land to clear off old-growth trees. Throughout the year 2021 alone, approximately 457 square kilometers of old growth forest was logged (Pawson). According to a newer study on BCâs old-growth forests from 2020, only about 3% of BC is capable of supporting large trees, and of that percentage, about 2.7% qualifies as old-growth trees. To qualify as old growth, the trees have to be a minimum of 140 years old, and they play integral roles in our ecosystems.
Only 3% of BC is still capable of supporting large trees, and of that percentage, only 2.7% of the land still contains old-growth trees. – Price et al.
These trees should be able to outlive all of us. They have witnessed decades of history, and are always at threat. Yezerinac and Moola wrote that as logging rates rise and cause increases in deforestation, the biodiversity in heavily logged areas is severely affected (3). Decreased biodiversity can lead to entire species being affected. As the population of a predator species like the northern spotted owl becomes endangered, other species can become co-threatened by its decline. Groups of co-occurring species could be described as small ecological communities who interact with one another and can affect each other’s abundance, nutrients and food webs. This ecological process is called mutualism (Fortuna and Bascompte). Fortuna and Bascompte sought out to examine the consequences that mutualistic ecosystems experience from facing habitat loss, and they hypothesized that the species decline resulting from habitat loss will have long-term effects on mutualistic wildlife networks. Overall, Fortuna and Bascompte found that plant-animal mutualistic networks affect the rate of species decline resulting from habitat loss. The northern spotted owl sits at the top of the food chain in its ecosystem with its diet consisting primarily of the northern flying squirrel. Similar to the owls, Northern flying squirrels rely on the density of old growth forests to leap between trees, and the densely wooded ground to seek out fungi and berries to eat, and wood snags to nest in (Schoen et al.).
Any animal or plant life that is part of the mutual network of the northern spotted owl may be affected by its endangerment, and this includes the northern flying squirrel, a primary source of nutrition for this already declining population of owls. The population of the northern spotted owl has been declining around 7.2% each year since the mid 20th century (Cooper 10). A 7.2% yearly population decline is a detrimental rate to the owls themselves, to their mutualistic species, and demonstrates just how much old growth forest has been lost.
SpĂŽâzĂȘm Nation has been at the forefront of advocacy work
In 2020, the Old Growth Review Panel outlined 5 primary recommendations for change in order to successfully manage old-growth forests. Waters stated that the overarching theme of these recommendations was to treat old-growth forests as the ecosystems that they are, rather than as a resource for the province. A primary recommendation was called âIndigenous Involvementâ and this stated that Indigenous leaders, and organizations, needed to review the Old Growth Review Panel report, and any other future proposed strategies, plans or implementations to protect Canadian forests. This is because first nation communities have historically played a vital role in land protection, and stewardship.
“The BC government must stop applying monetary value to something that is sacred and life-giving”
James Hobart, SpĂŽâzĂȘm Nation chief
SpĂŽâzĂȘm First Nation is located in the Southern interior of British Columbia and has been at the forefront of trying to protect the northern spotted owl for years (Cox, âLogging Deferredâ). The SpĂŽâzĂȘm community calls the northern spotted owl Skaloola. There is only one of these owls left in SpĂŽâzĂȘm territory, and she is said to be a messenger above all else (Foy). The SpĂŽâzĂȘm Nation chief, James Hobart, has always been an outspoken advocate for these owls. In reference to old growth forests, he described how the BC government must, âstop applying monetary value to something sacred and life-giving.â. According to an article in The Narwhal, old-growth forests are deeply complex, ecologically productive, and are essentially irreplaceable, no matter how much time and energy is put into revitalizing and protecting them. What this means is that we need to be focusing on repairing the gaps between fragmented forests, and keeping the ecosystems within our remaining forests healthy, as much as we are trying to slow logging and are planting new trees. The 2020 Old Growth Review recommendations have still not been put into action in any concrete ways. Only two of the implementations have reached the advanced stage, and the rest are still in the initial action phase of implementation (Waters).
In July of 2024, the federal Canadian government released their updated recovery strategy for the protection and revitalization of the northern spotted owl (Cox, âFeds proposeâ). This strategy included identifying over 400,000 hectares of land as recognized northern spotted owl critical habitat land, including two watersheds on SpĂŽâzĂȘm First Nation territory. This declaration was a monumental step in solidifying the protection of the northern spotted owl in BC. However, the issue still remains of ensuring that no more logging takes place in the owl habitats. While recognizing the 400,000 hectares of critical spotted owl habitat is a needed step, there is still no set action plan to block logging from taking place in this territory (Foy). The Price at al. study, which found that only 2.7% of old-growth forests are left in BC, also wrote a list of priority actions which they recommended to be implemented immediately in order to manage the old-growth deforestation situation (42). The first recommendation was to stop any harvesting of old trees in any biogeoclimatic region that has less than 10% of its old forest remaining (Price et al. 43). This means that British Columbia, with less than 10% of old-growth trees remaining, should be putting a blockade on any logging of old-growth forests. Secondly, Price at al. recommended applying a moratorium on all logging of irreplaceable old forests, including ancient and old-growth trees (43). Lastly, they recommended fixing all arithmetic errors in government reports tracking old-growth loss (Price et al 43).
What is the future of Skaloola?
I believe that we owe it to our forests, and to Skaloola, to fight for protections which slow down the process of deforestation and help the northern spotted owl species thrive again. Skaloola is on the brink of being made extinct. The northern spotted owl is an indicator species (Cox “B.C. is Opening”). If they are thriving, the ecosystem is thriving. If the species is dying, then the forest is dying. The northern spotted owlâs well being is vital to helping the rest of its mutual ecosystem thrive. According to Foy, Skaloolaâs message is simple: Canada has destroyed its forests, and it is time to work with Indigenous communities to bring them back. Protecting Skaloola means you are protecting the whole forest. When researching wildlife and old-growth conservation, I think it is important to think about animal species and plant life as more than resources, and as more than objects. The northern spotted owl has cultural meaning to different Indigenous communities, the same way that our old-growth forests do. In researching the northern spotted owl, I am considering the colonial roots of deforestation, and am trying to learn from the SpĂŽâzĂȘm First Nation community specifically, in learning more about the best ways to help protect the remaining owls.
The NSOBP describes returning the releasable owls into the wild as, âactionable reconciliation for the owls, the land, and Indigenous peoplesâ.
One organization which is working towards restoring the spotted owl population across the province is the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program (NSOBP). They are a non-profit organization based out of Langley BC, on Kwantlen First Nation territory, and they practice conservation breeding in order to release their owls into protected land. The NSOBP describes returning the releasable owls into the wild as, âactionable reconciliation for the owls, the land, and Indigenous peoplesâ. Owls that are fit to be releasable are selected based on numerous factors which are meant to help predict their chances of survival and reproduction in the wild. Candidates are released between 1-2 years of age to prevent habituation to human contact, their DNA is tested to determine the owls’ sexes, their hunting skills are closely monitored, and each owl receives routine veterinary exams. The pre-release owls are currently fed live mice and rats, but according to their website, the NSOBP hopes to secure funding to house northern flying squirrels. By housing northern flying squirrels, they will be able to train the captive owls with the squirrels prior to their releases, ensuring a higher chance of survival in the wild (Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program). Upon release each owl is fitted with a lightweight GPS tracker in order to track their locations and learn about their daily movements (Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program). The more that the NSO Breeding Program is able to successfully breed northern spotted owls in captivity, the more owls they can release into the wild. Over time, and with more successful releases, the owls should begin to reproduce in the wild, leading to population growth and a resurgence in biodiversity.