23 Groups Sue U.S. Over Plight of Spotted Owl

Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming that the agency acted arbitrarily in not placing the northern spotted owl on the federal endangered species list.

Twenty-three groups joined in the federal lawsuit filed in Seattle against the Fish and Wildlife Service. It alleges that the federal agency failed to list the owl--which lives in California, Oregon and Washington--as endangered because of political and economic considerations.

David B. Edelson, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the lawsuit is “a response to the failure of the federal government to curtail the destruction of old-growth forests in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.”

Placing the owl on the endangered list would curtail the logging of old-growth forests that “provide essential habitat for the owl and many other wildlife species,” the environmental groups said.

‘Politically Motivated’

The decision not to list the owl under the Endangered Species Act was “politically motivated,” said Wendell Wood of the Oregon Natural Resources Council. “Caving into pressure from the lame-duck Reagan Administration, the service did a serious disservice to wildlife. The agency ignored every shred of credible evidence and instead acted arbitrarily.”

Diane Hoobler, a spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service, said the decision was made on the basis of biological evidence and the agency will continue to closely monitor the status of the bird.