'Nature Doesn't Invade'

Editor:

While I appreciate the care Kimberly Wear took to represent both sides of the “conflict” between the spotted owl and the barred owl, the article failed to recognize human actions as the source of the trophic cascade in the ecosystem (“Combating the Barred Owl Invasion,” Oct. 10).

Nature doesn’t invade. This is a human construct based on human behavior. Nature adapts and, currently, the main thing nature is adapting to are the consequences of disturbances caused by human activities such as logging old growth forests and spraying of herbicides to eradicate “invasive” plant species, which has a detrimental impact on egg and owlet viability.

The spotted owl depends on the habitat provided within an old growth forest. If we truly cared about the spotted owl, we wouldn’t have logged the old growth forest of the Pacific Northwest. Without the forest, there will be no spotted owls, regardless of how many barred owls are killed.

We cannot yet understand the complex adaptations that ecosystems are making, and should move with respect and caution as animal and plant populations migrate and change. There are many more factors at play in the spotted owls endangerment than the presence of barred owls, and ecosystems, as living, intelligent systems with many mechanisms of feedback for survival, are adapting.

Given all of this, the killing of hundreds of thousands of owls is cruel, short-sighted and misguided. If we want to send a message to future generations, let’s address why barred owls are moving west, and why spotted owls are losing suitable habitat, and make choices to benefit all beings.

Constance Lynn, Boulder, Utah