wpy_story_spottedowls-3405
“Spotted owls are not going to be around much longer if we don’t manage for the barred owl,” says Mark Higley, a biologist for the Hoopa Valley Tribe in California. Higley is a driven man, a biologist determined to save northern spotted owls where he can, even when that means killing another owl. He is one of about six certified hunters for barred owl in the Northwest. Barred owl numbers exploded around 2005 in the Pacific Northwest, and have decimated remaining northern spotted owl populations. Despite a strong conviction for his work, it’s not something he enjoys. “I would never want to hire someone to do this who wants to go out and shoot owls,” he says.