In a recent development, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is challenging the Trump administration’s proposal to eliminate over 450,000 invasive barred owls in West Coast forests. Led by Republican Rep. Troy Nehls and Democrat Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, the lawmakers argue that the costly killings, estimated at $3,000 per bird, may not effectively benefit the native populations of northern spotted owls, which have been struggling due to logging restrictions since the 1990s.

The barred owls, originally from eastern North America, invaded the Pacific Northwest in the 1970s, posing a threat to the smaller spotted owls by displacing them. Currently, around 100,000 barred owls inhabit an area with only 7,100 spotted owls. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s plan, approved last year, involves shooting barred owls over a 30-year period across California, Oregon, and Washington, covering approximately 23,000 square miles.

Lawmakers expressed concerns over the potential cost exceeding $1.3 billion, criticizing the plan as an inefficient use of taxpayer money and an attempt to control environmental outcomes. While scientists have conducted experimental shootings of barred owls that show promising results in halting spotted owl declines, the strategy of eliminating one species to save others remains controversial among wildlife advocates. The eradication of barred owls marks one of the most extensive bird removal efforts to date, with implications for wildlife conservation and ecosystem management in the region.