The
INSIDE Letters
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Senior spotlight
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Community Shakespeare
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www.islandsweekly.com 360-468-4242 • 800-654-6142
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VOLUME 36, NUMBER 44 • OCTOBER 29, 2013
Have you ever seen a barred owl on Lopez Island? Bob Porter for Port of Lopez The following former Port of Lopez Commissioners endorse Bob Porter for the Port of Lopez
Jamie Stephens, Charlie Walker, Larry Hendel and Ron Fowler. Bob's past record of service and accomplishments speak volumes regarding his superior qualifications, proven leadership and ability to represent fairly the Lopez community. Paid for by the Committee to Elect Bob Porter 2331 Bakerview Rd., Lopez WA 98261 • (360) 468-3004
By Cali Bagby Weekly editor
Described as beautiful, aggressive and at once both soft and sharp, barred owls are an object of fascination and concern. Recent national news reports that barred owls are displacing spotted owls have the Sounder wondering just how the species fits into our island ecosystem, and did it force spotted owls from our isles?
Community Shakespeare 12th Annual Fall Festival
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (appropriate for all ages)
Lopez Center for Community & the Arts
Nov. 6, 12 noon & 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7-8-9 at 7:30 p.m. Students $10, Adults $15 Tickets online at communityshakespeare.org, Also at Paper Scissors Rock
Owl versus owl According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in the Pacific Northwest barred owls are displacing and hybridizing with spotted owls – their slightly smaller, less aggressive cousins – which are already threatened from habitat loss. That is why this year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published an environmental impact statement explaining why it had approved the removal of about 3,600 barred owls from specific areas through Oregon, Washington and California. According to Seattlebased nature writer Craig Welch, spotted owl populations in parts of Washington are half what they were in the 1980s. “Throughout their range, from Canada to California,
Ray Bosch for USFWS / Contributed photo
The barred owl has vertical brown and light barring or streaking. Northern spotted owls are disappearing three times faster than biologists had feared,” wrote Welch in his article “The Spotted Owl’s New Nemesis” in the Smithsonian Magazine. Birds of a feather Barred owls have vertical brown and light barring or streaking on the belly and lower chest, whereas the spotted owl has light spots on its chest. Both owls have dark brown, almost black eyes and their wings and tail are brown and white. Barred owls live in large, mature forests made up of both deciduous trees and evergreens, often near water. They nest in tree
cavities. In the Northwest, barred owls have moved into old-growth coniferous forests, where they compete with the threatened spot-
ted owl. There is some data that suggests they are interbreeding, which is going to change the population, said OWL, SEE PAGE 5
A great way share your message this holiday season!
A November 27th Publication of the Weekly, Sounder, and Journal Call 376- 4500 to book now!
Bob
Porter Port for
of Lopez
Paid for by the committee to elect Bob Porter. Brian Matalon, Barbara Thomas, Aaron Dye, Charlie Walker, Kathy Keller, Tom Pal and Larry Hendel 2331 Bakerview Rd., Lopez Island, WA • (360) 468-3004
Joe Thornton for Lopez School Board Director #1
If elected to represent you, I will: * Encourage people with differing views to participate in working committees. * Support board meetings that are concise and encourage participation from all board members and attendees. * Support a fiscally responsible financial planning process based upon needs, not excesses. Paid by the Committee to elect Joe Thornton, 856 Shark Reef Rd., 360-468-3022