Justine Larsen, Utah State University
Political Science
In recent years, the aggressive barred owl’s invasion of northern spotted owl territory has led to significant declines in spotted owl populations along the Pacific Northwest. In response to the owl’s waning population, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has implemented a plan under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to kill the barred owl in a radical attempt to save the spotted owl. Applauded as revolutionary legislation, critical in protecting the Earth’s species from extinction, the ESA is decidedly far from the miracle bill its proponents laud it to be. A mere one percent of species protected under the ESA have successfully recovered enough to be delisted, and the ESA had little to do with these rare recoveries (Scheer & Moss, 2012). Observation and analysis of the spotted owl’s turbulent decline, reveals fundamental flaws specifically in basic theories on which the legislation was based. Particularly, the theory that nature, if left alone, will return to a natural state of balance (balance of nature theory) is a primary concept that has led the ESA astray numerous times, as evidenced by the FWS’ paradoxical plan to capture and kill one species in order to maintain a balance in the other species. This study reviews the balance of nature theory, providing research examining the effectiveness of the ESA and contributing to efforts to determine an appropriate and successful solution to species decline.