by By STEVEN DUBOIS , Associated
Press
Thursday, August 2nd 2018
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) —
Conservation groups sued the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission
on Thursday for failing to strengthen protections for the marbled murrelet,
tiny seabirds that venture inland to raise their young and depend on old-growth
forests for nesting.
The groups petitioned the
commission in 2016 to reclassify the bird's status from threatened to
endangered under the state Endangered Species Act. A listing as endangered
would require the state to develop a management plan and survival guidelines
for the birds that are about 9 inches (22 centimeters) long and weigh 7 to 8
ounces (198 to 255 grams).
The commission denied the
petition in June by a 4-2 vote, after hearing testimony from officials in
timber-rich coastal counties who worried about the economic impact of
restricting logging to save the birds. Commissioners opposed to
reclassification said researchers from Oregon State University are in the early
stages of a 10-year study about the seabird, and they wanted to wait for
results.
The defeat was tough for
conservationists because the commission in February had accepted a
recommendation to grant the petition.
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