Sierra Forest Legacy v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

The federal district court for the Northern District of California approved a settlement agreement between environmental groups and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to resolve a lawsuit challenging the 2019 determination that the California spotted owl did not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. The settlement provided that the FWS will prepare a new finding by February 15, 2023 regarding whether listing the species is warranted, not warranted, or warranted but precluded. In their complaint, the plaintiffs had alleged that “the Service’s own scientific experts … predicted there will be increasing threats from climate change and associated increases in drought, tree mortality, and high-severity fire,” among other serious threats.

Four environmental groups filed a lawsuit in the federal district court for the Northern District of California challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service’s) determination that the California spotted owl did not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. The plaintiffs alleged that “the Service’s own scientific experts … predicted there will be increasing threats from climate change and associated increases in drought, tree mortality, and high-severity fire,” among other serious threats.”