Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

THE SECRETARYOF THE INTERIORW A S H I N G T O N/71 February 5, 1991MemorandumTo:From:Donald R. Knowles, Secretary's Representative andRecovery Team CoordinatorMarvin L. Plenert, Recovery Te a~rLead rThe SecretarySubject: Directive to No em Spotted Owl Recovery TeamPursuant to Section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act, the goalof the recovery team effort is to develop a plan that will leadto the conservation and survival of the northern spotted owl. Thenorthern spotted owl recovery plan will serve as a guide to futureFederal, State and private activities affecting the owl and willbe designed to bring the owl to the point at which it will nolonger need the protection of the Endangered Species Act (Act).The requirements for recovery plans are specified in the Act:(i) a description of such site-specific managementactions as may be necessary to achieve the plan's goalfor the conservation and survival of the species;(ii) objective, measurable criteria which, when met,would result in a determination, in accordance with theprovisions of this section, that the species be removedfrom the list; and(iii) estimates of the time and cost to carry out thosemeasures needed to achieve the plan's goal and toachieve intermediate steps toward that goal.The planning process also must ensure that all availablescientific information is considered prior to the plan'scompletion. To the extent consistent with its legal mandate, theplan also should address concerns such as: potential communityand region-wide economic and social impacts; fiscal implicationsat the local, State and Federal levels; compatibility with otherlegal mandates; effects on other threatened and endangered speciesand those species which might be listed in the future; and broaderecosystem-related considerations.The recovery team has considerable latitude in which to carry outits task. The Act specifies no road map to recovery, nor does it639