Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

2mandate the achievement of recovery within a particular timeframe. Accordingly, recovery plans for other listed species haveemployed a wide variety of management approaches. I encourage theteam to exercise the full range of its creative abilities inassessing options for the recovery of the northern spotted owl.The recovery plan, however, must have a sound and crediblescientific basis, so that we can be confident that itsimplementation will meet the Act's requirements.In addition to the issues noted above, there are several specificconcerns that I request the team to consider in the plan'sdevelopment process:o Interagency Scientific Committee Conservation Strategy: TheISC conducted a comprehensive review of science on thenorthern spotted owl. The team should consider that scienceand incorporate it, as appropriate, with all new scientificdata, in the recovery planning effort.o Risk Analysis: The team should assess the feasibility ofdeveloping recovery options that address the degree of risk(and associated uncertainty) to the owl, other species, otherenvironmental values, and economic concerns.o Subdivided Plans/Recovery Targets: The team should determinethe feasibility of dividing the plan into sections thataddress individual States or physiographic provinces. Aspart of this effort, the team should evaluate the proprietyof setting recovery targets for such locales. In so doing,options such as determining desired population ranges ratherthan fixed number targets, and varying ranges or targets bydate and locale should be assessed. It is important to note,however, that any plan that includes subdivisions must alsobe assessed as a whole in terms of its ability to meet theAct's mandates and other concerns related to the plan effort.o Potential Impact of State and Private Actions: Policiescarried out by States, other political subdivisions, andprivate landowners may significantly affect the range ofrecovery plan options available for Federal lands. Potentialactions by these non-Federal parties which could contributeto owl recovery should be assessed in terms of feasibilityand implementation requirements. As appropriate, the teamshould incorporate assumptions concerning non-Federal actionsinto plan options as they are developed.o Population Genetics and Adaptability: The team should assessthe feasibility of considering population genetics andadaptability assumptions in developing the plan. These mayyield insights concerning the ability of owls to survive invarious habitats.640