Northwest Forest Plan

Interagency Regional
Monitoring Program

Contacts - Northern Spotted Owl Module

Spotted Owl Monitoring Module Lead

The module lead for spotted owl effectiveness monitoring is Mr. Joseph Lint, wildlife biologist with the OR/WA State Office of the Bureau of Land Management. His office is located in the BLM's Roseburg District Office. Joe is the principal contact for the spotted owl monitoring program and may be reached via phone at 541 464-3288 or via e-mail at joseph_lint@or.blm.gov.

Population Monitoring

The population monitoring lead is Eric Forsman, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Olympia, Washington.

Under the plan, the owl population is monitored by surveying of spotted owls in eight demographic study areas to determine the occupancy, survival, and reproductive success of the marked owls inhabiting them.

Demographic Study Areas and Principal Investigators

Habitat Map Development

The habitat assessment co-leads are Joseph Lint, wildlife biologist with the OR/WA State Office of the Bureau of Land Management and Ray Davis, Forest Biologist with the Umpqua National Forest in Roseburg, Oregon.

Habitat suitability models are used to assess habitat quality and quantity on that portion of the forested landscape that is classified as capable of producing spotted owl habitat. Change detection data for stand-replacing timber harvest and wildfire is applied to the habitat suitability maps to assess habitat change due to loss over time.

Predictive Model Development

The lead for predictive model development is Robert Anthony, U.S. Geological Survey, Corvallis, Oregon.

The predictive model development element of the monitoring plan is a research effort designed to determine if landscape composition and patterns can be used to predict abundance and demographic performance of northern spotted owls. If landscape composition and pattern are shown to be reliable predictors of owl abundance and demographic performance, then monitoring spotted owl populations may shift, in some areas, to a habitat-based strategy.