Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) Recovery Plan Revision
About the Document
Title: Revised Recovery Plan for the Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidntalis lucida)
Purpose: The purpose of the revised plan is to provide an updated roadmap for recovery and ultimately removal of the Mexican spotted owl from the list of threatened and endangered species, in accordance with section 4(f)(1) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 etseq.). The revised plan contains descriptions of the life history, threats, and current conservation of the bird, as well as recovery strategies and actions, and time and cost estimates necessary for recovery.
About the Peer Review Process
Type of Review: Influential
Date of Peer Review: The peer review will be conducted during the pubic review period for the draft recovery plan, estimated to occur between March-June of 2008.
Estimated Dissemination of the Final Recovery Plan: November 2009.
Process: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will solicit reviews from up to 5 independent scientific reviewers with expertise in biology, conservation, and ecology of owls and the ecosystem upon which they depend. Reviewers will be selected based upon the following criteria:
- Expertise: Reviewers should have knowledge in one or more of the following areas: conservation biology; ecology of forest owls, predator-prey relationships, species competition; land management activities and their effects on forest owl populations, and genetics.
- Independence: Reviewers should not be employed by the Service. Academic and consulting scientists should have sufficient independence from the Service or the Department if the government supports their work.
- Objectivity: Reviewers should be recognized by their peers as being objective, open-minded, and thoughtful. The reviewers should be comfortable sharing their knowledge and identifying their knowledge gaps.
- Advocacy: Reviewers should not be known or recognized for an affiliation with an advocacy position regarding the protection of this species under the Endangered Species Act.
- Conflict of Interest: Reviewers should not have any financial or other interest that conflicts or that could impair their objectivity.
This page will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
About Public Participation
A 90 day public comment period for the draft revised recovery plan will be held, during which time the public will have the opportunity to review and provide input to the draft plan. The availability of the plan will be made public through news releases, newspaper articles, and mailings, and will be posted on Service websites with solicitations for public comment. An outreach plan will be developed to provide ample opportunity for public involvement in the review process.
Both the draft and final plans will be available at http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/SpeciesReport.do?spcode=B074.
This peer review plan is made available on this website to allow the public to monitor our compliance with the Office of Management and Budget’s Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review.
Contact: Steve Spangle, Field Supervisor, Arizona Ecological Services Field Office, Phoenix at Steve_Spangle@fws.gov or 602-242-0210.