"ROSEBURG, Ore. -- Bureau of Land Management biologist Rob Horn carries a foot-long cylinder full of mice into a lush forest searching for northern spotted owls."
"In his backpack is a small amplifier that can sound the owl's territorial call.
But the raptor needs no coaxing. Within minutes, the sociable male flutters up a steep mountainside to a moss-covered branch along the road.
Like the bell for Pavlov's dogs, human voices signal meal time for the owl and his brood.
Decades after federal agencies cordoned off millions of acres of Pacific Northwest forests to protect old-growth trees -- the owl's favored habitat -- the bird is as imperiled as ever."
Phil Taylor reports for Greenwire August 13, 2012, as part of a series.
SEE ALSO:
"Hard Slog Ahead As U.S. Seeks Breakthrough in Decades-Old Timber War" (E&E News)
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