To the Editor:
The northern spotted owl, Strix occidentalis caurina, is one of three spotted-owl subspecies. It lives in Washington, Oregon and southern British Columbia. The other two subspecies are Mexican and Californian. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, in our state wildlife action plan, lists the northern spotted owl subspecies as “endangered,” while noting that the spotted owl is listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as “threatened.” These classifications are often complicated because the Endangered Species Act allows for subspecies to be listed independently, as if they were stand-alone species. This is done because the population health of geographically separated subspecies can vary substantially. And please know that I enjoy reading the Salish Current, especially its reporting on the environment.
— John S. Farnsworth, La Conner; May 20, 2026
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