Spotted owls require a very specific habitat in order to survive: These must be forests of high-canopied (old growth) trees with plenty of understory (areas under the branches) available. So, unless the pot growers are using these areas, I highly question the validity (or scientific accuracy)of this argument. Loss of old growth habitat (by logging), along with the predation by larger owls that have moved into the clear cuts are the chief reasons the spotted owls are endangered. The government under this administration wants to keep clearcutting the northwest old growth forests, and are looking for creative ways to take the heat off of the forest service, who currently caters to the whims of the logging industry.

Great post!

The government has decided to wage war on a portion of the American population. Environmental destruction is just one least troubling side-effect of war.

On top of the effects listed in this article, there have also been forest-fires ignited by low-flying DEA aircraft.

Republicans have gone soft on spotted owls.

The woods of California have become more and more dangerous from booby-trapped plots and armed guards on one side and cops in copters on the other. It has concerned me for a long time that public lands and wilderness have been invaded by rogue growers. People with business or pleasure in the woods--geologists, naturalists, loggers, fishers, rafters, fourwheelers and park rangers--face a doubly hostile environment. I think because the redwoods are poor sites for marijuana plots, citified tree-huggers don't have this problem on their radar.

If pot were grown in proper fields and our backyards, we'd only have to watch for bears, pumas, rockfalls, flash floods and poison oak in the back country.

Illegal pot creates problems everywhere.

As a one time resident of that benighted place, I can attest to minimal journalistic and questionable editorial standards of the Record. This is par for the course.