The media often portrays endangered species and ecosystem conservation as at loggerheads with rural communities that depend on natural resource extraction. In recent years, academics and practitioners alike have attempted to remedy this narrative by experimenting with management strategies that involve affected communities rather than impose top-down rules. This Note explores the small communities of western Lane County, Oregon, as a case study to interrogate these narratives in the context of northern spotted owl conservation. Specifically, the Note disaggregates the broad-strokes portrayal of owls versus timber into the relationships between federal government agencies with conservation mandates, small landowners, and county government to better understand the nuances of the tension and how management strategies have fared. The Note concludes by identifying five characteristics of species management strategies that benefit the species and its human neighbors: stakeholder engagement, funding, regulatory and relational certainty, monitoring, and reframing the narrative.
Protecting Species and Timber Communities from Extinction: A Case Study on Spotted Owls, Logging, and Cooperative Management in Western Lane County, Oregon
