Truthfully, there is no future in conservation save by changing the dominant economic system. Everything else falls short of the main goal and worse of all serves as a distraction for real solutions. While we are trying to put a band aid in a little booboo, the carotid is draining the blood of the person. Nothing short of a real change will do any good. Sorry for not having better news!

One of the issues with conserving owls in the American Southwest is the dramatic changes that have taken place in forest structure as a result of natural fire surpression. Forests are now dominated by dense, young aged forests; a dramatic change from historical conditions. Catastrophic fires have now become common and destructive in a way not experienced in these forests. Owl conservation is dependent of identification of habitat conditions that are suitable for these animals and working for forest treatments that favor the components needed by owls and for that matter other forest-dwelling denizens. In Arizona, there is a restoration initiative that will eventually treat over 1.0 million acres of forest with the needs of forest dwellers being considered as the restoration treatments are being planned.