In last days, Trump admin slashed 3.4 million acres of protected habitat for Northern Spotted Owl

1/22/21 -- In the final days of a presidency with a propensity for environmental deregulation, the Trump administration tucked some final rollbacks under its belt. The administration opened conservation lands in California and Utah to development, loosened standards on home heating equipment and, most notably to the North Coast, reduced protected habitat for the infamous northern spotted owl by one-third. The owl, which is threatened under the state and federal endangered species acts, is native to northern California, Washington, and Oregon. The species has been the subject of heated debate for years, as it’s protection resulted in millions of acres of forests being closed to timber harvesting