Spotted owls were disappearing because big bad timber companies were cutting down old-growth forests. So the environmental movement rushed to the forests, hugged the trees, and issued news releases to decry the evils of the logging industry. Save the owl. Save the trees. Kill the timber industry. As a result of the hysteria to save the ‘endangered’ owls, US timber sales were reduced drastically, forcing sawmills to close, loggers to go broke, and the literal disappearance of entire towns that depended on the industry, reports Tom DeWeese. (1)
