Pacific Region Information Quality -
Peer Review of Scientific Information

Draft Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl

About the Document

Title: Draft Recovery Plan for the northern spotted owl

Estimated Dissemination Date: The notice of availability for the draft recovery plan was announced in the Federal Register on April 26, 2007, and public comments were accepted until June 25, 2007. In May, 2007, the Service contracted with the American Ornithological Union and the Society for Conservation Biology to conduct two anonymous peer reviews, which were received in July, 2007. On September 5, 2007, the public comment period was reopened for an additional 30-day period.

About the Peer Review Process

Type of review: Letter
Number of reviewers: The American Ornithological Union and the Society for Conservation Biology each provided 2 anonymous reviews. Three additional experts provided individual comments.
Reviewer expertise: Northern spotted owl ecology and habitat needs.
Selection of peer reviewers: The professional societies were selected based on their expertise and proven experience with the species. The societies selected the reviewers, who remained anonymous to the Service. The 3 additional experts were selected based on their expertise with the subject matter, and had no conflicts of interest as described in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Peer Review Guidelines.
Management of peer review: The peer review was managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

About Public Participation

Four public meetings were conducted for the draft recovery plan (1 in WA, 1 in OR, and 2 in California). Approximately 80,000 public comments were received.

Contact

Paul Phifer, PhD. Project Manager, Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Plan, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 911 NE 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232, phone (503) 724-1886; email: paul_phifer@fws.gov