Small Bird Needs Lots of Wing Room
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a pigmy owl (6 inches wing span and weighing a whopping 2 pounds) needs a lot of room to spread its wings. The Service is considering designating 1.2 million acres of public and private land in Arizona to accommodate 18 of the little fellows, each of which would have approximately 66,000 acres to call his own. Fish and Wildlife estimates that the Pima county economy (Tucson area) will suffer a $108 million economic loss over 10 years because of the designation, which the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) says is low ball figure. They say the designation will severely limit the available acreage for housing and will likely add $12,000 to the cost of new homes. NAHB filed suit to learn where the birds are located and the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. ordered the Service to reveal the information, but the agency has decided to appeal instead. “I think they are holding back the data because it is not the best scientific data available and does not…justify putting aside 1.2 million acres of land,” said Duane Desiderio head of legal affairs for NAHB. A Fish and Wildlife spokesman said they don’t want to reveal the locations to prevent bird-lovers from harassing the creatures and trespassing on private land.