Lawmakers urge Trump administration to cancel owl-killing plan, say it would cost too much

A bipartisan group of lawmakers urge the Trump administration to scrap plans to kill more than 450,000 invasive barred owls in West Coast forests in coming decades. The planned shootings are part of efforts to stop the birds from crowding out two smaller owl species facing potential extinction. The group of 19 lawmakers say the killings would cost thousands of dollars per bird and questioned if it would help the native spotted owls. Scientists for years have been shooting barred owls on an experimental basis and officials say the results show the strategy could halt spotted owl declines. A bipartisan group of lawmakers urge the Trump administration to scrap plans to kill more than 450,000 invasive barred owls in West Coast forests in coming decades. The planned shootings are part of efforts to stop the birds from crowding out two smaller owl species facing potential extinction. The group of 19 lawmakers say the killings would cost thousands of dollars per bird and questioned if it would help the native spotted owls. Scientists for years have been shooting barred owls on an experimental basis and officials say the results show the strategy could halt spotted owl declines.  AP Technology and Science