When you look at this Northern Pygmy Owl, you see human conflict. How could such a small owl lead to disagreement between groups of people? 

This owl prefers a habitat of more mature forests with diverse vegetation and thick cover. However, this is the same type of forest that the timber industry logs from, because older trees produce stronger wood. 

Environmentalists advocate preserving the habitat of the Northern Pygmy Owl, because it is an integral part of the interconnected web of its ecosystem. 

The timber industry, on the other hand, needs to keep cutting down the older trees that these owls prefer, or else their whole industry falls apart. This would damage the economy of our country as well as other countries that depend on our lumber. 

The Northern Pygmy Owl inadvertently pits these opposing groups against each other, which only leads to the detriment of human society and the owls themselves. 

By Lilly Whitehead