Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service relating to "Barred Owl Management Strategy".
Summary
H.J.Res. 111 is a binding joint resolution that would disapprove the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Barred Owl Management Strategy, a federal plan approved in September 2024. If passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president, the resolution would nullify the strategy and prevent the government from implementing or reissuing a similar rule.
The underlying strategy aims to kill approximately 450,000 barred owls across California, Oregon, and Washington over three decades using lethal removal methods such as shooting and euthanasia. The Fish and Wildlife Service argues this is necessary to protect the endangered northern spotted owl, which faces competition from the larger and more aggressive barred owl. However, the resolution has bipartisan support from lawmakers who argue the plan is costly (estimated at $1.35 billion), ineffective, and inhumane. Critics contend that barred owls would quickly repopulate removed areas and that the strategy may facilitate timber industry interests rather than genuine conservation.